Boltz Halts Swap Services Amid AI-Powered Cyber Attacks

Boltz, a leading Bitcoin atomic swap and bridge protocol, has suspended its swap services indefinitely due to a surge in sophisticated AI-assisted cyber attacks.

The halt began at 5:54 a.m ET on August 3, with the Lightning and Liquid swap rails cut off from wallets such as Aqua and Bitcoin Bull.

In a statement, the Boltz team explained that they have seen a steady rise in automated, AI-assisted probing of their infrastructure over the past months, which has led to several exploits. The team noted that the attacks appear to originate from 'resourceful groups' and cannot be contained quickly enough due to their size.

The protocol's non-custodial design ensures that users' Bitcoin remains secure, according to Boltz. Operational costs were absorbed internally during the downtime.