On April 15, the team behind the Ethereum scaling network, ZKsync, identified a compromised admin account that took control of $5 million worth of ZK tokens. These were the remaining unclaimed coins from the ZKsync airdrop, they added.
The team reassured users that all their funds are safe and have never been at risk. “The ZKsync protocol and ZK token contract remained secure, and no further ZK is at risk,” they said.
“This is an isolated incident caused by a compromised key and confined to the ZK Token airdrop contract.”
ZKsync security team has identified a compromised admin account that took control of ~$5M worth of ZK tokens — the remaining unclaimed tokens from the ZKsync airdrop. Necessary security measures are being taken.
All user funds are safe and have never been at risk. The ZKsync…
A short time later, the team posted an update stating that the account that was the admin of the three airdrop distribution contracts had been compromised. The attacker called a function that minted approximately 111 million unclaimed ZK tokens from the airdrop contracts.
The transaction inflated the amount of tokens in circulation by around 0.45% of the total supply and caused a brief dip in spot prices.
“This incident is contained to the airdrop distribution contracts only and all the funds that could be minted have been minted. No further exploits via this method are possible.”
They noted that the hacker still held funds in an account that contained 44 million ZK tokens worth $2.1 million and around 2,200 ETH worth $3.4 million.
When asked why the unclaimed airdrop tokens were left in the contract, co-founder and CEO of ZKsync, Alex Gluchowski, said, “The unminted supply was supposed to go back to the Token Assembly,” before adding, “We’re investigating why this didn’t happen.”
“The attacker is facing criminal liability. It’s in their best interest to investigate the funds return ASAP,” he said.
We’re actively investigating this incident and will publish the full update once the investigation and recovery efforts are complete.
I am happy to take your questions here and will answer them to the best of my knowledge. https://t.co/yPgpNeQq5D
ZKsync total value locked has tanked almost 80% since the beginning of February and was just over $60 million at the time of writing, according to DeFiLlama.
In June 2024, the platform began airdropping 17.5% of the total supply of tokens, or 3.67 billion ZK.
ZK Prices at ATL
The zero-knowledge rollup platform’s native token, ZK, tanked 13% immediately after the hack in a fall to and all-time low of $0.0415. However, it quickly recovered almost all losses and was trading at $0.0472 at the time of writing.
Nevertheless, ZK is trading at its lowest levels, having fallen 83% from a December high of $0.262 and its all-time high at the time of the airdrop of $0.321.
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Ethereum’s Next Big Move: 3 Bullish Signals That Could Skyrocket ETH
TL;DR
Although ETH has been largely the biggest disappointment of the current cycle that started last year, there are certain factors suggesting it has a lot of room for growth, which could be around the corner.
Whales are back on the offensive, and the declining sentiment could result in price reversal in the short term.
3 Factors Say Yey ETH
Data from Lookonchain suggests that Ethereum whales have reversed their strategy and have started to accumulate once again. The analytics platform outlined an address linked to Metalpha that has purchased roughly $50 million worth of the second-largest digital asset since April 1.
Another one withdrew almost $100 million in ETH out of GateIo, and a third one transferred more than 10,000 ETH from Bybit.
Whales accumulating again is a good sign for the underlying asset, as it reduces the immediate selling pressure and could lead to FOMO among smaller investors.
The second positive sign for ETH’s future price performance is the Market Cap to Realized Cap (MVRV) Price Band. The metric is used to determine the “best” buying opportunities when Ethereum dips below it, which is the current situation.
The best #Ethereum$ETH buying opportunities have historically occurred when price dips below the lower MVRV Price Band, and that’s exactly where it is now! pic.twitter.com/qVg9R2ewpe
Rain told their 100,000 followers on X that Ethereum’s cycles tend to repeat themselves in a compelling manner. Basing their findings on the historical sentiment around the largest altcoins, the analyst determined that ETH will reclaim its strength and aim at $10,000 and beyond. This will shift the entire market structure, which includes “new narratives, new capital rotation, and new leaders.”
Is It Already Different?
Just a few days ago, CryptoPotatoreported that different types of investors had sold off substantial portions of their ETH holdings. These included whales, Galaxy Digital, smaller investors, and those who entered through the ETFs.
However, the information above, including the accumulation by whales, suggests that the ETH market has reached an exhaustion point. After all, the asset is down by 60% since its December 2024 peak. For comparison, BTC, which actually managed to break its previous ATH, is down by only 22% since the January high.
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Ethereum Price Stalls as Lightchain AI Launches Developer Grant Program
This content is provided by a sponsor. PRESS RELEASE. Ethereum prices have remained relatively flat, causing crypto investors to shift their gaze to new opportunities poised to disrupt the blockchain landscape. One such opportunity making waves is the Lightchain AI Developer Grant Program. With its unique focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with blockchain technology… Read More
Crypto Price Analysis April-18: ETH, XRP, ADA, SOL, and HYPE
This week, we examine Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Solana, and Hype in greater detail.
Ethereum (ETH)
It was a quiet week for Ethereum that only managed a small 1% price increase. This is because, lately, it has been moving sideways around $1,600. This lack of momentum shows indecision with market participants unsure if the ETH downtrend will resume or not.
The current price action is similar to early March, when Ethereum hovered around $1,900 for about a week before sellers returned. If nothing changes, ETH may fall to its key support at $1,400.
Looking ahead, this cryptocurrency continues to show weakness. The lack of momentum is concerning, and buyers have to break the resistance at $1,800 to bring back optimism.
Chart by TradingView
Ripple (XRP)
This week, XRP managed to defend its key support at $2 and booked a 2% price increase. This is a positive sign that shows buyers are serious about keeping this cryptocurrency above $2.
While the bullish momentum is not there yet, the current price level can serve as a great pivot point for higher levels in the future, with $2.3 and $2.6 as key targets before the major resistance at $3.
Looking ahead, XRP has a good chance to return on a sustained uptrend in the medium term and aim for $3. To achieve that, buy volume has to increase considerably in the future.
Chart by TradingView
Cardano (ADA)
While XRP has found good support, the same cannot be said about ADA. It failed to reclaim its previous support at $0.64, which is now acting as a resistance, with sellers having an advantage on the chart.
If buyers remain absent, then the next key support levels will be found at $0.5 and $0.45. While the daily MACD turned bullish, the buy volume is simply not there to challenge the resistance at $0.64.
Looking ahead, Cardano is found in a flat trend with buyers unable to make their presence felt. For this reason, it is unlikely to see any major moves from this cryptocurrency at this time.
Chart by TradingView
Solana (SOL)
Solana increased by 13% this week, making it the best performer on our list. This comes after the price broke above $118, which used to act as resistance.
This uptrend may continue uninterrupted until $150 where sellers returned in the past, most recently in late March. While the path is clear for higher levels, buyers will need to turn $150 into a key support if they want to sustain this rally.
Looking ahead, SOL is experiencing a relief rally after its most recent drop. While sellers are absent right now, they can return once the price approaches the key resistance at $150. Best to be cautious there.
Chart by TradingView
HYPE is the second-best performer on our list this week with a 10% price increase. This comes after it entered a sustained rally since touching $9. Considering it reached $17 recently, that means it jumped by over 80% within a relatively short period of time.
While its rally in early April was quite strong, sellers have started to make their presence felt more in the past week with each new high being met by increased sell pressure. This can also be seen on the daily sell volume which is making higher highs.
Looking ahead, HYPE had a fantastic run, but this is starting to show some weakness with buyers becoming exhausted. This is why a pullback becomes more likely at these levels since sellers are returning.
Chart by TradingView
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