Coindesk Logo

Osmosis Chain Halted Amid Possible $5M Exploit

Osmosis Chain Halted Amid Possible $5M Exploit

Osmosis Chain Halted Amid Possible $5M Exploit

The Osmosis DEX has been halted for emergency maintenance as developers investigate the extent of a liquidity pool exploit.

The Osmosis DEX has been halted for emergency maintenance as developers investigate the extent of a liquidity pool exploit.

The Osmosis DEX has been halted for emergency maintenance as developers investigate the extent of a liquidity pool exploit.

AccessTimeIconJun 8, 2022, 8:24 AM
Updated Apr 9, 2024, 11:38 PM
Osmosis blockchain was halted amid a $5 million exploit. (Rahul Pabolu/Unsplash)
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

The Osmosis network was halted by core developers and validators at 02:57 UTC following the emergence of an exploit that may have led to about $5 million being drained from liquidity pools.

  • The bug was brought to light by a community member on the Osmosis subreddit, although the post was deleted by the forum's moderator.
  • The exploit came to light when a user deposited funds to a liquidity pool before instantly withdrawing it. The value of the withdrawal was unintentionally 50% higher than the deposit.
  • The team took 12 minutes to halt the chain after the exploit had emerged, according to a Discord post by Osmosis community analyst, RoboMcGobo.
  • "I cannot speculate on the cause of the bug, an ETA on the chain restart, or the pools that were impacted because we simply don't know yet," RoboMcGobo stated at 05:47 UTC.
  • In an update on Twitter, Osmosis wrote: "Liquidity pools were NOT 'completely drained.' Devs are fixing the bug, scoping the size of losses (likely in the range of ~$5M), and working on recovery. More info to come."
  • Osmosis is a blockchain that is built on the Cosmos framework. It operates a decentralized exchange (DEX) that had $11.8 million in daily trade volume before the chain was halted.
  • The Osmosis token (OSMO) is 6.96% down over the past 24 hours, according to trades on MEXC.

UPDATE (June 8, 09:15 UTC): Adds time of network halt in first paragraph, information from posts on Discord.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

Oliver Knight is a CoinDesk reporter based between London and Lisbon. He does not own any crypto.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.