Incident case

Allbridge Core 2023 BNB Chain pool exploit

Attackers used flash-loan-funded deposits, withdrawals, and swaps to exploit flawed liquidity-accounting logic in Allbridge Core's BUSD and USDT pools on BNB Chain.

reviewedcurrent

Incident facts

Incident title
Allbridge Core 2023 BNB Chain pool exploit
Bridge
Allbridge Core
Incident date
2023-04-02
Incident type
Exploit
Major incident
Yes
Affected chains
BNB Chain
Affected assets
BUSD, USDT
Attack category
Liquidity Or Accounting Failure
Reported loss
Approximately $650,000 official postmortem; about $573,000 initial estimate
Recovery
Partial Recovery
Reimbursement
Completed
Restart
Reopened
Current outcome
Active After Incident
Resolution
Final outcome known
Last reviewed
2026-06-15
Last verified
2026-06-15

Timeline events

  • Allbridge Core BNB Chain pool exploit disclosed2023-04-02

    Allbridge shut down bridge operations after attacks manipulated its BUSD and USDT pool accounting on BNB Chain.

    Exploit DisclosedHigh
  • First attacker returned 1,500 BNB2023-04-03

    An attacker accepted white-hat terms and returned 1,500 BNB, representing most of the initially reported loss.

    Funds ReturnedHigh
  • Compensation plan announced2023-04-04

    Allbridge said affected bridge users and liquidity providers would be compensated, beginning with transactions stuck during the emergency shutdown.

    Compensation Plan AnnouncedHigh
  • Allbridge Core relaunch and contract changes documented2023-05-30

    Allbridge documented the redesigned pool logic, contract redeployment, recovery payments, and the return of Allbridge Core service.

    Bridge RelaunchedHigh

Evidence records

Known unknowns