Verus Bridge Exploiter Returns 4,052 ETH, Keeps 1,350 ETH as Bounty

May 22, 2026

< 1 min read

by Coin Edition

for CoinEdition

Verus Bridge Exploiter Returns 4,052 ETH, Keeps 1,350 ETH as Bounty

AI Overview

Following a May 18 DeFi bridge breach that drained ETH, USDC and tBTC and saw assets swapped into 5,402 ETH, an exploiter returned 4,052.4 ETH (about $8.5M) to Verus’ team wallet after a settlement asking for 75% recovery within 24 hours. The attacker kept 1,350 ETH (roughly $2.8M) as a bounty, and the partial recovery and negotiated settlement mitigates market impact while underscoring persistent bridge security risks in crypto.

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The Verus bridge exploiter returned 4,052.4 ETH, worth about $8.5M, to the team wallet.
The attacker kept 1,350 ETH, valued at nearly $2.8M, under Verus’ proposed bounty terms.
The May 18 breach drained ETH, USDC, and tBTC before assets were swapped into 5,402 ETH.

An attacker linked to the recent Verus network exploit returned 4,052.4 ETH, worth about $8.5 million, to the project’s wallet. The transfer followed a settlement offer from Verus’ core contributors, who asked the exploiter to return 75% of the stolen assets within 24 hours.

Attacker Returns 75% After Verus Settlement Offer

PeckShield said the returned funds represented 75% of the total stolen from the Verus bridge incident. The remaining 1,350 ETH, worth about $2.8 million, stayed in the attacker’s wallet as a bounty.