Drift Exploiter Resumes Activity, Transfers Millions to Tornado Cash

The Drift Protocol exploit has taken an unexpected turn as the attacker behind it resumed fund movements after three months of inactivity. The wallet, known as 'Drift Exploiter 4', transferred $44.4 million worth of ETH into Tornado Cash over two days, July 23 and 24. This sudden activity has complicated the investigation, making it even more challenging for researchers to track the stolen funds.

The attacker sent rapid-fire batches of 100 ETH, 10 ETH, and 1 ETH into Tornado Cash, with four smaller payments totaling $0.85 ETH sent to Bybit deposit addresses. This move has raised questions about whether the deposits represent an attempt to test exchange-side compliance systems or were simply operational noise.

Drift's recovery efforts include a bounty program announced in April, although its current status remains unclear. The protocol also plans to issue Drift recovery tokens and fund redemptions through remaining assets, partner capital, and future exchange revenue.