Hyperbridge attacker mints 1B bridged Polkadot tokens in $237K exploit

A hacker exploited the Hyperbridge protocol, minting 1 billion bridged Polkadot tokens and netting approximately $237,000. The attack raised security concerns about blockchain bridges, as the hacker used a forged message to change the admin of the Polkadot token contract on Ethereum. Hyperbridge has paused operations for an upgrade, while the exploit only affected bridged DOT on Ethereum, leaving the wider Polkadot ecosystem unharmed. Additionally, the SubQuery Network was exploited for around $130,000 due to a separate vulnerability. Despite these incidents, DeFi exploit losses have significantly decreased year-over-year.