-
Cetus Protocol was hacked for $223 million but has now relaunched after recovering $162 million.
-
A $30 million loan from the Sui Foundation supported the restart.
-
Affected liquidity pools have been restored to at least 85% of original value.
-
The attacker is being actively pursued as asset laundering attempts begin.
DEX Back Online After Major Exploit
Cetus Protocol, a decentralized exchange on Sui and Aptos, has officially restarted operations just 17 days after suffering a massive $223 million exploit. The relaunch followed a successful recovery of $162 million in stolen funds and emergency funding from the Sui Foundation.
The team confirmed that liquidity pools have been restored to between 85% and 99% of their original value.
Hack Rooted in Mathematical Flaw
The breach stemmed from an integer overflow issue in a shared math library, which the attacker exploited to make one token appear worth millions. Security firm SlowMist noted the attack was carefully planned, with an initial failed attempt two days prior.
The Aptos side of the protocol remained unaffected throughout the incident.
Ongoing Legal Efforts and Platform Upgrades
Cetus is still pursuing the attacker, who has transferred some funds to an EVM-compatible address and begun laundering them via Tornado Cash. The team called the laundering attempt “futile and traceable.”
Looking ahead, Cetus will launch additional audits, upgrade monitoring tools, and roll out a new white-hat bounty program.
