Verus-Ethereum Bridge Hack Drains Over $11M in Latest Cross-Chain Security Breach

Blockchain security remains one of the crypto industry’s biggest concerns, with cross-chain bridges continuing to attract hackers due to their complex infrastructure and massive liquidity pools. The latest incident involved the Verus-Ethereum bridge, a platform designed to facilitate transfers between the Verus blockchain and Ethereum, including ETH and ERC-20 tokens.

On Monday, attackers exploited the bridge and stole a significant amount of digital assets, including 103.6 tBTC, Threshold Network’s tokenized version of bitcoin, 1,625 ether (ETH), and 147,000 USD Coin (USDC). According to blockchain security firm PeckShield, the hacker later converted the stolen assets into approximately 5,402.4 ETH, valued at more than $11 million. The funds are currently held in the wallet address 0x65Cb8b128Bf6e690761044CCECA422bb239C25F9.

The Verus-Ethereum exploit highlights a growing trend in the cryptocurrency sector, where cybercriminals increasingly target blockchain infrastructure and cross-chain communication systems rather than individual smart contracts. Security experts note that bridges remain particularly vulnerable because they manage assets across multiple networks, making them attractive targets for large-scale attacks.

Crypto exchange Phemex recently reported that some of the largest crypto losses this year were linked to bridge infrastructure and cross-chain messaging vulnerabilities. Among the most notable incidents was the Kelp DAO exploit in April, which targeted LayerZero’s cross-chain messaging protocol. That attack caused losses estimated at $293 million and created ripple effects throughout the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.

Industry analysts say the pattern is clear: bridge exploits consistently rank among the costliest crypto hacks annually. As blockchain adoption expands and interoperability becomes increasingly important, security around cross-chain bridges will remain a critical issue for developers, investors, and the broader crypto market in 2026.