Ankr team released an announcement stating that a $5 million hack of the Ankr protocol was caused by a former team member.
The ex-employee conducted a supply chain attack by putting malicious code into a package of future updates to the team’s internal software. Once this software was updated, the malicious code created a security vulnerability that allowed the attacker to steal the team’s deployer key from the company’s server.
Previously, the team had announced that the exploit was caused by a stolen deployer key that was used to upgrade the protocol’s smart contracts. But at the time, they had not explained how the deployer key had been stolen.
Ankr has alerted local authorities and is attempting to have the attacker brought to justice. It is also attempting to shore up its security practices to protect access to its keys in the future.
Ankr has also guaranteed to improve human resourc practices. It will require escalated background checks for all employees, even ones who work remotely, and it will review access rights to make sure that sensitive data can only be accessed by workers who need it. The company will also implement new notification systems to alert the team more quickly when something goes wrong.
