hodler

27 May 2026, 10:20

Mystery Bitcoin Burn: 11-Year Dormant Wallets Torch $8.3M in BTC

Yesterday, five Bitcoin (BTC) wallets that had remained untouched for about 11 years came to life, only to send their combined holdings of 107 BTC, worth around $8.3 million, to a burn address. The transactions were flagged by blockchain analytics account Lookonchain, which called the event “just unbelievable.” 107 BTC Sent to Burn Address Because all five wallets moved at nearly the same time, observers quickly concluded that the activity was likely coordinated by a single person or group. The wallets, created in 2014, paid about $5.56 in total fees to destroy the BTC, which, at the cryptocurrency’s all-time high of more than $126,000 last October, would’ve been worth close to $13.4 million. A burn address is a publicly accessible wallet with no known private keys, meaning that any crypto sent to it cannot be retrieved, and on-chain data shows that the funds landed on one of the better-known ones, 1111111111111111111114oLvT2, which currently holds over 807 BTC valued at around $61 million that has been accumulated across more than 146,000 transactions. Commenting on the incident, Blockstream CEO Adam Back described it as an “accidental quantum bounty.” According to him, the burn address’s public key can be mathematically derived from its structure, which means that sufficiently powerful quantum computers could, at least in theory, calculate the private key and claim whatever would be sitting there. Others on X offered very different theories, with one user floating the idea that an AI chatbot with access to a Bitcoin wallet had made the transfer by mistake. Developer Bit Dov proposed that the sender may have deliberately torched the coins to give any potential attacker nothing to steal in the event of a wrench attack, which is indeed becoming more common by the day, leading to top crypto executives reportedly spending millions of dollars on their personal safety. That same developer also noted that the transaction included time-based parameters, raising the possibility that they were triggered by a dead man’s switch, an automated mechanism that activates if someone fails to interact with a system within a set period. A Weird Move At the time the burn was reported, Bitcoin was trading at around $77,000, with the asset struggling to hold momentum and sitting below its 200-day moving average near $80,000 and oscillating between roughly $76,500 and the aforementioned $77,000 over the past day. That context makes the decision to destroy $8.3 million even harder to comprehend, since the BTC , had they been sold, would have fetched a really good price in a reasonably liquid market. The post Mystery Bitcoin Burn: 11-Year Dormant Wallets Torch $8.3M in BTC appeared first on CryptoPotato .

27 May 2026, 10:10

Here’s why the Internet Computer price just went parabolic

The Internet Computer (ICP) price has surged sharply today, climbing 18% and hitting a recent high around $3.06, up from $2.64. The move has stood out in a broader market that has largely traded flat, with most major cryptocurrencies showing limited directional strength. Trading activity has also accelerated, with daily volume jumping significantly as the ICP price broke through key technical levels. The rally has developed in clear phases, starting with a strong rebound from the $2.24 support area, followed by a breakout above the $2.90 level, which had previously acted as a ceiling during multiple failed recovery attempts. AI narrative shift and volume-driven breakout fuel momentum One of the strongest drivers behind the recent price acceleration has been a renewed rotation into artificial intelligence-themed crypto assets. Internet Computer, alongside Worldcoin and Fetch.ai, has seen huge capital inflows as the flow shifts toward projects tied to AI infrastructure and computation narratives. This rotation has coincided with a sharp increase in trading activity, which has surged by more than 170%, reaching approximately $236 million in 24 hours during the breakout phase. That level of participation is typically associated with conviction moves rather than short-lived speculative spikes. On-chain activity and market structure strengthen the trend Beyond price action, ICP has also gained attention for its network activity. The Internet Computer has recorded around 6.5 billion transactions over a 30-day period, exceeding Solana’s reported 2.9 billion transactions in the same timeframe. This positions ICP as one of the most active blockchain networks in terms of raw transaction throughput, highlighting sustained usage rather than purely speculative trading. This level of activity is tied to its architecture, which allows parallel processing across subnets. The result is a system capable of handling large-scale computation without the congestion typically seen on other networks during periods of high demand. Despite this activity, ICP’s price has remained far below its historical peak of $700.65 reached in May 2021. The current recovery still places it more than 99% below that level, leaving significant room between network usage trends and market valuation. Momentum indicators are showing signs of strength without reaching overheated conditions. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) sits around 57, which suggests that the market is neither overbought nor oversold. This leaves room for continuation if volume remains supportive. Internet Computer price forecast The price action above $2.90 has now turned that level into short-term support, which traders are watching closely to determine whether the trend continues or pauses. At the same time, technical indicators have strengthened. Across 23 tracked oscillators and moving averages , ICP is showing a strong bullish bias, with 11 buy signals compared to just 2 sell signals. The asset is also trading above four of its five key short and mid-term exponential moving averages (EMAs), including the 10-day, 20-day, 50-day, and 100-day EMAs. The only major lagging indicator remains the 200-day EMA, which still sits above current price levels and represents a longer-term resistance ceiling. ICP price analysis ICP is now trading in a clearly defined technical structure with multiple key levels shaping short-term direction. The immediate resistance sits at $3.25. A confirmed daily close above this level would signal continuation of the current breakout phase and open the path toward $3.60–$3.62, which is the next major resistance zone based on recent price structure. If bullish momentum continues beyond that area, the next significant barrier is located at $4.07, a longer-term resistance zone where previous upward attempts have historically stalled. On the downside, support is now anchored around $2.90, which marks the breakout point of the recent move. Below that, stronger structural support is located between $2.67 and $2.58. A deeper breakdown would bring $2.43 into focus as a critical bottom level, with a failure below that zone potentially signalling a broader trend reset. The post Here’s why the Internet Computer price just went parabolic appeared first on Invezz

27 May 2026, 10:00

OpenZeppelin Co-Founder Warns That “All of DeFi” Is Unsafe

His comments came after nearly $630 million was stolen from DeFi protocols in April alone. Major incidents included a $285 million Drift exploit and a $293 million Kelp DAO attack, both reportedly linked to North Korean hacking groups. DefiLlama recorded 27 DeFi exploit incidents in April. The trend continued into May with 25 additional exploit cases. DeFi Security Fears Grow The concerns around decentralized finance (DeFi) security intensified this week after OpenZeppelin co-founder Manuel Aráoz declared that he now considers “all of DeFi” unsafe. In a post that was shared on X on Tuesday, Aráoz revealed that he personally advised friends and family to exit all DeFi positions, including investments in major “blue chip” protocols like Aave, MakerDAO, and Compound. Aráoz argued that the balance between attackers and defenders in the DeFi industry has become uneven, especially with the rise of AI-powered coding agents that can discover vulnerabilities in smart contracts. According to him, defenders are forced to secure every possible weakness in a protocol, while attackers only need to identify a single flaw to drain millions of dollars. Almost $630 million was stolen from DeFi protocols in April alone, which made it the worst month for DeFi-related hacks since the massive Bybit exploit in February of 2025, where attackers stole around $1.5 billion. April’s losses were driven largely by two major attacks. One of the biggest incidents involved a $285 million exploit targeting Drift, which was reportedly the result of a sophisticated six-month social engineering campaign. Another major attack struck Kelp DAO, where hackers exploited vulnerabilities tied to the project’s cross-chain bridge infrastructure and stole roughly $293 million. Security researchers and blockchain analysts attributed both attacks to North Korean state-backed hacking groups, which have focused on the cryptocurrency industry as a source of illicit funding. According to DefiLlama data , there were 27 separate DeFi exploit incidents recorded during April. Total value hacked by month (Source: DeFiLlama) Investor confidence in decentralized finance also seems to be weakening due to security risks. Total value locked (TVL) across DeFi protocols dropped by approximately 14% since mid-April, falling from around $172 billion to roughly $148 billion. The decline suggests that some users may already be withdrawing funds from decentralized platforms thanks to the growing fears over protocol safety. The trend continued into May, with another 25 DeFi exploit incidents already reported so far this month, although the financial losses have been smaller compared to April’s massive breaches. Among the incidents was an $11.6 million exploit involving Verus Network’s Ethereum bridge. Meanwhile, prediction market platform Polymarket recently confirmed a separate $573,200 security breach that may have stemmed from a compromised private key connected to an internal operational wallet.

27 May 2026, 09:40

Exclusive: ESPORTS Developer Office Nearly Deserted After 93% Crash, CEO Admits Investigation

BitcoinWorld Exclusive: ESPORTS Developer Office Nearly Deserted After 93% Crash, CEO Admits Investigation A visit to the development office of Yuldo Games (ESPORTS) token has revealed a scene of near abandonment, deepening concerns that the project may have been a rug pull. Blockchain media outlet Digital Asset reported that its team found the office of Catze Labs, the developer behind the gaming token, almost completely empty on May 26 and 27 — the two days following a devastating 93% price crash. What the On-Site Visit Found According to the exclusive report, only one employee was present in the darkened office on the day after the crash. The office lights were off, and most workstations sat unused. When reached by phone, the CEO of Catze Labs told Digital Asset that the company was merely the developer and was ‘unrelated to this crash.’ He added that Yuldo Games has a separate CEO. However, when pressed about the possibility of an insider sell-off, the CEO’s position shifted. He stated, ‘It was not the team’s intention, and we are investigating the matter.’ This comment appears to contradict the earlier claim of non-involvement. On-Chain Evidence Points to Past Manipulation Bitcoin World previously reported, citing on-chain analyst ZachXBT, that the entity behind the ESPORTS dump showed signs of having participated in past price manipulation. The pattern of trading activity suggests the possibility of a coordinated exit, commonly referred to as a rug pull in the crypto space. Suspicions continue to spread as the Yuldo team has not released any investigation results two days after the incident. In the cryptocurrency industry, projects that experience a sudden catastrophic price drop typically issue an explanation within hours and publish a third-party audit within days to restore trust. The absence of such a response is widely viewed as a red flag. Why This Matters for Investors The ESPORTS case illustrates a recurring risk in the crypto gaming sector: projects that raise capital through token sales but lack transparent operations or verifiable development activity. For investors, the combination of a near-empty office, contradictory statements from leadership, and on-chain evidence of past manipulation creates a strong signal that the project may not recover. The incident also highlights the importance of on-the-ground verification — a method rarely used in crypto journalism but one that can uncover discrepancies that on-chain analysis alone cannot reveal. Conclusion The ESPORTS token crash and the subsequent discovery of a largely vacant development office raise serious questions about the legitimacy of the Yuldo Games project. With the CEO offering conflicting statements and no investigation results forthcoming, the community is left waiting for clarity. As of now, the token’s future remains uncertain, and the incident serves as a cautionary tale about the risks inherent in unregulated crypto gaming investments. FAQs Q1: What caused the ESPORTS token to crash 93%? The crash appears to have been triggered by a large sell-off. On-chain analyst ZachXBT has identified patterns suggesting the entity behind the dump may have been involved in past price manipulation, raising suspicions of a rug pull. Q2: What did the on-site visit to Catze Labs reveal? Digital Asset reporters found the office nearly empty and darkened, with only one employee present. The CEO initially denied involvement in the crash but later admitted to investigating a potential insider sell-off. Q3: What should investors do if they hold ESPORTS tokens? Investors should exercise extreme caution. The lack of a timely explanation or third-party audit, combined with the empty office and contradictory statements, suggests a high likelihood of total loss. This case underscores the importance of verifying project fundamentals before investing. This post Exclusive: ESPORTS Developer Office Nearly Deserted After 93% Crash, CEO Admits Investigation first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

27 May 2026, 09:27

Could AI agents expose DeFi’s next wave of hidden exploits?

Crypto social media has raised the issue of DeFi vulnerabilities to AI agents. The chief concern is that AI agents are much better at discovering exploit loops, thus putting even solid and large DeFi protocols in danger. According to Manuel Araoz, all of DeFi is more vulnerable to exploits, mostly due to the use of AI analysis. Araoz, who is the founder of Open Zeppelin, warned that AI is a constant threat to decentralized projects. PSA: I now consider *all* of DeFi unsafe. Coding agents are superhuman at finding vulnerabilities, and smart contract security is too asymmetric: defenders need to fix every bug while attackers need just one exploit to steal funds. — Manuel Aráoz (@maraoz) May 26, 2026 He has warned against using even the most established DeFi protocols like Aave, Sky Protocol, and Compound. For now, some investors consider those protocols reasonably safe, but there are still warnings on setting up timelocks and avoiding permissionless operations. The warning arrives after crypto hacks reached record levels in April, and started to undermine trust in smaller DeFi protocols. However, blue-chip projects still host multiple vaults with their own risk levels. DeFi lost around $285M in attacks attributed to DPRK hackers, and another $437.4M from unidentified threat actors, according to Dune Analytics data . Most of the hacks in 2026 were linked to a bridge verification flaw, followed by social engineering . Is AI creating a wave of hacks? The warning that AI may exploit DeFi protocols is spreading on crypto social media. The chief fear is that multiple projects may still run vulnerable smart contracts, despite years of audits. However, according to other analysts, AI may not be that powerful in exploiting flawed contract logic. Instead, exploits always depend on a human element, such as errors in signing transactions or access to exposed private keys. The recent exploits also showed some DeFi protocols had a centralized element that allowed threat actors to take control. The founder of Slow Mist warned the recent attacks were a mix of logic hacking and social engineering. He called to DeFi teams to use AI themselves and simulate attacks and exploits, calling for at least one attack drill each quarter. DeFi hacks slowed down again in May After almost daily attacks in April, hacks slowed down in May, returning to a low baseline. In May to date, only around $44M were taken in various hacks, as only smaller protocols were attacked. In May, hacks against DeFi protocols returned to baseline, after the record of KelpDAO in April. | Source: DeFiLlama . In May, around 14 attacks were reported, of which the most serious one affected ThorChain. For now, lending protocols are still functioning, though open to the same exploits with flash loans and potential bridging risks. DeFi suffered a hit from April’s exploits, in combination with weakening ETH prices. As a result, DeFi protocols now hold around $81B, down from over $98B in April. The current TVL levels only reflect nominal prices, and in fact more assets are locked in DeFi as a source of passive income. Aave, the leading protocol, still holds around $14B, not yet recovered from the withdrawals in April. As Cryptopolitan reported , the KepDAO exploit was also a major blow to trust in DeFi. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

27 May 2026, 09:10

RAIN Climbs 44% After Rain Foundation Builds $100M Liquidity Base for Traders

The native token of the Rain prediction markets protocol (RAIN) surged 44% to an all-time high of $0.01195, pushing its market capitalization to $7.2 billion and placing it in the top 20 digital assets. Rain Token Hits All-Time High The native token of the prediction markets protocol Rain jumped 44% to reach an all-time high