cybersecurity

A new study by the Anthropic Fellows and MATS programs shows that frontier AI models can already find and exploit real-world vulnerabilities in smart contracts, raising the stakes for DeFi security.

Using SCONE-bench, a dataset of 405 exploited contracts, models including GPT-5, Claude Opus 4.5, and Sonnet 4.5 collectively generated $4.6 million in simulated exploits. Importantly, these were attacks on contracts hacked after the models' knowledge cutoffs, showing that the exploits weren't simply regurgitated training data.

Agents didn't merely identify bugs; they generated complete exploit scripts, sequenced transactions, and drained simulated liquidity in ways almost indistinguishable from real attacks on Ethereum and BNB Chain.

Researchers pushed further: could these models find vulnerabilities before anyone exploited them?

Scanning 2,849 fresh BNB Chain contracts, GPT-5 and Sonnet 4.5 uncovered two true zero-days worth $3,694 in simulated profit. One was an exploit through a missing view modifier that enabled the agent to inflate its token balance, while another allowed arbitrary redirection of fee withdrawals. In each case, the AI created executable scripts to monetize the flaws.

Although the nominal dollar amounts are small, the implications are huge: profitable, autonomous exploitation is now possible — and it's affordable. The total cost of the scanning was just $3,476, or about $1.22 per run.

As models become increasingly powerful and less expensive, researchers expect the gap between contract deployment and exploitation to shrink dramatically, especially in DeFi, where pools of capital are public and instantly targetable.

Crucially, the authors warn these capabilities are not limited to crypto: the same reasoning that lets an AI inflate a token balance can apply to traditional software, back-end infrastructure, and any system guarding valuable assets.
The research is less a prediction than a warning: AI models can already carry out operations that only the most elite human attackers could previously perform. For crypto builders, the race is now on for defenses to catch up.
#AI #Cybersecurity #SmartContracts #DeFi #BlockchainSecurity

​У результаті скоординованої міжнародної спецоперації правоохоронні органи Німеччини (BKA) та Швейцарії завдали нищівного удару по тіньовій економіці даркнету. Їм вдалося заблокувати інфраструктуру та вилучити сервери сумнозвісного сервісу Cryptomixer.
​Ця платформа тривалий час була ключовим інструментом для кіберзлочинців з усього світу. Міксер дозволяв "відмивати" цифрові активи, отримані незаконним шляхом — наприклад, внаслідок атак програм-вимагачів, фішингу або торгівлі наркотиками. Технологія змішування транзакцій ускладнювала відстеження кінцевих бенефіціарів брудних грошей.
​За попередніми даними, через Cryptomixer пройшли криптовалюти на десятки мільйонів доларів. Вилучення серверів дало слідчим доступ до цінної інформації про користувачів та транзакції, що обіцяє нову хвилю викриттів. Ця операція є чітким сигналом: анонімність у блокчейні не є абсолютною, а міжнародна співпраця силовиків стає дедалі ефективнішою у боротьбі з криптозлочинами.
​Хочете першими дізнаватися про гучні викриття, регулювання ринку та важливі новини індустрії? Підписуйтесь на наш тег #MiningUpdates !

#CryptoNews #CyberSecurity #MoneyLaundering #CryptoMixers #Bitcoin #BlockchainForensics #Regulation #Germany #Switzerland #CryptoCrime #Darknet

​Інтерпол офіційно визнав криптошахрайство глобальною злочинною загрозою, що свідчить про критичний масштаб проблеми у сучасну цифрову епоху. Це рішення підкреслює факт, що злочини з використанням віртуальних активів вже давно вийшли за межі національних кордонів, створюючи безпрецедентні виклики для правоохоронних систем усього світу.
​Зловмисники активно використовують анонімність, швидкість транзакцій та відсутність єдиного регулювання для відмивання грошей, створення складних фінансових пірамід та масштабних крадіжок активів. Оскільки ці схеми стають дедалі витонченішими, окремим країнам вкрай важко їм протистояти самотужки. Інтерпол наголошує на нагальній потребі посилення міжнародної співпраці, миттєвого обміну розвідувальними даними та гармонізації законодавства для ефективної боротьби з цим видом кіберзлочинності.
​Для інвесторів та користувачів ця заява є серйозним сигналом: ринок криптовалют залишається зоною підвищеного ризику, де пильність та критичне мислення є головними інструментами захисту власних коштів.
​Щоб залишатися в курсі найважливіших новин криптосвіту та питань безпеки, обов'язково підписуйтесь на наш тег #MiningUpdates !

#interpol #CryptoCrime #CyberSecurity #GlobalThreat #cryptocurrency #FinCrime #BlockchainNews #AntiMoneyLaundering

📅 November 28 | Seoul, South Korea
The crypto ecosystem is shaking strongly again. Upbit, one of the largest and highest volume exchanges in all of Asia, confirmed after an emergency audit that the recent $30 million hack revealed a much more dangerous flaw than previously thought: a technical error within its infrastructure that may have inadvertently exposed private keys.

📖Upbit confirmed that a malicious actor had managed to drain approximately $30 million in assets after breaching a specific set of hot wallets. The company publicly assured that losses would be fully covered and that its operating infrastructure remained stable, but internal investigators insisted that something was not right.
The attack pattern did not match common phishing techniques or direct system compromises, which led to the activation of an emergency technical audit executed by multiple firms specialized in cybersecurity and on-chain analysis.
According to The Block, it was that audit that uncovered the most alarming point: an internal flaw in the key rotation system that, under certain extremely specific circumstances, could have leaked sensitive elements of the private key generation and storage process.
Although there is no evidence that the attackers have fully exploited this flaw, the mere possibility completely redefines the severity of the incident. The audit describes the flaw as “potentially critical” and “highly dangerous” if combined with unauthorized access or internal compromises.
The researchers also concluded that the bug was present for a limited period, but long enough for a sophisticated attacker to detect anomalies within the signature stream. The $30 million exploit could have just been a side effect of a much deeper vulnerability.
Furthermore, it warns that this flaw, if not discovered in time, could have allowed access to multiple institutional and user wallets, which would have caused multimillion-dollar losses that were impossible to cover. This discovery set off all the alarms within the exchange and it is now in the process of total repair.
Upbit reported that it has already isolated all affected systems, activated a complete key regeneration protocol, redesigned internal custody processes and is working with Korean authorities to document every detail of the attack.
It was also announced that a full technical report will be published in the coming days so that the community, third-party auditors, and other exchanges can assess the vulnerability and harden their own systems. The priority now is to avoid any residual risk and restore market confidence at an especially sensitive time, considering the increase in hacks in Asia in recent months.
Users, analysts and cybersecurity experts agree that this incident sets a disturbing precedent: if an exchange as large as Upbit had a flaw capable of compromising private keys, how many systems could still be exposed without knowing it?

Topic Opinion:
I think the fact that an exchange the size of Upbit faced a vulnerability of this caliber shows how critical it is to strengthen custody systems even on high-end platforms. While Upbit acted quickly and responsibly, the industry as a whole must take this case as a precedent that calls for greater transparency, constant audits, and much stricter standards.
💬 Do you think this incident will forever change the perception of security in exchanges?

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#Upbit #cryptohacks #CryptoSecurity #CyberSecurity #CryptoNews $ETH