Verus–Ethereum Bridge Hacked for More Than $11.58 Million

Verus is a privacy-focused blockchain launched in 2018. Its Verus–Ethereum bridge, which went live in October 2023, transfers and swaps assets between the two networks. Because bridges hold liquidity in centralized pools, a failure in their verification mechanisms can put multiple tokens at risk. The incident again highlights vulnerabilities in DeFi infrastructure.

On May 18, 2026, Blockaid and PeckShield reported the theft of 1,625 ETH, 103.6 tBTC and about 147,000 USDC from the bridge, for losses of roughly $11.58 million. On May 22, the attacker returned 4,052.4 ETH, worth about $8.5 million, while retaining 1,350 ETH as a bounty. Verus agreed to end its investigation and not pursue legal action.