Ethereum Bridges Suffer $31.7M Losses from Hack Attacks

On July 22, 2026, hackers exploited vulnerabilities in two Ethereum bridges, AFX and Verus, resulting in a combined loss of $31.69 million. AFX reported a loss of $24.15 million due to unauthorized access to its bridge, attributed to social engineering and infrastructure compromise. The Verus bridge was exploited shortly after, leading to $7.54 million in unbacked payouts. A third protocol, B² Network, suspended staking following unauthorized access to its staking contract's upgrade authority, although it did not report a specific loss amount. The incidents highlight ongoing security risks in cross-chain bridges, which are critical for asset transfers between blockchains. Recovery plans and compensation for affected users are still pending. The attacks utilized compromised keys rather than exploiting smart contract vulnerabilities.

Key Points: • Hackers stole over $31.6 million from two Ethereum bridges within hours. • The AFX bridge loss was attributed to social engineering and infrastructure compromise. • Verus bridge payouts were unbacked, similar to a previous exploit in May.