Across Protocol Restores Website After Hackers Hijack Domain
Cross-chain bridge regains control following a targeted social engineering attack on its registrar.
1Domain Hijacking Incident
Across Protocol, a prominent cross-chain bridge, recently regained control of its website after a malicious domain hijacking event. Attackers utilized a social engineering strategy to compromise the domain registrar, Namecheap. This breach allowed unauthorized parties to redirect unsuspecting users toward a phishing site, potentially exposing their digital wallet credentials and assets.
2Rapid Security Response
The incident began at approximately 18:45 UTC on Tuesday. The protocol team reported being alerted within fifteen minutes of the initial compromise. They immediately initiated shutdown procedures to mitigate further damage. Security response group SEAL911 assisted by flagging the domain as malicious, while Cloudflare removed the associated DNS records to prevent access.
3Recovery and Collaboration
Restoration of the across.to domain was achieved with direct assistance from Namecheap founder Richard Kirkendall. By Wednesday, the team confirmed that all systems were functioning normally again. The protocol has promised to release a comprehensive post-mortem report in the coming days to detail the exact technical vulnerabilities exploited during the attack.
4Impact on User Assets
While the website is now secure, the team acknowledged that some users who visited the malicious site before it was blocked may have suffered losses. The protocol has officially committed to making all affected users whole. However, the total number of victims and the specific financial value of drained wallets remain undisclosed.
5Operational Scope Unaffected
Despite the severe disruption to the primary website interface, the protocol confirmed that third-party integrations and API users remained entirely unaffected throughout the incident. This distinction highlights the difference between the front-end domain compromise and the underlying smart contract infrastructure, which continued to operate securely without any direct interference from attackers.
6Market Position Context
Across Protocol currently ranks as one of the largest cross-chain bridges by trading activity. According to data from DefiLlama, it holds the third position in terms of 30-day transfer volume, trailing only Circle and LayerZero. During this period, the platform successfully processed approximately $5.9 billion in total volume, underscoring its significant market presence.
7Social Engineering Risks
The attack serves as a stark reminder of the risks posed by social engineering targeting domain registrars. Even with robust smart contract security, the human element at service providers remains a critical point of failure. Organizations must implement stricter verification protocols for registrar account access to prevent similar unauthorized domain redirection incidents.
8Future Security Outlook
Moving forward, the protocol must focus on restoring user trust while finalizing its investigation. The upcoming post-mortem will be essential for transparency regarding how the registrar was breached. Users should remain vigilant for official updates and avoid interacting with suspicious links until the team provides a full account of the security remediation.