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Storyline

Hacker exploits Polkadot Hyperbridge on Ethereum, mints $1.1 billion in counterfeit DOT

On April 13, 2026, a hacker exploited a vulnerability in Hyperbridge's Ethereum gateway contract to mint approximately 1 billion counterfeit Polkadot (DOT) tokens, valued at about $1.1 billion.

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Evidence trail (top sources)
top sources (2 domains)domains are deduped. counts indicate coverage, not truth.
2 top sources shown
A hacker created $1.2bn of counterfeit crypto. They only sold it for $237,000
DL News - All Articles · News · dlnews.com · 2026-04-13 12:54 UTC
limited source diversity in top sources
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Overview

On April 13, 2026, a hacker exploited a vulnerability in Hyperbridge's Ethereum gateway contract to mint approximately 1 billion counterfeit Polkadot (DOT) tokens, valued at about $1.1 billion.

Score total
2.25
Momentum 24h
10
Posts
10
Origins
6
Source types
3
Duplicate ratio
20%
Why now
  • The exploit was disclosed and confirmed on April 13, 2026, making it a fresh security incident.
  • The attacker’s limited cashout reveals liquidity constraints affecting exploit profitability.
  • Ongoing discussions about bridge security and native asset trading gain urgency after this event.
Why it matters
  • Highlights vulnerabilities in cross-chain bridges, a critical DeFi infrastructure component.
  • Shows the risk of large-scale counterfeit token minting impacting liquidity and trust.
  • Reinforces the need for robust security and native asset trading to protect crypto ecosystems.
Continuity snapshot
  • Trend status: insufficient_history.
  • Continuity stage: broad_confirmed.
  • Current status: open.
  • 10 current source-linked posts are attached to this storyline.
All evidence
All evidence
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Posts loaded: 0Publishers: 5Origin domains: -Duplicates: -
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Top publishers (this list)
  • decrypt.co (1)
  • thedefiant.io (1)
  • dlnews.com (1)
  • CryptoMarkets (1)
  • polkadot (1)
Top origin domains (this list)
  • Unknown (5)