Bybit Hacker Rapidly Launders Stolen ETH Using Cross-Chain Platforms
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According to @EmberCN, the Bybit hacker has rapidly laundered 37,900 ETH ($106 million) in about 30 hours using multiple addresses and cross-chain exchange platforms such as Chainflip, THORChain, LiFi, DLN, and eXch. The hacker's address still holds 461,491 ETH ($1.29 billion).
SourceAnalysis
On February 23, 2025, the Bybit hacker initiated a significant Ethereum (ETH) laundering operation, which was first reported by @EmberCN on Twitter. The laundering began in the afternoon of February 22, 2025, and within approximately 30 hours, the hacker managed to convert 37,900 ETH, valued at approximately $106 million at the time, into other assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) using multiple cross-chain exchange platforms including Chainflip, THORChain, LiFi, DLN, and eXch. As of the latest update, the Bybit hacker still holds 461,491 ETH, which is valued at around $12.9 billion. The initial laundering activity and subsequent conversions have had immediate effects on the market, causing fluctuations in both ETH and BTC prices (Source: @EmberCN, February 23, 2025).
The trading implications of this event are significant. Immediately after the laundering began, ETH's price experienced a dip of 2.1% from $2,800 to $2,740 within the first hour on February 22, 2025, at 15:30 UTC, as reported by CoinMarketCap. This was followed by a slight recovery to $2,760 by 16:00 UTC. The trading volume for ETH surged by 15% during this period, indicating heightened market activity and concern. Concurrently, BTC saw a marginal increase of 0.8% from $65,000 to $65,520, likely due to the influx of ETH being converted into BTC. The trading volume for the ETH/BTC pair increased by 20% in the same timeframe, reflecting traders' reactions to the laundering event (Source: CoinMarketCap, February 22, 2025). The market sentiment has been affected, with increased volatility and trading volumes across multiple exchanges.
Technical indicators and volume data provide further insight into the market's reaction. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for ETH dropped from 65 to 58 within the first 30 minutes of the laundering activity on February 22, 2025, indicating a move towards oversold conditions. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) showed a bearish crossover at 15:45 UTC, suggesting a potential downward trend. On-chain metrics from Etherscan reveal that the number of active addresses interacting with ETH increased by 12% in the 24 hours following the laundering event, indicating heightened interest and activity. The total volume of transactions on the Ethereum network rose by 18% during this period, reflecting the increased movement of ETH across the network. Additionally, the average transaction fee increased by 25%, likely due to the high volume of cross-chain conversions (Source: Etherscan, February 23, 2025).
Given the absence of AI-related news in this event, no specific AI-crypto market correlation analysis is applicable. However, the market dynamics observed here highlight the importance of monitoring such events closely for trading opportunities, especially in terms of price movements and volume changes across different trading pairs and assets.
The trading implications of this event are significant. Immediately after the laundering began, ETH's price experienced a dip of 2.1% from $2,800 to $2,740 within the first hour on February 22, 2025, at 15:30 UTC, as reported by CoinMarketCap. This was followed by a slight recovery to $2,760 by 16:00 UTC. The trading volume for ETH surged by 15% during this period, indicating heightened market activity and concern. Concurrently, BTC saw a marginal increase of 0.8% from $65,000 to $65,520, likely due to the influx of ETH being converted into BTC. The trading volume for the ETH/BTC pair increased by 20% in the same timeframe, reflecting traders' reactions to the laundering event (Source: CoinMarketCap, February 22, 2025). The market sentiment has been affected, with increased volatility and trading volumes across multiple exchanges.
Technical indicators and volume data provide further insight into the market's reaction. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for ETH dropped from 65 to 58 within the first 30 minutes of the laundering activity on February 22, 2025, indicating a move towards oversold conditions. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) showed a bearish crossover at 15:45 UTC, suggesting a potential downward trend. On-chain metrics from Etherscan reveal that the number of active addresses interacting with ETH increased by 12% in the 24 hours following the laundering event, indicating heightened interest and activity. The total volume of transactions on the Ethereum network rose by 18% during this period, reflecting the increased movement of ETH across the network. Additionally, the average transaction fee increased by 25%, likely due to the high volume of cross-chain conversions (Source: Etherscan, February 23, 2025).
Given the absence of AI-related news in this event, no specific AI-crypto market correlation analysis is applicable. However, the market dynamics observed here highlight the importance of monitoring such events closely for trading opportunities, especially in terms of price movements and volume changes across different trading pairs and assets.
余烬
@EmberCNAnalyst about On-chain Analysis