Hackers drain over $3 million in crypto from Nervos Network’s Force cross-chain bridge, say security analysts

Force Bridge, a cross-chain protocol built on the Nervos Network, was targeted in a suspected decentralized finance exploit, resulting in estimated losses of over $3 million in crypto assets, according to Web3 security firm Cyvers.

The perpetrators siphoned about 257,800 USDT, 539.09 ETH ($1.35 million), 898,300 USDC, 60,400 DAI, and 0.79 wrapped bitcoin worth roughly $83,000 based on data from The Block’s price page. The stolen funds were reportedly converted to ether and funneled through Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixing service often used to obfuscate transaction trails.

In response, Magickbase, a major Nervos contributor, paused the bridge service and confirmed an ongoing investigation via a post on X. “Our team is investigating,” the team said in a June 2 update.

Nervos Network launched its mainnet in 2019, aiming to establish an interconnected onchain ecosystem through tools like Force Bridge. Singapore-based Magickbase acts as an infrastructure provider focused on supporting Nervos developers and users. The company is also a key partner for managing Nervos Network's flagship cross-chain platform.  Notably, Magickbase had announced plans to sunset Force Bridge, citing low user activity and high maintenance costs in a notice published May 31.

DeFi bridges, such as Nervos Network’s Force, enable users to transfer assets and data between isolated blockchains by leveraging smart contracts and token wrapping technology to facilitate cross-chain interoperability.

These mechanisms, while critical to cross-chain functionality, have become frequent targets for exploits. Notably, the Ronin Bridge and Wormhole attacks in 2022 resulted in losses of $600 million and $323 million, respectively, ranking among the largest DeFi hacks to date.