NEAR Intents has recovered all $3.8 million lost in a security incident on Thursday (October 2, 2026). Alex Shevchenko, General Manager of NEAR Intents, confirmed the return of the funds via an announcement on platform X. “Funds from the $3.8M NEAR Intents hack have been returned in full,” Shevchenko wrote, ending a crisis that had temporarily frozen the protocol’s operations.
The resolution came shortly after the security team traced the identity of the individual behind the attack. As previously reported, NEAR Intents did not take long to uncover the exploiter’s identity. The team immediately issued a strict 48-hour ultimatum demanding the return of the funds. NEAR Intents offered a peaceful resolution path under a “responsible disclosure” status, provided all funds were returned within the required timeframe.
Omni Infrastructure Flaw and Asset Escape Route
The security breach stemmed from a technical vulnerability in the system’s bridging layer. The attacker exploited a bug arising from the interaction between Omni’s deposit and withdrawal infrastructure and NEAR Intents’ smart contracts. This vulnerability at the interaction point paved the way for the exploiter to bypass defense systems and manipulate large-scale asset outflows.
Once the funds left the network, the exploiter attempted to conceal the asset trail as quickly as possible. Independent blockchain investigator ZachXBT noted that the fund flows from the incident were promptly transferred to crypto exchange KuCoin. After reaching the exchange, the attacker then bridged the stolen money to the Bitcoin network to complicate further tracking efforts.
Compensation No Longer Needed
Well before tracing the exploiter’s identity bore fruit, NEAR Intents took emergency security measures shortly after detecting the bug in their system. The development team decided to freeze all services to prevent additional asset outflows. At the time, they pledged to provide full compensation to all affected users if the hacked funds could not be recovered.
Now that the threat of permanent loss has passed, the self-funded compensation pledge no longer needs to be paid out. Shevchenko concluded the 48-hour saga with a warning for those probing platform vulnerabilities. “Please use bug bounties instead of disrupting services,” the general manager concluded.
Reported via Cointelegraph.
Previously: NEAR Intents Traces $3.8M Hacker to KuCoin - Suspect Given 48-Hour Ultimatum
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
