Some Funds Stolen in SushiSwap Exploit Recovered, but Blackhat Hackers Have the Rest

Funds recovered by whitehat security teams to be returned to users while others have been lost to blackhat hackers

article-image

Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

SushiSwap is now safe to use after attackers drained more than $3 million last weekend, the blockchain protocol said Wednesday. It is now preparing to return some of the stolen funds to affected users, though not all are expected to recoup their losses quickly. 

Exploiters found an approval bug in SushiSwap’s Route Processor 2 last weekend, taking roughly $3.3 million from the smart contract. 

The majority of addresses that approved SushiSwap’s problematic smart contract were on Arbitrum and Polygon. The contract had been deployed on Arbitrum a few weeks ago for testing.

As part of the exploit, funds got swept by whitehat security teams while some were lost to blackhat hackers, the SushiSwap team said in a tweet. Those who haven’t used SushiSwap in the past 10 days were likely not impacted. 

The company said that user funds in the whitehat contract are safe and will be claimable shortly through a Merkle Claim contract and website the protocol is building. 

SushiSwap users whose funds are not in the whitehat contract must contact the protocol and share the transaction ID and blockchain data for the lost funds.

Loading Tweet..

“Blackhat funds will take longer to process, as the team will have to manually verify the legitimacy against on-chain data that validates the claim and then pay it out accordingly,” SushiSwap tweeted. 

The SushiSwap hack came after the number of crypto attacks spiked during the year’s first quarter, according to a report by Web3 security platform Immunefi. 

Various DeFi protocols that have become victims to such exploits have been able to successfully recover some or all of their stolen funds in recent months.

Scammers often try to trick DeFi users into granting them access to their funds — a method services such as Revok.cash seek to combat. Blockchain security firm PeckShield had urged SushiSwap users who had approved the relevant smart contract to immediately revoke its approval.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.jpg

Research

Figure, founded by former SoFi CEO Mike Cagney, has emerged as a leader in onchain RWAs, with ~$17.5B publicly tokenized. The platform’s ecosystem volume is growing ~40% YoY as it expands beyond HELOCs into student loans, DSCR loans, unsecured loans, bankruptcy claims, and more. Operationally, Figure cuts average loan production cost by ~93% and compresses median funding time from ~42 days to ~10, creating a durable speed-and-cost advantage.

article-image

The reserve will collect protocol revenues to back W token, alongside new yield and unlock schedule

by Blockworks /
article-image

Layer 2 network Taiko integrates Chainlink Data Streams to deliver reliable onchain market data for DeFi and institutions

by Blockworks /
article-image

The license will allow Bullish to operate in New York under strict digital asset rules

by Blockworks /
article-image

The derivatives giant expands crypto offerings with new Solana and XRP futures options, pending regulatory review

by Blockworks /
article-image

Nasdaq-listed firm to fund Solana token purchases and expand its blockchain-focused treasury strategy

by Blockworks /
article-image

The partnership deepens liquidity and lowers conversion costs as demand for regulated stablecoins grows worldwide

by Blockworks /