ZetaChain pauses cross-chain transactions; the GatewayEVM smart contract was attacked

April 28, according to ZetaChain’s official announcement and its official status page, the Layer 1 interoperability network ZetaChain has suspended cross-chain transactions on the mainnet after discovering that the GatewayEVM smart contract was attacked. In its statement, ZetaChain confirmed that this attack only affected the team’s internal wallets and that, at this time, no user funds have been impacted.

Attack Details and Official Statement

According to ZetaChain’s official announcement, the GatewayEVM contract is the unified entry point for cross-chain interactions between externally compatible EVM chains and applications on ZetaChain. In its statement, ZetaChain directly quoted: “As a precautionary measure, ZetaChain has currently paused cross-chain transactions. The investigation is still ongoing. At this time, no user funds have been affected by this attack.”

ZetaChain said the team has taken steps to mitigate the attack path to prevent further loss of funds and will release a detailed post-incident analysis report. The Block has reached out to ZetaChain for further comment regarding the matter.

Loss Estimate Figures

According to DefiLlama data, this attack resulted in losses of approximately $300k; ZetaChain’s official announcement did not disclose the specific loss amount. ZetaChain mainnet went live in early 2024 and is positioned as an interoperability Layer 1 network for integrating different networks such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Polygon.

Background on the DeFi Security Incident

According to DefiLlama data, since the KelpDAO vulnerability incident, there have been more than 10 attacks targeting various DeFi projects. Previously, the cross-chain bridge KelpDAO based on LayerZero technology was attacked, resulting in losses of approximately $292 million and causing a large number of bad debts at Aave; the industry consortium “DeFi United” subsequently stepped in to help restore Aave’s liquidity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the scope of the impact of the attack on the ZetaChain GatewayEVM contract?

According to ZetaChain’s official announcement, this attack only affected ZetaChain team internal wallets. As of the time of publication, no user funds have been affected; ZetaChain has taken steps to mitigate the attack path, and will release a post-incident analysis report.

What is the loss amount of this attack, and has ZetaChain officially disclosed it?

According to ZetaChain’s announcement, the team has not disclosed the specific loss amount and will release a detailed post-incident analysis report separately; according to DefiLlama data, the loss caused by this attack was approximately $300k.

What is the timing and current status of the ZetaChain cross-chain transaction suspension?

According to ZetaChain’s official status page, as of 9:00 p.m. Monday, April 27 Eastern Time, cross-chain transactions are still in a paused state. More than 9 hours have passed since the incident was detected; the investigation is still ongoing.