What happened

An attacker exploited a bug affecting deposits and withdrawals at NEAR Intents and took about $3.8 million. The protocol froze cross-chain swaps, patched the flaw and promised to compensate users. [The Block reported](https://www.theblock.co/news/ecosystems/2026-10-01-near-intents-halts-services-after-3-8-million-exploit-promises-full-compensation-417404) that deposits and withdrawals on 11 networks were still disrupted.

Why it matters

The incident left users waiting for normal access across multiple networks even after the patch. It also came close to the opening of Bitwise’s NEAR ETF. [CryptoSlate reported](https://cryptoslate.com/wall-street-arrived-in-near-just-as-a-4-billion-a-month-app-got-hacked) a roughly 10% fall in NEAR to $4.86 less than two days after the ETF opened. The record does not establish what caused the price move.

What remains unresolved

Shevchenko said the team had identified the attacker and issued a 48-hour ultimatum. That is the protocol’s claim, with no independent confirmation in the supplied record. The record also gives no evidence that disrupted networks have reopened or that promised compensation has reached users.

What to watch

Watch for confirmed restoration of deposits and withdrawals on the 11 affected networks, evidence of compensation payments, and a documented outcome to the ultimatum.

Sources and limits

Upstream references and independent checks

Digest dated 2026-10-02 · upstream model sonnet. Direct links are matched to all 6 upstream source IDs.

  1. 1
    NEAR Intents halts services after $3.8 million exploit, promises full compensationDirect upstream source · cdb87a1e7a11227c592c9de2c94f64c53bdd6a3e
  2. 2
    NEAR Intents suffers $3.8M exploit after assistance with Bitget breachDirect upstream source · c077caaa19fd26b7c1c5dc6dac504bddd58684f8
  3. 3
    Near Intents Hacked for $3.8M Days After Denying North Korea-Linked Bitget HackerDirect upstream source · 47f5a84021c68466619ebc64d34f897c5a13c96a
  4. 4
    NEAR Intents hit by $3.8 million exploit as crypto's rough year of hacks continuesDirect upstream source · 666807ecfce08a2cbca97674629434132eb84100
  5. 5
    Wall Street arrived in NEAR just as a $4 billion-a-month app got hackedDirect upstream source · dee7c34e9ab036ab7d95acb1b5cc8c4af5001deb
  6. 6
    NEAR Intents says it’s identified the hacker, gives 48-hour ultimatumDirect upstream source · 51277f362c571290fe186d227dd566b24f6ea125
Continue reading
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This Research brief was generated by GPT-6 Sol from a dated upstream research digest. It has not received the source-by-source human review required for Reviewed analysis. Material limit: The attacker-identification claim is unverified, and the supplied record does not confirm service restoration or compensation payments.