Zano Suffers Mass Token Exploit, Rolls Back Blockchain

An attacker exploited a bug in Zano's Gateway Address system to mint an enormous amount of unauthorized tokens. The exploit, which occurred between August 29 and September 25, resulted in the creation of 36.9 million fake ZANO and 1.8 quadrillion fUSD tokens.

The attack went undetected for nearly a month, with the first mint taking place on August 29 and the second on September 25. The total cost for the attacker to set up the exploit was just 100 ZANO, worth approximately $553 at the time of publication.

Zano chose to roll back its blockchain by about a month to remove the fake coins, which were indistinguishable from real ones. This decision erased some legitimate transactions made during that period, but it was deemed necessary to protect the integrity of the network.