BitMart

What happened

On November 2, 2026, BitMart exchange was hacked, with attackers draining approximately $391,000 from related hot wallets on Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism. Preliminary investigation suggests the attack may have been carried out by the same group that targeted Brazil’s Mercado Bitcoin on the same day. The exchange was undergoing restructuring with a severely understaffed security team.

Details

Date

Nov 2, 2026

Kind

Hack or exploit

Method

Unknown

How in

Keys, accounts and infrastructure

Target

Centralized exchange

Chains

not stated

What would have stopped it all controls for this way in

• No one machine, person or organisation can move hot funds alone: keys in HSMs or MPC, threshold signers on separate infrastructure.
  Check: List every key that can move funds. For each: where it lives, who and what can reach it. Two keys behind one login count as one.
• Keys are generated offline from an audited random source, in a recorded ceremony.
  Check: A ceremony record exists for every live key: device, software version, witnesses.
• Freeze contacts are arranged before they are needed: stablecoin issuers, the large exchanges, SEAL 911.
  Check: A contact sheet with named people, confirmed this quarter; one drill sending a freeze request.

General guidance for this kind of attack, not a finding about this incident.

How sure: 0 of 4 checks what the checks mean

• Witnessesone source so far
• Same storyneeds a second source
• Blockchain receiptno public attack transaction checked
• Official wordno official statement linked

Who says what

• SlowMist Hacked ↗$391K

Figure used: $391K, the figure SlowMist Hacked gives. Each source's own figure is in dollars at the time.

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