# KelpDAOBridgeHacked

#KelpDAOBridgeHacked
The incident behind #KelpDAOBridgeHacked is not just another DeFi exploit—it is a clear illustration of how systemic risk in modern crypto infrastructure has evolved beyond individual smart contracts into interconnected, cross-chain dependencies.
In April 2026, KelpDAO, a liquid restaking protocol, suffered a major breach resulting in losses of approximately $290M–$293M worth of rsETH. What makes this event structurally significant is not only the scale, but the attack vector itself: a cross-chain bridge vulnerability rather than a traditional contract bug.
The exploit ta

#KelpDAOBridgeHacked
KELPDAO BRIDGE HACK: THE $292 MILLION CROSS-CHAIN CATASTROPHE THAT EXPOSED DEFI'S ACHILLES HEEL
Imagine waking up on a Saturday afternoon to discover that nearly $300 million has vanished into thin air—not through some complex smart contract vulnerability, but through a simple message that lied. That is exactly what happened on April18,2026, when KelpDAO's cross-chain bridge became the victim of the largest DeFi hack of the year, with attackers draining116,500 rsETH worth approximately $292 million in just46 minutes, sending shockwaves through the entire decentralized fin

#KelpDAOBridgeHacked
Security in the crypto ecosystem has increasingly become more decisive than even price movements. Especially when it comes to bridge infrastructures, every vulnerability is not just a technical issue it represents a critical fracture that directly impacts market confidence and capital flows.
Background of the Incident
Kelp DAO has recently stood out as one of the fastest-growing projects, particularly in restaking and liquid staking solutions. However, allegations of a security vulnerability within its bridge infrastructure have put one of the platform’s most critical com

#Gate13周年现场直击
THE LARGEST DEFI EXPLOIT OF 2026 JUST HAPPENED AND THE FALLOUT IS STILL SPREADING.
On April 18, 2026, at 17:35 UTC, an attacker drained 116,500 rsETH tokens worth approximately $292 million from Kelp DAO's LayerZero-powered cross-chain bridge. The stolen amount represents roughly 18 percent of rsETH's entire circulating supply of 630,000 tokens, and the exploit has now been officially confirmed as the largest DeFi hack of 2026. This was not a random smash-and-grab. It was a precision infrastructure attack, months in the planning, executed in under 46 minutes.
How the attack work

#KelpDAOBridgeHacked The KelpDAO bridge exploit represents a watershed moment for cross-chain DeFi security, exposing critical vulnerabilities in how liquid restaking protocols manage multi-chain collateral backing. The $292 million drain of 116,500 rsETH from Kelp's LayerZero-powered bridge on April 19, 2026, now stands as the largest DeFi hack of the year and the second-largest bridge exploit in crypto history, surpassed only by the Ronin Network's $625 million theft in 2022.
Understanding the attack vector requires examining the architectural relationship between KelpDAO and LayerZero. Kelp

#KelpDAOBridgeHacked
The KelpDAO bridge hack highlights critical vulnerabilities in cross-chain infrastructure, reinforcing concerns about security in DeFi ecosystems. Attackers exploited a weakness in the bridge mechanism, enabling the minting or transfer of unbacked assets and draining a substantial amount of funds within a short period. The incident underscores how bridges, designed to enhance interoperability, often become prime targets due to their complex architecture and reliance on external verification systems.
A key issue was the concentration of trust in limited validation layers,