Hyperbridge flaw allowed pretend DOT minting, exposing weak cross-chain validation and triggering sharp market disruption.
Considerations over cross-chain safety have emerged after a serious exploit hit the Hyperbridge protocol. Attackers managed to mint an enormous provide of unauthorized bridged DOT tokens on Ethereum. Market individuals at the moment are reassessing dangers tied to interoperability infrastructure.
Exploit in Polkadot Bridge Sparks Sudden Worth Collapse
A crucial flaw within the Hyperbridge gateway contract enabled attackers to control bridged belongings within the Polkadot ecosystem. Onchain findings point out that 1 billion illegitimate DOT tokens had been created on Ethereum and quickly bought.
Based on blockchain safety agency CertiK, the problem stemmed from weak validation within the protocol’s cross-chain message verification system. By crafting a malicious message, the attacker bypassed safety checks and assumed management of the Ethereum-based token contract.
We’ve seen an exploit on the @hyperbridge gateway contract. https://t.co/h27iDm1JGd
The attacker slipped via a solid message to vary the admin of Polkadot token contract on Ethereum and profited ~$237K from minting and promoting 1B tokens.
Keep… pic.twitter.com/3t2n4uq5hy
— CertiK Alert (@CertiKAlert) April 13, 2026
Additional evaluation revealed the vulnerability was tied to the Merkle Mountain Vary logic. When solely a single leaf was current, the verification course of didn’t correctly hyperlink proof information to the transaction request. This hole enabled the reuse of previous transaction information and the execution of the assault.
Blockchain analytics platform Onchain Lens reported that the worth of bridged DOT on Ethereum collapsed from about $1.22 to fractions of a cent inside minutes. The fast sell-off mirrored each the inflated provide and lack of belief within the affected asset.
Hyperbridge Incident Sparks $DOT Suspension on Upbit and Bithumb
Builders behind Polkadot clarified that the exploit didn’t impression native DOT on its foremost community. Solely tokens bridged to Ethereum via Hyperbridge had been affected. Different bridging routes and core community operations stay intact.
We’re conscious of a difficulty affecting @hyperbridge‘s Ethereum gateway contract.
The exploit solely impacts DOT on Ethereum that’s bridged via Hyperbridge and doesn’t have an effect on DOT within the Polkadot ecosystem, or DOT bridged via different bridges.
Polkadot, its parachains, and…
— Polkadot (@Polkadot) April 13, 2026
Following the incident, Polkadot clarified the issue involving Hyperbridge’s Ethereum gateway. The workforce acknowledged that the problem is restricted to DOT tokens bridged by way of Hyperbridge on Ethereum.
Property on the primary Polkadot community, in addition to these moved via different bridges, stay protected. Polkadot additionally famous that its core community and parachains weren’t affected. In the meantime, Hyperbridge operations have been briefly halted because the investigation continues.
Main South Korean exchanges, together with Upbit and Bithumb, suspended deposits and withdrawals of DOT. Each platforms cited safety considerations following the incident.
The occasion comes shortly after scrutiny intensified in South Korea’s crypto market. Authorities lately opened an investigation into Bithumb over a big Bitcoin switch error, elevating broader considerations about operational and systemic dangers.