Nervos Force Bridge lost $3.9 million including 250,000 USDT, 500+ ETH, and 900,000 USDC through misconfigured access control vulnerabilities.
Attacker used Tornado Cash to launder stolen funds, converting assets to ETH and obfuscating transaction trails for blockchain investigators.
Cross-chain bridges remain prime targets for hackers, following previous major exploits on Ronin, Wormhole, and Harmony protocols.
Nervos Force Bridge suffers $3.9M exploit as attacker steals USDT, ETH, USDC through misconfigured access controls.
THE BREACH: WHAT HAPPENED
On June 2, 2025, the Nervos Network was hit by a significant exploit that targeted its cross-chain bridge infrastructure—Force Bridge. This breach resulted in the theft of approximately $3.9 million in digital assets and marks yet another high-profile bridge attack within the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.
How the Attack Unfolded
The first signs of the exploit emerged when blockchain security firm Cyvers Alerts detected a suspicious address assuming control of Force Bridge. Once inside, the attacker quickly siphoned off assets including over 250,000 USDT, 500+ ETH, around 900,000 USDC, and additional DAI and WBTC. These were rapidly swapped into Ethereum and obfuscated using Tornado Cash, a privacy-preserving tool.
Developer Response and Immediate Measures
Magickbase, a Nervos developer, noticed the unusual on-chain activities and responded by suspending Force Bridge operations. Despite this swift action, the damage had already been done. Analysis of blockchain data revealed the attacker’s address had remained dormant for weeks prior, indicating careful planning. After extracting the funds, the attacker moved them through a series of wallets to mask their path.
Vulnerability Details
Contrary to many previous exploits, this incident was not rooted in flawed smart contract logic but in misconfigured access control—highlighting that even non-technical errors can lead to catastrophic losses.
CROSS-CHAIN BRIDGES: A GROWING SECURITY CONCERN
This exploit highlights a growing pattern. Cross-chain bridges have become prime targets for attackers, and 2022–2024 witnessed several massive exploits—Ronin, Wormhole, Harmony, and now Nervos. The very architecture that makes bridges useful—allowing assets to flow between chains—also introduces complex attack surfaces that are notoriously difficult to secure.
Force Bridge, like others, was designed to enable asset interoperability between Nervos and Ethereum. However, it now serves as a painful reminder of how challenging that mission can be when adequate security isn’t enforced. Attackers often exploit weaknesses in access control, validation logic, or contract configurations. Once inside, they can mint, withdraw, or reroute funds without detection—until it’s too late.
Past attacks like those on Ronin and Harmony followed similar playbooks, exploiting centralized relayers or insufficient validation logic. These recurring patterns show that lessons learned from one incident often aren’t fully adopted across the industry.
Some projects now offer generous bug bounties and include delay mechanisms or multisig requirements for withdrawals, but implementation is not yet universal.
THE ROLE OF TORNADO CASH
One critical aspect of this hack is the use of Tornado Cash. The Ethereum-based mixer allows users to deposit and withdraw tokens anonymously by breaking the on-chain link between source and destination. It’s a legitimate tool for privacy but is increasingly used by cybercriminals to launder funds from exploits.
In the Nervos case, the attacker converted all stolen assets into ETH and passed them through Tornado Cash, making tracking efforts by investigators significantly more difficult. This poses broader challenges for blockchain forensics, compliance, and enforcement in the DeFi space.
Tornado Cash’s role in laundering these funds also brings renewed attention to its controversial status. While privacy is a legitimate goal, regulators have flagged it for enabling illicit flows. The Nervos case might fuel calls for more regulated mixers or built-in compliance tools.
Users and developers alike must now navigate this fine line between protecting privacy and ensuring transparency.
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COMMUNITY REACTION AND PREVENTIVE STEPS
The response from the blockchain and developer communities was swift. Security researchers called for better real-time monitoring, automated threat detection, and the application of formal verification methods to bridge smart contracts. Many also pointed out the necessity of regular third-party audits and the importance of having a contingency plan—including circuit breakers and on-chain emergency pauses.
Nervos Network has temporarily suspended the Force Bridge while it performs an internal investigation. They’ve committed to working with third-party security firms to audit the system and publish a post-mortem analysis. Users have been advised not to use Force Bridge until the system is declared secure.
This incident is not only a setback for Nervos but also a wake-up call for the entire DeFi ecosystem. While bridges play a crucial role in a multi-chain future, security cannot be an afterthought.
Some suggest that DAOs governing bridges should approve high-risk operations, offering decentralized oversight. This would prevent any single entity from pushing unsafe upgrades or maintaining exploitable privileges unchecked.
Additionally, wallet developers are being urged to educate users at the UI level—flagging risks when engaging with unverified or lightly-audited bridge protocols.
LOOKING AHEAD: THE FUTURE OF BRIDGE SECURITY
Going forward, developers and protocol designers must prioritize security as a foundational feature. Key strategies include:
– Reducing complexity by limiting trusted relayers and intermediaries
– Implementing zero-knowledge proofs to minimize attack vectors
– Applying modular architecture and defense-in-depth frameworks
More broadly, this incident may lead to increased interest in native cross-chain solutions such as LayerZero, Interchain Security by Cosmos, or restaking protocols that can help distribute trust across chains without a single point of failure.
The Nervos Force Bridge attack is not just an isolated breach; it’s a reflection of the structural security challenges that plague DeFi infrastructure. As TVL (total value locked) across protocols increases, so does the incentive for bad actors to exploit systemic weaknesses. Ultimately, building a secure and interoperable blockchain future will require collaboration, rigorous testing, and above all—transparency.
The Nervos incident could also drive broader adoption of modular bridge models, where components are independently tested and upgraded. Shared audit standards and open frameworks would allow developers to iterate faster without sacrificing safety.
Ultimately, the projects that treat security not just as a task but as a core philosophy will build the trust needed for Web3 to scale sustainably.
〈Nervos Force Bridge Exploit: $3.9M Lost in Another Cross-Chain Breach〉這篇文章最早發佈於《CoinRank》。
