A multisig exploit on unleash protocol led to the theft of approximately $3.9 million in weth, usdc, and other tokens. while significant for the protocol, this amount is relatively small in the context of the total crypto market cap, making a broad market impact unlikely for major assets like eth or usdc.
The information comes from certik alert, a reputable blockchain security firm, and is corroborated by the unleash protocol team's own admission and ongoing investigation.
The exploit is specific to one protocol and the stolen amount, while not negligible, is insufficient to cause major price movements for top cryptocurrencies like ethereum or stablecoins like usdc. it might cause a minor, temporary dip in overall defi sentiment, but not a sustained trend.
Any market reaction to this news will likely be very brief and localized. the broader market quickly absorbs news of protocol-specific exploits unless they involve much larger sums or systemic vulnerabilities.
Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available. Read U.TODAY on Google News Unleash Protocol has disclosed unauthorized activity involving its smart contracts that led to withdrawal and transfers of user funds. Investigations from CertiK Alert revealed deposits of Ethereum into Tornado Cash, following the Unleash Protocol exploit. Advertisement Unleash Protocol investigates multisig exploit CertiK Alert disclosed on X that it detected deposits of 1,337.1 ETH, valued at about $3.9 million, transferred into Tornado Cash. The platform linked the transfer from the wallet address, 0xc946981F5dFBFA10cf858B95d51Fc06DCD15BfE3. CertiK Alert added that the funds trace back to suspicious withdrawals of Wrapped ETH and Story tokens from a possibly compromised multisig. The report comes shortly after Unleash Protocol announced it is investigating an exploit that led to the loss of users’ funds. #CertiKInsight 🚨 We have detected deposits of 1337.1 ETH (~$3.9M) into Tornado Cash from 0xc946981F5dFBFA10cf858B95d51Fc06DCD15BfE3. The fund traces to suspicious withdrawals of Wrapped ETH and Story tokens from a multisig that may have been compromised.… pic.twitter.com/YIFEAEwilc — CertiK Alert (@CertiKAlert) December 30, 2025 The Unleash Protocol team said initial investigation indicated that an externally owned address gained administrative control via its multisig governance. Following the attack, the exploiters carried out an unauthorized contract upgrade that enabled unauthorized asset withdrawals. This occurred outside Unleash's intended governance and operational procedures. The assets identified as affected include WIP, USDC, WETH, stIP and vIP. After the withdrawals, the exploiters bridged these assets using third-party infrastructure before sending them to external addresses. How Unleash is managing the exploit In its announcement, the Unleash Protocol team said there was no evidence of compromise to Story Protocol contracts, validators or underlying infrastructure. They also added that the impact appears limited to Unleash-specific contracts and administrative controls. The team, however, assured users that the investigation is still ongoing, and all conclusions will be confirmed before final disclosure. You Might Also Like Thu, 12/25/2025 - 08:51 Charles Hoskinson: You Cannot Scam Like This on Bitcoin and Cardano By Arman Shirinyan To prevent further risk, they have suspended all Unleash Protocol operations. The team also noted that they are working closely with independent security experts and forensic investigators to determine the root cause. This is in addition to conducting a full review of multisig signer activity, key management practice and governance processes. Users are, therefore, advised to refrain from interacting with Unleash Protocol contracts and follow only official Unleash communication channels for accurate updates. Notably, the Unleash multisig exploit is only the latest among recent crypto thefts. As noted in a U.Today report , a crypto user recently lost 50 million USDT to an address spoofing scam. Before this attack, some attackers explored a security flaw in XWiki and DELMIA Apriso . As a result, the exploiters mined the Monero (XMR) cryptocurrency without permission. In another recent scheme, bad actors stole $773,000 worth of crypto from the DeFi project Hyperdrive. #Scam Alert