DeFi protocol Balancer frontend is under attack, $238K crypto stolen

Balancer, an Ethereum-based decentralized finance protocol is warning users to stay away from its website, after an attack on its frontend.

The platform notified its community on Sept. 19 at 11:49 pm UTC, urging users to not interact with the Balancer user interface until further notice.

The balancer frontend is under an attack. The issue is currently under investigation. Please do NOT interact with the balancer UI until further notice!

— Balancer (@Balancer) September 19, 2023

Balancer said the details of the attack are under investigation. The firm hasn’t officially commented on whether user funds were affected, but Balancer contributor Cosme Fulanito has reportedly confirmed that Balancer’s vault remains “100% fine.”

Blockchain security firms including PeckShield and blockchain analyst ZachXBT however estimated at least $238,000 in crypto has been stolen so far.

#PeckShieldAlert @Balancer has reported that its frontend under an attack, ~$238k worth of cryptos were stolen https://t.co/aAaj0Xqery pic.twitter.com/YDIjfnNYM4

— PeckShieldAlert (@PeckShieldAlert) September 20, 2023

Some users have been reporting that when interacting with the website, they’re being prompted to approve a malicious contract that drains users’ wallets.

Risk alert @Balancer ‘s domain (https://t.co/Ikuh2PEJrv) has been hijacked and its prompting users to approve a malicious contract that will drain your wallet.

As far as we can tell, protocol funds are safu and the issue is limited to the hijacked front-end. pic.twitter.com/KrBUutj5H0

— Exponential DeFi (@ExponentialDeFi) September 19, 2023

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This is the second attack on Balancer in less than a month after it warned of a critical vulnerability on Aug. 22, suffering an estimated $2 million exploit related to the vulnerability just days later.

“Balancer is aware of an exploit related to the vulnerability below,” the protocol’s team posted on X on Aug. 27, adding that while mitigation measures taken in recent days had drastically reduced risks, affected pools could not be paused.

“To prevent further exploits, users must withdraw from affected LPs,” it advised.

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