Hacker Steals $2.1 Million From Abandoned Aztec Connect Smart Contract

Aztec Connect was a privacy-focused DeFi bridge launched by Aztec Labs in 2022 that used zero-knowledge proof technology on Ethereum. The platform stopped accepting deposits and was retired in March 2023, but its immutable legacy contracts continued to hold user assets. The team no longer had administrative keys and could neither pause nor upgrade them, underscoring that onchain risks do not disappear when a product is shut down.

On June 14, 2026, an attacker exploited a discrepancy between verification and Ethereum settlement logic to withdraw about $2.1 million from a legacy Aztec Connect contract. The assets included 909 ETH, 270,000 DAI and 167 wstETH, among others. Aztec Labs said the current Aztec Network was unaffected. Another retired bridge contract was robbed of about $2.15 million on June 18, and the company is continuing to investigate.