Key Highlights
- Between 80-90% of IOTX tokens are frozen, reducing market impact.
- Non-IOTX assets are being traced with blockchain security firms and law enforcement.
- Ethereum-side bridge in final testing, full incident report and recovery plan coming soon.
IoTeX has given an update on the ioTube Bridge hack, which happened on February 21, 2026, when the Ethereum-side bridge was compromised. Co-Founder Raullen shared details on X about the stolen assets, recovery efforts, and when the bridge is expected to restart.
February 21: The hack
The breach involved a validator owner key on the Ethereum-side bridge. The attacker moved approximately $4.3 million in assets, including IOTX tokens minted via the bridge and other reserve assets.
Tokens were sent through THORChain into multiple Bitcoin wallets. Network validators paused the bridge quickly to prevent further losses.
IoTeX confirmed that its Layer 1 blockchain, consensus mechanism, and native smart contracts were not affected. Only the Ethereum-side bridge contracts were compromised. Bridges on Binance Smart Chain, Base, and other supported networks were unaffected.
“The IoTeX L1 chain, its consensus mechanism, and all native smart contracts were NOT compromised. The exploit was isolated to ioTube’s Ethereum-side bridge contracts.”
February 22: First update
Following the hack, IoTeX shared its first update on X. The co-founder explained that the stolen assets fall into two categories:
Non-IOTX Bridge Reserve Assets
These are being traced and recovered with the help of top blockchain security firms and law enforcement.
IOTX Tokens Minted via the Compromised Bridge
Around 80-90% of these tokens are frozen on chains with no liquidity. They cannot be sold, so they will not affect the market. The remaining tokens are being coordinated with exchanges and trading platforms to freeze them as well.
February 23: Latest update
In the latest update, the network said that the chain restart is in final testing.
The network confirmed:
- Frozen IOTX tokens are secure and cannot be moved.
- Non-IOTX assets are being traced and recovered.
- A full incident report and recovery plan will be released once ready.
“We will continue to share transparent updates as the situation progresses.”
Recovery and next steps
IoTeX is taking several actions to address the incident:
- Freezing remaining IOTX tokens with exchanges.
- Working with blockchain security firms and law enforcement to recover other stolen assets.
- Completing testing for a safe restart of the bridge.
- Publishing a detailed incident report and recovery plan.
Background
The ioTube bridge lets users move tokens between IoTeX and other blockchains. Only the Ethereum-side bridge was affected. Other bridges, like Binance Smart Chain and Base, stayed secure.
The hack shows the risks bridges can face. Most of the stolen tokens are now frozen, so the market impact is limited.
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