Breaking: Optimism Hacker Intends To Return 18 Mln OP Tokens

Varinder Singh
June 10, 2022
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Wintermute Dumps $5 Million Optimism (OP) Tokens To Binance Ahead Unlocks

The Optimism (OP) hacker on Friday sent another 1 million OP tokens to Vitalik Buterin’s wallet address and left a message saying that they intend to return 18 million OP tokens. Moreover, they stated they believe in Ethereum’s founder Vitalik Buterin and just wanted to know his opinion.

The hacker had sent 1 million OP tokens to Vitalik Buterin’s wallet address on Thursday.

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Optimism (OP) Hacker Turns Out to be Whitehat

An Etherscan data on the Optimistic browser showed that the hacker has transferred another 1 million OP tokens to Vitalik Buterin’s wallet address and left a message in the “input data box.” The message reads:

“Hello, Vitalik, I believe in you, just want to know your opinion on this. BTW, help to verify the return address and I will return the remaining after you. And hello Wintermute, sorry, I only have 18M and this is what I can return.
Stay Optimistic!”

The attacker has confirmed themself as a whitehat. Moreover, they asked developers to share a return address to send the remaining Optimism (OP) tokens after verification of the address. Also, confirms to Wintermute that he has only 18 million OP tokens to return.

Wintermute, in a public message on Thursday, offered one-week time to the hacker to consider turning whitehat, urging the hacker to return stolen OP tokens. Moreover, the team is impressed with the hacker and offered consulting opportunities or other forms of cooperation in the future.

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Optimism (OP) Price Jumps Nearly 25% in a Day

The Optimism (OP) price has jumped nearly 10% after the hacker agreed to return the OP tokens. The rally was supported by massive trading volume in the last 2 hours. At the time of writing, the OP price is trading at $0.9207, up nearly 25% since bottoming out at the 0.73 level.

The Optimism hack caused the OP token price to plunge more than 20%, making an all-time low of $0.7142. However, after the hacker transferred 1 million tokens to Vitalik Buterin and Wintermute promised to return funds, the price recovered most losses.

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Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
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Why Trust CoinGape

CoinGape has covered the cryptocurrency industry since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights Read more…to our readers. Our journal analysts bring years of experience in market analysis and blockchain technology to ensure factual accuracy and balanced reporting. By following our Editorial Policy, our writers verify every source, fact-check each story, rely on reputable sources, and attribute quotes and media correctly. We also follow a rigorous Review Methodology when evaluating exchanges and tools. From emerging blockchain projects and coin launches to industry events and technical developments, we cover all facets of the digital asset space with unwavering commitment to timely, relevant information.

About Author
About Author
Varinder has over 10 years of experience and is known as a seasoned leader for his involvement in the fintech sector. With over 5 years dedicated to blockchain, crypto, and Web3 developments, he has experienced two Bitcoin halving events making him key opinion leader in the space. At CoinGape Media, Varinder leads the editorial decisions, spearheading the news team to cover latest updates, markets trends and developments within the crypto industry. The company was recognized as Best Crypto Media Company 2024 for high impact and quality reporting. Being a Master of Technology degree holder, analytics thinker, technology enthusiast, Varinder has shared his knowledge of disruptive technologies in over 5000+ news, articles, and papers.
Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
Ad Disclosure: This site may feature sponsored content and affiliate links. All advertisements are clearly labeled, and ad partners have no influence over our editorial content.