THORSwap DEX enters maintenance mode amid illicit activity

THORChain RUNE +10.33% -based decentralized exchange THORSwap announced it is “temporarily transitioning” its interface into maintenance mode amid a rise of potentially illicit funds moving through the platform.

“A pressing and persistent concern has recently come to light: the potential movement of illicit funds through THORChain and, specifically, THORSwap,” THORSwap posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Such activities have no place on the THORSwap platform, and THORSwap stands firmly against any and all criminal actions.”

The move follows consultation with legal experts, advisors and law enforcement agencies, and the platform will remain in maintenance mode until “a more permanent and robust solution can be implemented to ensure the platform's continued security and integrity,” THORSwap stated.

"Swaps are paused. LP actions, Earn (savers), Borrow (lending), Staking actions are all fully operational," it later added.

FTX hacker fund movements

The individual or entity behind suspicious withdrawals from the collapsed crypto exchange FTX — commonly called the "FTX hacker" —  transferred 22,500 ETH ($38 million) over the past week, according to on-chain analysts Lookonchain. 

The transfers involved swapping ether for bitcoin through THORChain and Railgun. The FTX hacker holds over 163,000 ETH ($275 million) across several wallets.

The FTX hacker is already reportedly exploring alternatives to THORSwap for converting ether into bitcoin, including Threshold Network, according to on-chain data. Threshold later posted it had released a patch and "the remaining pending FTX exploiter redemption transactions are not expected to process."

Taylor Monahan, a product manager a Consensys, claimed on Monday that hackers and money launderers in Russia and North Korea use THORChain for their operations, adding that “in the last four months, more than 50% of the ether to THORSwap router to bitcoin transactions have been stolen funds.”

Transaction volume on THORChain has increased significantly this month, hitting a record $355 million on Oct. 5, according to THORChain Explorer.

Swap history volume. Image: THORChain Explorer.

The THORSwap team said it had no additional details to share at this time but assured its community they were doing everything possible to resume operations swiftly and further updates would follow.

Updated with additional detail throughout.