Gravity Bridge Hacker Sends Another $2.1M in Stolen ETH to Tornado Cash

The hacker behind the Gravity Bridge exploit has moved an additional 1,180 $ETH, worth roughly $2.06 million, to cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, according to blockchain security firm CertiK. The transfer brings the total amount of stolen funds routed through the mixer to 2,020 $ETH.

Details of the Latest Transactions CertiK reported that the funds were moved through two externally owned accounts (EOAs) across a series of transactions over the past 24 hours. The total stolen in the initial exploit was 2,600 $ETH, valued at about $5.4 million at the time of the hack. Most of that amount has now been pushed through Tornado Cash, a protocol built to obscure transaction trails on Ethereum. The remaining stolen assets have been distributed across multiple centralized exchanges (CEXs), per the security firm's on-chain analysis. The pattern — mixers here, exchanges there — is a familiar playbook for laundering illicit proceeds and staying ahead of investigators.

Background on the Gravity Bridge Exploit The Gravity Bridge hack, which took place in mid-2024, exploited a vulnerability in the cross-chain bridge protocol. The attacker drained more than 2,600 $ETH from the bridge's smart contract, prompting an immediate investigation by CertiK and other blockchain forensics teams. The incident underscored the ongoing security risks of cross-chain infrastructure, which remains a frequent target because inter-blockchain communication is, charitably, a puzzle.

Why This Matters for the Crypto Ecosystem The continued movement of stolen funds through Tornado Cash highlights persistent challenges in blockchain security and regulatory enforcement. Despite sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department on the mixer in 2022, the protocol is still operational and still being used to launder stolen crypto. The case also shows how hard it is to recover assets once they enter mixing services, where transaction histories become nearly impossible to follow. For users and investors, the Gravity Bridge incident is a reminder of the risks tied to cross-chain protocols — and of why thorough smart contract audits are not an optional extra. It also captures the ongoing cat-and-mouse dynamic between blockchain security firms and the people trying to outfox them.

Conclusion The Gravity Bridge hacker's latest move to push over $2 million in stolen $ETH through Tornado Cash brings the total laundered via the mixer to more than 2,000 $ETH. With the rest scattered across exchanges, the case is still active, and CertiK continues to monitor the wallets involved. The episode reinforces the case for stronger security measures on cross-chain protocols — and the long-running challenge of tracing and recovering stolen digital assets.

FAQs Q1: What is Tornado Cash and why do hackers use it? Tornado Cash is a decentralized cryptocurrency mixer that breaks the on-chain link between sender and receiver by pooling funds from multiple users. Hackers use it to obscure the trail of stolen assets, making it harder for investigators to follow the money. Privacy-focused users also rely on it, though typically with funds they actually own.

Q2: How much was stolen in the Gravity Bridge hack? The attacker stole 2,600 $ETH, valued at roughly $5.4 million at the time of the exploit. The funds have since been moved through mixers and exchanges.

Q3: Can the stolen funds be recovered? Recovery is extremely difficult once funds enter a mixer like Tornado Cash, because the transaction history is intentionally obfuscated. Blockchain security firms like CertiK continue to monitor the wallets and can pass intelligence to law enforcement if any of the funds resurface on exchanges.