DeltaPrime Issues Ultimatum to Attacker in $4.8M Hack
The team of the decentralized finance borrowing and lending platform DeltaPrime has given an ultimatum to the perpetrator of its recent $4.8 million hack. In a social post on Nov 13, the co-founder of the firm Gavin Hasselbaink announced the deadline for communication is 8 am on November 14th, CET. If the party fails to get in touch for a discussion about the recovery of stolen funds, it would mean taking the case to court with a view to unmasking the hacker.
Hacker Must Come Forward or Face Action, Says Company
He said that DeltaPrime wishes for the safe return of money that has belonged to the users. “As I am sure you know, we have several leads on your real identity, and at some point, we will have to pursue those in order to retrieve the user funds.” The ultimatum follows DeltaPrime’s previous attempts at reaching out to the attacker.
Hasselbaink explained that, while DeltaPrime respects the confidentiality and anonymity of all parties, the platform is prepared to further escalate its approach if the hacker continues to avoid communication. This move represents the growing trend in the DeFi space whereby protocols resort to more direct, public approaches in the face of potential high-stakes security breaches.
DeltaPrime’s Attempt to Reach Out to the Attacker
Immediately after the hack, DeltaPrime reached out to the hacker, even going so far as to leave an on-chain message, with the hopes of discussing the return of the ill-gotten funds. In the message, it informed the attacker that confidentiality would be provided and that they should voluntarily return the funds. According to Hasselbaink, to date, the hacker has not responded to outreach by the protocol, which has led DeltaPrime to set a more formal deadline.
Commitment to Safe Fund Retrieval
The main goal of DeltaPrime remains the safe retrieval of the stolen assets. In a public message, the platform underscored that it is ready to negotiate with the attacker, underlining that the safe recovery of the users’ funds is its top priority. DeltaPrime referred to other cases of hackers who decided to return the stolen assets and promised the criminal that any form of collaboration will be wrapped in confidentiality.
Previous Incidents and Possible Links
This hack becomes the second major attack on DeltaPrime in recent months. In September, the protocol sustained a $6 million loss due to some security weaknesses in its contract. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has previously linked it to North Korean IT personnel, although reportedly removed before the latest attack. Whether there is any link between the hack and North Korea remains unclear.
As the deadline approaches, DeltaPrime’s ultimatum is part of a larger push from the DeFi community for more transparency and security. The consequence of this might set a precedence for how such incidences in the future are dealt with by decentralized protocols.
