Approximately 4,000 BTC Exits Crypto Bridge: Claims of Rescuing Funds Questioned

As approximately 4,000 BTC was withdrawn from the Liquid bridge, the “whitehat” message sent was questioned, calling for communication with the Blockstream security team.

It was reported that approximately 4,000 BTC was withdrawn from the Liquid bridge, which enables Bitcoin to be moved between different blockchain infrastructures. In the on-chain message within the transaction, the sender identified themselves as a “whitehat.” However, a divergence of opinion has emerged regarding the nature of this statement.

According to Wu Blockchain, Ledger CTO Charles Guillemet criticized the expression “We are whitehats. Contact us on chain” found in the OP_RETURN message embedded in the transaction. OP_RETURN is used as a field that allows short messages to be added to Bitcoin transactions.

Transaction on Liquid Bridge Escalates Security Debate

Guillemet argued that a party identifying themselves as a “whitehat” withdrawing funds from a bridge and then requesting communication on-chain is inconsistent with whitehat behavior. Consequently, the transaction raised more questions about the bridge’s security than a standard transfer would.

The transaction record showed an exit of approximately 3,998.5 BTC, while a call for communication was included in the message section. Following the development, Blockstream invited the involved party to contact their security team on-chain.

While the purpose of the transaction and the final status of the funds remain unclear, the tension between the exit of approximately 4,000 BTC and the whitehat claim persists.