Elliptic Links $285M Drift Protocol Hack to North Korean Hackers

Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic has linked a major exploit on the Solana-based decentralized exchange Drift Protocol to North Korean state-sponsored hackers, marking what could be the 18th such attack this year. The breach, which occurred on April 1, 2026, resulted in the theft of approximately $285 million in cryptocurrency assets, making it the largest decentralized finance hack of the year to date.

Drift Protocol, the largest perpetual futures platform on the Solana blockchain, detected unusual activity around midday UTC and immediately suspended deposits and withdrawals. The exchange confirmed an active attack and began coordinating with security firms, bridges, and other platforms to contain the damage. According to preliminary analysis from PeckShield, the exploit stemmed from a compromise of administrator private keys, granting the attacker privileged access to withdraw funds and alter controls. Within an hour, the hacker drained liquidity from several vaults, including the JLP Delta Neutral, SOL Super Staking, and BTC Super Staking pools.

The stolen assets encompassed a range of tokens, with the largest withdrawal involving about 41.7 million JLP tokens valued at...