The crypto sector suffered one of its biggest security incidents this year after a hacker swiped US$63mil (RM297.99mil) from a blockchain-based game.

       The game, Munchables, confirmed the incident in a post on X on Wednesday and said it would try to halt the transactions. Blockchain specialists PeckShield indicated the hacker stole 17,400 in Ether tokens – worth about US$63mil (RM297.99mil) at current prices. Public data on crypto transactions backed the estimate.

       Gamers in Munchables try to earn rewards by looking after, or farming, bug-eyed digital creatures. Earlier this week the project said the value of crypto tokens held in the protocol had topped US$80mil (RM378mil).

       The security incident triggered a flurry of unsubstantiated speculation that a rogue developer or even North Korean hackers were to blame.

       The number of North Korean-linked hacks of crypto platforms hit a record high in 2023, though the actual amount of funds stolen – slightly more than US$1bil (RM4.7bil) – dropped around 40%, based on data from blockchain sleuths Chainalysis Inc.

       The Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacking unit, infamously stole around US$600mil (RM2.8bil) from the blockchain underpinning Axie Infinity, once one of the sector’s most popular games.

       Security exploits overall cost the digital-asset industry about US$1.8bil (RM8.5bil) last year, down around 50% from 2022, according to Immunefi, a platform offering bounties to researchers who spot security flaws in crypto software.

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       Munchables is built on Blast, a so-called Layer 2 that promises more efficient transactions than established blockchains as well as airline-like loyalty points. – Bloomberg