$3.8M NEAR Intents Hack Exposes Vulnerabilities in Cross-Chain Protocols

A cross-chain protocol called NEAR Intents suffered a significant security breach, resulting in the theft of $3.8 million from users. The attack exploited a poorly secured smart contract, which allowed the attacker to manipulate the intent settlement logic and drain deposited funds. The NEAR Intents team responded quickly by patching the vulnerability and pledging full compensation to affected users.

The service suspension is not limited to a single network, with deposits and withdrawals still disabled across 11 blockchains connected to the protocol. This prolonged outage poses a real risk to users who have funds in transit or awaiting settlement. In a DeFi environment where liquidity is often actively deployed, every hour of downtime can generate additional indirect losses.

The incident highlights the persistent risks embedded in multi-chain DeFi infrastructure. NEAR Intents has become a prime target for hackers throughout 2025 and 2026, with its architectural complexity multiplying the potential attack surface. The team's response, while swift, raises questions about the protocol's credibility and the need for preventive auditing.