HTX Hacker Receives Nearly Half A Million Dollars For 'Making The Right Choice'

The HTX hacker who stole 4,997 ETH (worth around $7.9 million) from the exchange's hot wallet in late September has received $400 million for "making the right choice" of returning the funds after the exchange confirmed their true identity.

Web3 data analysis firm lookonchain said over the weekend that the HTX hacker already returned the loot they took from the exchange on Sept. 24.

HTX Global advisor Justin Sun immediately confirmed the development on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, only a few hours later, saying that the reward was given to the attacker for making the right choice.

"We have confirmed that the hacker has fully returned all funds, as promised, and we have also paid the hacker a white hat bonus of 250 ETH. The hacker made the right choice. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone in the industry for their help," Sun wrote in his post.

"Strengthening blockchain security and protecting user assets is never an easy task, and we have been working tirelessly! Providing full security for user assets is always our goal to strive for! We are thankful for the continued support of our users and community," the HTX advisor added.

After confirming the hack last month, Sun, who founded one of the world's largest blockchain DAO ecosystems, TRON, offered the hacker an attractive deal that involved returning stolen funds within seven days.

"We are willing to offer 5% of the stolen amount (400,000 USD) as a white hat reward to encourage the hacker to return the stolen funds. If the hacker returns the funds, we will also hire them as a security white hat advisor for HTX," the advisor said.

"If the funds are not returned within seven days, we will transfer the information to law enforcement authorities for further action and to prosecute the hacker," Sun added

HTX did not reveal a lot of details regarding the return of funds, but Cyver Alerts, which offers security alerts from its platform, reportedly claimed that HTX informed the hacker via Etherscan that it had confirmed their true identity and requested a return of funds and offered a 5% white hat bonus, valid only until Oct. 2.

Following the hack, Sun expressed his confidence in the exchange's ability to recover funds in a live broadcast titled "Talk to Justin Sun About Crypto Safety Issues."

"We encourage white hat ethical hacking and are confident in our ability to recover the funds. HTX has a proven track record of collaborating with authorities to apprehend hackers and will not tolerate any hacking activities. Even if users not affiliated with HTX have had their assets compromised, we will initiate charitable efforts to assist them in recovering their losses," the HTX advisor said.