The Specter From the Other World

Crypto Nightmares: The Scariest Crypto Stories

• The Stage: Wormhole Bridge.
• The Witching Hour: 2nd February 2022.
• The Bounty: 325 million USD / 120,000 Ethereum (ETH).
  In the dark abyss of the crypto world, where flickering screens cast a sinister glow, existed a night wrapped in evil. This night is said to obsess the minds of even the most resolute decentralized finance connoisseurs. That night, the digital world succumbed to an entity born from shadow and deception.

One fateful evening, precisely at 5:58 PM +UTC, a spectral figure emerged from the hidden depths of the blockchain. Under an impenetrable cloak of anonymity, this malicious entity embarked on a calculated journey, setting its devotion on the Wormhole bridge, which that evening became, for a few moments, a portal between our world and that of others…

What unfolded that night would be eternally etched in the annals of digital terror. With an exceptional degree of artifice, the specter bypassed the bridge’s protections. Weaving a complex web of deceit, injecting a counterfeit account into the very heart of the bridge. A sinister “message” was conjured, demanding the unholy creation of 120,000 Wormhole Ethereum (WeETH).

The “complete_wrapped” function, now contaminated by the entity, came to life, diabolically birthing the WeETHs. In seconds, the specter had amassed a fortune, leaving the crypto community in shock and disbelief.

As the moon reached its zenith, the specter executed its next move: Transferring 10,000 ETH to the Ethereum blockchain via the Wormhole Bridge, sending tremors in every node of the Ethereum blockchain. And ultimately, as the crypto world was watching with anxiety, another transaction of 80,000 ETH was triggered 20 minutes later, recalling the ancient Egyptian belief that the number 20 symbolizes finality and eternity. Thus, the specter’s malicious act was eternally engraved in the blockchain, like a hieroglyph.

To this day, the stolen treasures remain concealed within the clutches of the malevolent entity, residing in wallets with addresses obscured in the deepest shadows. Accounts like 0x629e7Da20197a5429d30da36E77d06CdF796b71A and CxegPrfn2ge5dNiQberUrQJkHCcimeR4VXkeawcFBBka serving as somber relics of that fateful night.

Yet the horror did not cease with the theft. The crypto community observed in despair as Wormhole issued a desperate cry, offering a $10 million bounty in a futile effort to recover the stolen assets. Their call echoed in the vast emptiness of blockchain, unanswered and lost in the crypto abyss.

The story ends under the icy light of the moon as the forces of evil wait in the shadows for their next spectral attack. In the spirit of Poe, this crypto tale of horror reminds us that vigilance is the key to keeping our assets safe.

Security lesson: Smart contract programming is a relatively new field, lacking security standards, documentation, and best practices. Consequently, developers may overlook the importance of auditing their smart contracts before launch. The Wormhole Bridge exploit underscores the importance of comprehensive smart contract audits.

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👉 I like scary crypto stories, but I prefer my funds!