Ankr bridge exploit exposes major security flaws
4.2 Security Ankr’s Ethereum bridge was exploited for $303,000 via five unauthorized withdrawals, exposing critical security flaws and raising concerns about DeFi bridge safety.
On November 9, 2026, Ankr’s Ethereum cross-chain bridge suffered an exploit, resulting in the loss of over $303,000 in digital assets. The attacker performed five unauthorized withdrawals by reusing a previously redeemed deposit on the Optimism network. By forging withdrawal receipts and maintaining valid cryptographic signatures, the attacker bypassed the bridge’s security checks, draining ankrETH, ankrPOL, and native ANKR tokens. Notably, the contract was not paused during or after the exploit, leaving additional vulnerabilities exposed. Blockchain security firm Blockaid flagged the incident as ongoing, with all stolen assets moved to a new wallet. This breach has heightened concerns about the security of DeFi bridges, transaction verification, and key management. The incident underscores the urgent need for stricter security standards and immediate action from the Ankr team, as repeated breaches continue to erode user trust in cross-chain bridges.
