Hack history / 2016 / Hack or exploit
Gatecoin
Hack or exploit on May 14, 2016 · Improper Access Control
SOURCES AGREE ON DATE AND LOSS · 2 SOURCES
Lost
$2M
dollars at the time
Returned
none listed
as the sources state it
Rank
#708
among thefts by dollars lost
What happened
Between May 9-12, 2016, Hong Kong-based Gatecoin suffered a breach where attackers exploited a server reboot disruption to reroute deposits from cold multi-signature wallets to a vulnerable hot wallet. Approximately 250 BTC and 185,000 ETH (~$2M) were stolen, representing 15% of exchange assets.
Details
- Date
- May 14, 2016
- Kind
- Hack or exploit
- Method
- Improper Access Control
- How in
- Smart contract bug
- Target
- Centralized exchange
- Chains
- Ethereum
Reported by
Cite this page
SwanBluechip, "Gatecoin hack, May 14, 2016: $2M lost", Crypto hack history, https://swan-hack-tracker.pages.dev/history/i/htbf324fea87/ (data as of 2026-11-01).