On August 15, 2025, on-chain analysis revealed that three prominent exploiters of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols capitalised on Ether’s price surge to liquidate stolen assets, realising over $83 million in cumulative profits. High-profile incidents at Radiant Capital, Infini and an aggregated exploit involving THORChain and Chainflip facilitated these events.
The Radiant Capital incident, attributed by enforcement authorities to a sanctioned North Korean entity, initially resulted in the theft of $53 million in assets during an October attack. The exploiter converted the stolen funds into 21,957 ETH at an average price of $2,414 per coin. This week, a strategic sale of 9,631 ETH generated approximately $44 million in stablecoin proceeds, capturing an additional $48.3 million above the original haul.
In a separate February exploit of the Infini protocol, the attacker siphoned $49.5 million in USDC before acquiring 17,696 ETH at an average price of $2,798. A portion of the ETH, amounting to 3,540 coins, was sold for $13 million in stablecoins at an average price of $3,762. Remaining holdings appreciated further, yielding incremental gains of $25.15 million when sold amid the latest rally.
The third case involves a combined breach across THORChain and Chainflip networks, where 17,412 ETH was illicitly extracted in March. The exploiter executed a divestment of 33.9 million DAI at $1,947 per ETH and later re-entered the market, converting 4,957 ETH into $22.13 million at an average price of $4,464. The net profit from these transactions reached $9.76 million.
Collectively, the three exploits underscore persistent security vulnerabilities within DeFi. Total losses due to hacking incidents reached $3.1 billion in the first half of 2025, following $1.49 billion stolen in 2024. Attack vectors have included smart-contract flaws, flash loan manipulation and cross-chain bridge exploits.
Security service providers recommend enhanced audit procedures, decentralized key management and incremental capital release mechanisms to mitigate risk exposure. Industry coalitions are advocating for standardized security certifications and automated monitoring systems to detect anomalous transaction patterns.
Market observers note that rapid asset liquidation by exploiters can exacerbate price volatility and undermine confidence in DeFi infrastructure. The events emphasise the need for improved protocol design, comprehensive risk assessments and collaborative information-sharing frameworks across platforms.
Comments (0)