In the wake of a security breach in the Liquid Network, Blockstream has announced its refusal to compensate for approximately 600 Bitcoins held by attackers. The company, committed to safeguarding user assets, engaged with those responsible in an attempt to recover the stolen assets. However, Blockstream argued that this incident does not qualify as a genuine security investigation.
Company Issues Firm Statement
As a leading developer of the Bitcoin sidechain ‘Liquid,’ Blockstream firmly stated that compensating for the return of the stolen assets could set a precarious precedent, both for the Bitcoin ecosystem and open-source developers. The company emphasized the durability and transparency of Bitcoin transactions recorded on the blockchain, warning that the traces left behind from such actions are indelible.
How Did the Breach Occur?
The attackers exploited a vulnerability in the Liquid Network to generate around 4,000 L-BTC without the necessary Bitcoin collateral. Utilizing the SideSwap peg-out infrastructure, they then extracted approximately 4,000 real BTC from the Liquid Federation reserves.
Each L-BTC in circulation within the Liquid Network must typically be backed one-to-one by BTC held by the Federation. At the time of the breach, the Federation’s wallet contained about 4,200 BTC. Consequently, the breach impacted roughly 95% of the reserves, which were valued at approximately $320 million then.
The group behind the attack subsequently returned a significant portion of the assets. By September 7, around 3,400 BTC were transmitted back to Liquid Federation, accounting for approximately 85% of the stolen Bitcoin. Nonetheless, around 598.5 BTC remains unreturned, with the attackers still in control.
The company highlighted that there is still an opportunity to resolve the matter responsibly, though it may pursue stricter measures if the remaining assets are not returned.
Recovery Efforts Underway
Efforts to stabilize the Liquid Network continue. Blockstream released an updated version, Elements v23.3.4, to address and rectify the exploited vulnerability, allowing block production to resume.
Regular updates from former strategy officer Samson Mow have confirmed that Liquid transactions are back to normal processing. However, with 598 BTC yet unrecovered, the support for L-BTC is currently estimated around 85%, not entirely complete.
