Just a few days ago, a hacker managed to attack Ethereum's web domain auction. Due to the attack, the auction was stopped, while the company is trying to recover its losses. In fact, it is making a deal with the hacker who stole the domains.
Ethereum service domains
Normally, the websites we access every day operate on the Domain Name Servers (DNS) system. This is the usual method for creating new websites and assigning names and domains to each one. However, Ethereum has launched an alternative offering for those who wish to create their own website. This will be the Ethereum Name Service's (ENS), which uses the advantages of Blockchain with token technology. This is what the hacker exploited. So, the .eth domains were put up for sale through a public auction. The auction was held by ENS and OpenSea, and began operating on SeptemberUnfortunately, the auctions had to stop on October 1. This is due to a cyber attack that would have allowed the fraudulent purchase of 17 different domains through OpenSea.
The hack that threatened ENS
To perform this operation, the hacker exploited a bug in the ENS platform. Thanks to this, he could make someone a creditor of 17 different auctions, despite the fact that bid was not the highest for these domains. And due to the immutability and security provided by ENS, once you have acquired the domain, it could not be removed by OpenSea. The most that the company could do was add the 17 stolen domains to a blacklist. Since then, the OpenSea company has tried in every way to ensure the return of the stolen domains. Because it offered a monetary reward to the hacker in exchange for the return of the websites. An action that seems to have brought results.
So, the hacker promised to return the stolen domains in exchange for 25% of the auction proceeds. Considering that the domains have sold for a combined $17,000, this seems like a better deal for OpenSea. The OpenSea auction will be rerun as soon as possible, according to a statement from the company: “Apparently, the hacker thought 25% was better than trying to resell the domains. Or maybe he was just being generous – either way, we’re grateful.
