Bitget has restarted Bitcoin withdrawals after a security breach that affected almost $388 million in digital assets, while the attacker continues moving some of the stolen cryptocurrency through THORChain, according to Cointelegraph.
The exchange said Bitcoin withdrawals resumed Monday, marking the first stage of a broader restoration of services. Ether withdrawals are scheduled to return Tuesday, while Tether’s USDt withdrawals are due to resume Wednesday. Services for other assets and peer-to-peer transactions are expected to return Friday, under Bitget’s announced timetable.
Withdrawal services return in stages
The Sept. 24 incident affected part of Bitget’s hot and warm wallet infrastructure. These wallets are used to support operational transactions, while the exchange said its cold wallets remained secure. Bitget initially estimated the value of the stolen assets at $351.6 million, but later raised the figure to $387.5 million after including additional transfers involving Zcash and Tron.
Bitcoin withdrawals were restored first on the Bitcoin network and BNB Smart Chain, Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said during a Monday question-and-answer session. She said the Bitcoin withdrawal pipeline had completed its security checks before those for other assets.
Under the schedule announced by Bitget, Ether withdrawals will resume across Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Base and Optimism. USDt withdrawals will follow across Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Solana and Tron. Withdrawals involving other assets and peer-to-peer services are planned for Friday.
Chen said the timetable applies equally to all users. Institutions, VIP customers and Bitget employees will not receive priority access, according to the exchange’s statement.
Attacker continues swaps through THORChain
The security incident remains active beyond the restoration of withdrawals. Bitget has asked THORChain to reject transactions from addresses connected to the attack, as the attacker continues transferring stolen assets.
Lookonchain reported that the attacker was exchanging Ether for Bitcoin through THORChain. Arkham data also showed Ether linked to the attacker moving into THORChain vaults. THORChain is a decentralized protocol that allows assets on different blockchains to be swapped without relying on a conventional centralized exchange.
THORChain said Monday that any network halt would operate as a broad emergency security measure rather than a targeted freeze of particular funds or a single swap. Crypto author Anndy Lian said the protocol can halt trading, stop outbound transactions or pause a connected chain, but such actions would affect users generally. He also said THORChain does not have a built-in address blacklist, limiting its ability to block individual addresses.
Current crypto market picture
Moneyiar market data recorded at the stated times show Bitcoin at $83,820.05, down 0.61% over 24 hours but up 3.20% over seven days, as of Sept. 25 at 22:04 +03:30. Ether was $2,681.70, down 0.13% in 24 hours and up 2.05% over seven days, as of 22:03.
USDt was trading at $0.99981, with a 0.01% increase over both periods. THORChain’s RUNE token stood at $0.64495, up 1.17% over 24 hours and 19.23% over seven days, based on Moneyiar data at 22:03 +03:30.
