Ankr key compromise on 2022-12-01 ($5M reported)
Key compromise on BNB Chain, 1 Dec 2022. Reported loss $5M. Last verified 4 Nov 2026.
notable
Reported loss
$5M
as reported by the sources
Recovered
-
nothing reported
Status
Unknown
updated 26 Oct 2026
Date
BNB Chain
Summary
Ankr said that on 2022-12-01 attackers used a compromised developer private key to alter its aBNBc liquid staking token contract and mint excess tokens, causing about $5m of damage across DEX liquidity pools. Ankr later blamed a former team member and compensated affected users.
- Protocol
- Ankr
- Type
- Key compromise
- Reported loss
- $5,000,000 source: ankr.com ↗
Facts and where they come from
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Dec. 1st | ankr.com ↗ |
| Amount (USD) | $5m worth of BNB | ankr.com ↗ |
| Cause | former team member; social engineering and supply chain attack | ankr.com ↗ |
| Compensation | $5 million worth of BNB for affected liquidity providers | ankr.com ↗ |
Primary sources
- Ankr: The aBNBc Token Report ↗ official announcement · accessed 2026-11-04
- Ankr: After Action Report on the aBNBc token exploit ↗ post-mortem · accessed 2026-11-04
Our own summary of facts published by the sources above. We do not attribute fault beyond them. Amounts are as the sources state them (no USD conversion by us); links and quoted figures last checked 2026-11-04.
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