Maya Protocol
Auto-generated score, not yet verified against the scoring model. Under review — treat as indicative, not a verdict.
Summary
Maya Protocol (MAYAChain) is a decentralized cross-chain liquidity network and friendly fork of THORChain that launched its mainnet in March 2023. On August 18, 2026, an attacker chained six software vulnerabilities in a single 23-message transaction to fabricate approximately 49.45 million CACAO tokens, drain roughly $1.7 million in Bitcoin and other assets, and trigger an 88.7% collapse in CACAO's price. The team halted the network globally in response; as of late August 2026, the attacker had not returned the funds and no formal recovery timeline had been published.
Connected Entities
1 entitiesTimeline(11 events)
2021-01-01
Maya Protocol development begins as a planned fork of THORChain.
The Defiant — What Is Maya Protocol?2023-03-07
MAYAChain mainnet launches. A prior Liquidity Auction raised over $11 million and distributed the entire CACAO supply to liquidity providers.
Digital Art — Cross-chain DEX Maya Protocol to launch mainnet on March 7, 20232026-08-18
At approximately 17:30 UTC, an attacker submits a single 23-message MsgDeposit transaction to MAYAChain mainnet at block 17,977,941, triggering a cascade of six vulnerabilities.
Decrypt — Six-Bug Exploit Halts Maya Protocol After $1.4 Million in Bitcoin Stolen2026-08-18
Attacker deposits 100 CACAO into the distorted pool at block 17,977,971, acquires 99.93% ownership, and withdraws 48.87 million CACAO.
Defimon — Maya Protocol Six-Bug Trade Account Exploit2026-08-18
Attacker converts CACAO into approximately 20.83 BTC across ten blocks (17,977,998 to 17,978,008). Funds are consolidated at Bitcoin address bc1q0hsgwunccczelq05ucpmfz268eyy5jr2y5l646.
Defimon — Maya Protocol Six-Bug Trade Account Exploit2026-08-18
CACAO token price collapses approximately 88.7%, from $0.115 to $0.013. Overall TVL impact estimated at $10.9 million.
Maya Protocol Exploit Drains $1.7M as CACAO Falls 89% — CoinPaprika2026-08-18
Founder AaluxxMyth announces a global network halt on Discord, freezing all deposits and withdrawals. States: 'No way to sugar coat this. We have likely been exploited by 20 BTC ($1.4M) and other assets.'
Decrypt — Six-Bug Exploit Halts Maya Protocol After $1.4 Million in Bitcoin Stolen2026-08-18
Maya Protocol publishes the suspected attacker's Bitcoin address and appeals for voluntary return of funds under a bug bounty arrangement.
Maya Protocol suffers $1.7 million exploit, halts network — Crypto.news2026-08-19
Multiple crypto news outlets including CoinDesk and Decrypt publish detailed coverage. CertiK and Defimon publish independent technical breakdowns of the six bugs.
CoinDesk — Maya Protocol exploit drains bitcoin and other assets as pool value drops by $11 million2026-08-21
On-chain data shows the attacker's Bitcoin address still holds 20.82731228 BTC with zero outgoing transactions. No funds have been returned.
Unresolved $11 million liquidity crash — CryptoSlate2026-08-21
Founder Aaluxx signals recovery plan involving Aztec Chain investment proceeds to backfill pools, with no formal timeline for swap restoration or compensation.
Maya Protocol Hack: Why the Recovery Plan Mirrors THORChain's Old Playbook — CryipDecision Log
- #3review revise-12⛓ pending8/27/2026, 3:47:51 AMhash: 611EZ6Vd3iuzk3d2M9qLGzoxRuE3pZUn4HjtZ3E7vrp5
- #2review⛓ pending8/27/2026, 3:47:51 AMhash: 46RPuBGABCi2izxbDYk7wY2ChJ8pE7aaPe7sHqFqtvQV
- #1publish⛓ pending8/26/2026, 11:09:26 PMhash: 685NpNaZmATdGYfvdNANKbRfYFz1dr3DKCZMpguUDUDT
17 of 19 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 8/26/2026, 11:09:15 PM
last updated: 8/27/2026, 3:47:51 AM
avoid.net — verified advice for a post-truth world