XRP bridge drained for $200,000 after software mistook fake deposits for real ones
53 min ago
2 min read
Summary
- Nearly 200,000 XRP, worth about $200,000, were drained from a bridge linking the XRP Ledger to the tx blockchain after an attacker exploited a software flaw.
- The bug let the bridge register non-existent deposits as real, issuing unbacked bridged XRP that the attacker then used to withdraw genuine XRP from the reserve wallet.
- Tx says it has halted the bridge, patched the vulnerability, hired blockchain forensics experts and filed an FBI complaint, but has not yet explained how affected holders will be compensated.
An XRP bridge lost nearly 200,000 XRP, worth about $200,000 at current prices, after a software flaw let an attacker claim deposits that were never made, then withdraw real tokens against the fake balances.
The bridge connected the XRP Ledger to Coreum, a separate blockchain which rebranded this March as tx, a U.S.-based outfit focused on tokenizing real-world assets. The tokens XRP left the bridge's reserve wallet in 97 minutes on Aug. 9 before the system was halted.
A bridge is supposed to work like a vault with a receipt system. A user sends XRP into a reserve wallet on the XRP Ledger, and the bridge creates an equivalent amount of bridged XRP on the other chain. Returning those tokens lets the user withdraw the real XRP held in the reserve.
The attacker found a way to make that system issue the receipts without putting anything into the vault.
According to tx, the bridge's software registered transactions as deposits even though they never delivered XRP to the bridge. That gave the attacker bridged XRP on the tx chain without the real XRP that was supposed to back it. Those unbacked tokens then went back through the bridge, and the attacker withdrew real XRP from the reserve.
The drain began at 19:16 UTC. Each payout was authorized by 17 of the bridge's 28 relayers, a majority signing off exactly as designed, because the bridge's own records told them the deposits were real.
Relayers are programs that watch both blockchains and approve transfers when the bridge's records say a withdrawal is owed.
The specific failure sat one layer down, however, as the relayer code processed payments carrying the bridge's memo without first verifying the destination address.
tx confirmed the deposit-detection flaw in an update, saying the attacker exploited software that incorrectly recognized transactions that delivered no XRP to the reserve.
— tx (@txEcosystem) August 11, 2026An update on the XRPL bridge incident.
On August 9, the tx XRPL bridge was exploited and XRP was drained from the bridge's reserve wallet on the XRP Ledger. The bridge has been halted, the vulnerability has been identified, and all potential remedies are being evaluated. This…
The project added it has identified and fixed the vulnerable code, engaged blockchain forensics specialists and filed a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. It has not said how affected holders will be made whole.
Meanwhile, the stolen XRP did not stay put. Onchain tracking shows most of it moved onward within hours through several other addresses.
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Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness
Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness
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Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
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Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.
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