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

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

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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.

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.

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

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One industry pundit explained what other users have reportedly experienced:

“If you open the website it asks you to change the chain, where you hold the most amount of money. After that scam transaction is sent, after confirmation money are gone. Don’t open the website!!!”

Users attempting to access the Balancer website is met with a warning sign:

Related: Breaking: ‘All funds are at risk’ — Steadefi exploited in ongoing attack

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.