‘New frontier’ of crypto laundering involves cross-chain bridges and DEXs: Elliptic
New analysis from blockchain analytics and crypto compliance agency Elliptic has revealed the extent to which cross-chain bridges and decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have eliminated obstacles for cybercriminals.
In an Oct. 4 report titled “The state of cross-chain crime,” Elliptic researchers Eray Arda Akartuna and Thibaud Madelin took a deep dive into what they described as “the brand new frontier of crypto laundering.” The report summarized that the free move of capital between crypto property is now extra unhindered because of the emergence of latest applied sciences corresponding to bridges and DEXs.
Cybercriminals have been utilizing cross-chain bridges, DEXs and coin swaps to obfuscate a minimum of $4 billion value of illicit crypto proceeds for the reason that starting of 2020, it reported.
Round a 3rd of all stolen crypto, or roughly $1.2 billion, from the incidents surveyed, was swapped utilizing decentralized exchanges.
Delving additional into the small print, the report famous that greater than half of the illicit funds it recognized had been swapped immediately by way of two DEXs, Curve and Uniswap, with the 1inch aggregator protocol coming an in depth third.
An identical quantity of round $1.2 billion has been laundered utilizing coin swap providers which permit customers to swap property inside and throughout completely different networks with out having an account.
“Many are marketed on Russian cybercrime boards and cater virtually solely to a prison viewers,” it famous.
Sanctioned entities are more and more turning to such applied sciences to be able to transfer funds and perform cyber-attacks, in keeping with Elliptic:
“Wallets linked to teams finally sanctioned by the USA — together with these utilized by North Korea to perpetrate multi-million-dollar cyberattacks — have laundered greater than $1.8 billion by way of such methods.”
In a June report on digital asset dangers, world cash laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, the Monetary Motion Activity Drive (FATF), additionally identified cross-chain bridges and “chain hopping” as a excessive threat.
Associated: $2B in crypto stolen from cross-chain bridges this 12 months: Chainalysis
The Ren bridge was talked about as a best choice for crypto laundering with the overwhelming majority of illicit property, or greater than $540 million, passing by way of it.
“Ren has turn out to be significantly standard with these looking for to launder the proceeds of theft,” it stated.
One potential answer to mitigate crypto theft was proposed by Stanford researchers final month. It includes an opt-in token normal referred to as ERC-20R that gives the choice to reverse a transaction inside a set time interval.
