Crypto’s April Bloodbath: $300M Vanish in Hacks—Same Old Story, Bigger Numbers
DeFi protocols got steamrolled by hackers yet again last month—turns out ’code is law’ only applies when it’s not your money getting drained.
Three headline-grabbing exploits dominated April: a cross-chain bridge got gutted ($100M), a yield farm turned into a piggy bank ($75M), and an NFT platform got rinsed ($45M). All while VCs kept shilling ’institutional-grade security’ like used-car salesmen.
The silver lining? Whitehats clawed back $40M in one incident—proof the ecosystem’s immune system is waking up. Slowly.
Fun fact: These losses equal 12% of April’s total crypto trading volume. Wall Street would riot over 0.12% slippage—but hey, ’we’re still early,’ right?
$96,942 transactions, security vulnerabilities in decentralized exchanges, and protocol weaknesses. Industry experts have called for an immediate review of security measures to better protect assets in the future.
ContentsTotal Losses from April’s Crypto HacksCollaborations and Efforts to Recover Losses
Total Losses from April’s Crypto Hacks
According to data from PeckShieldAlert, the 18 significant hack attacks in April resulted in a total loss of $357.11 million. Comparatively, March recorded losses amounting to $33.46 million. A singular Bitcoin transaction stood out due to causing a loss of $330.7 million. Other violations involved exploiting protocol flaws to transfer funds and taking advantage of security gaps within decentralized exchanges.
For the January to March period, losses were documented at $87.25 million, $1.51 billion, and $33.46 million respectively. The $1.51 billion loss in February represented the year’s highest recorded loss thus far. Even though April’s figures have reduced the monthly average, the sector’s vulnerability persists. Experts emphasize the necessity for decentralized finance protocols to broaden their security testing comprehensively.
Collaborations and Efforts to Recover Losses
In some cases, platforms quickly collaborated to mitigate losses. At KiloEx, $6.1 million of a $7.5 million loss was recovered through a partnership with Binance. Similarly, a significant portion of a $5.4 million loss from the zksync attack was recouped using a similar method. These instances highlight the power of collaboration in crisis management.
On April 26, the decentralized finance protocol Loopscale faced a $5.8 million breach. Following negotiations, protocol officials successfully secured the return of the stolen funds. It was also confirmed that user deposits remained intact. This positive resolution sent optimistic signals regarding collaboration models within the industry.
Protocols like MophoLabs were also targeted throughout the month. In February, the Bybit attack saw $1.4 billion worth of Ethereum
$1,837 stolen, with no clear recovery trajectory announced yet. Additionally, attempts by attackers to convert funds, such as changing Ethereum into Bitcoin, have been documented. These developments are prompting a thorough reassessment of security strategies across cryptocurrency networks.
