Hack history / 2025 / Hack or exploit
ZKSwap
Hack or exploit on Jul 9, 2025 · Forged Proof
SOURCES AGREE ON DATE AND LOSS · 2 SOURCES
Lost
$5M
dollars at the time
Returned
none listed
as the sources state it
Rank
#445
among thefts by dollars lost
What happened
On July 9, 2025, ZKSwap's Ethereum Layer 1 bridge was exploited through its emergency withdrawal mechanism (Exodus Mode). The attacker exploited a critical flaw where the verifyExitProof() function failed to perform actual cryptographic verification of zero-knowledge proofs. By forging withdrawal proofs, the attacker artificially inflated their balance and withdrew approximately $5 million in assets.
Details
- Date
- Jul 9, 2025
- Kind
- Hack or exploit
- Method
- Forged Proof
- How in
- Bridge and cross-chain
- Target
- DeFi protocol
- Chains
- Ethereum
Reported by
Cite this page
SwanBluechip, "ZKSwap hack, Jul 9, 2025: $5M lost", Crypto hack history, https://swan-hack-tracker.pages.dev/history/i/htf39da0df08/ (data as of 2026-10-31).