A cross-chain bridge linking Verus and Ethereum was exploited Tuesday, with the attacker making off with roughly $11.4 million in crypto. The haul — 103.6 tBTC, 1,625 ETH, and 147,000 USDC — was quickly swapped into 5,402.4 ETH, according to on-chain data. The incident adds to a souring mood around Ethereum, which is trading near $2,110 and testing a critical support zone.
What the attacker took
The exploit targeted the Verus-Ethereum bridge, a platform designed to move assets between the two chains. The attacker converted nearly everything into ETH, a move that concentrates selling pressure on a single token. Ethereum's price has been sliding, and the RSI sits at 34, in oversold territory. Key support sits at $2,100; if that breaks, the next floor is $2,250 resistance above.
Bridge hacks keep piling up
This isn't an isolated incident. In April, Kelp DAO lost $293 million via a LayerZero bridge attack, and earlier this year the Drift protocol was hit for $270 million. Each exploit chips away at confidence in cross-chain infrastructure, though the amounts pale next to those earlier breaches. Still, for a smaller bridge like Verus-Ethereum, an $11.4 million hit is a heavy blow.
LiquidChain presale keeps rolling
Separately, LiquidChain — a Layer 3 project building a Cross-Chain Liquidity Layer — has raised $770,000 in its presale. Its token, $LIQUID, is priced at $0.0146 with a 1500% APY staking bonus advertised. The presale comes at a time when investors are eyeing new infrastructure plays, even as existing bridges get picked apart.
Ethereum's $2,100 test
The timing isn't great for Ethereum bulls. Analysts project a potential drop below $2,100 if support fails, and the attacker's ETH could add to the downside pressure. The market will be watching closely whether that level holds through the rest of the week.
