Force Bridge, the cross-chain protocol developed by Nervos Network, has fallen victim to a major exploit, resulting in the theft of more than $3 million in cryptocurrency, according to blockchain security firm Cyvers.
Details of the Exploit
Hackers reportedly compromised the Force Bridge and drained several assets, including:
- 257,800 USDT
- 539.09 ETH (~$1.35 million)
- 898,300 USDC
- 60,400 DAI
- 0.79 wrapped BTC (~$83,000)
All stolen funds were quickly converted into Ether (ETH) and laundered through the crypto mixing service Tornado Cash, making tracking and recovery efforts significantly harder.
The unauthorized transactions were linked to a suspicious wallet address, raising alarms across the Nervos ecosystem. The attack took place amid dwindling usage and looming sunset plans for the bridge.
Bridge Paused as Investigation Underway
Magickbase, a major Nervos contributor and infrastructure partner, promptly paused the bridge and confirmed the breach via a post on X (formerly Twitter):
“Our team is investigating.“
The attack comes just days after Magickbase announced plans to sunset Force Bridge by November 2025, citing low activity and high maintenance costs.
Force Bridge and DeFi Vulnerabilities
Launched in 2019, Force Bridge was designed to enable cross-chain transfers, connecting Nervos to ecosystems like Ethereum. Like many DeFi bridges, it utilizes smart contracts and token-wrapping mechanisms for interoperability—features that have proven vulnerable to hacks and exploits.
This incident follows a trend of multi-million dollar bridge hacks, including:
- Ronin Bridge ($600M stolen in 2022)
- Wormhole ($323M stolen in 2022)
These breaches highlight the persistent security challenges of DeFi bridges, which remain a critical but fragile infrastructure layer in the blockchain ecosystem.
What’s Next for Nervos?
With the bridge paused and an investigation ongoing, Nervos developers face mounting pressure to reassess their cross-chain strategies. The breach further justifies the previously announced decision to retire Force Bridge and could accelerate efforts to enhance protocol security and decentralization.