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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"2f6eca6d-bddc-4eeb-9bac-ad83f94cb1b8","kind":"publish","page_slug":"zetachain","published_at":"2026-05-30T12:21:42.177Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"ZetaChain","sections":[{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"low","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"TechCrunch: How Jane Street-backed ZetaChain aims to expand Bitcoin's use cases","type":"news_article","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/16/zetachain-bitcoin-trading/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crunchbase: ZetaChain Company Profile & Funding","type":"other","url":"https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/zetachain"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZetaChain Blog: Announcing ZetaChain Mainnet Beta Launch","type":"official","url":"https://www.zetachain.com/blog/announcing-zetachain-mainnet-beta-launch"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Ankur Nandwani - IQ.wiki People in Crypto","type":"other","url":"https://iq.wiki/wiki/ankur-nandwani"}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CoinTelegraph: ZetaChain Dismissed Bug Report That Could Have Prevented $334K Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/zetachain-dismissed-bug-report-that-could-have-prevented-334k-exploit"},{"credibility":1,"name":"The Block: ZetaChain halts cross-chain transactions following attack on smart contract","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/399092/zetachain-attack-smart-contract"},{"credibility":1,"name":"The Block: ZetaChain identifies cross-chain messaging loophole as root of targeted exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/399315/zetachain-post-mortem"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto.news: ZetaChain admits overlooking bug bounty report before $334K exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://crypto.news/zetachain-admits-overlooking-bug-bounty-report-before-334k-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CryptoTimes: How a 'Perfect Storm' of 3 Bugs Led to ZetaChain's $333K GatewayEVM Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/04/29/how-a-perfect-storm-of-3-bugs-led-to-zetachains-333k-gatewayevm-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"AMBCrypto: Did ZetaChain ignore a bug report that could have prevented $334K exploit?","type":"news_article","url":"https://ambcrypto.com/did-zetachain-ignore-a-bug-report-that-could-have-prevented-334k-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crowdfund Insider: ZetaChain Suspends Cross-Chain Operations After Security Incident","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/04/276066-zetachain-suspends-cross-chain-operations-on-mainnet-after-security-incident-involving-gatewayevm-smart-contract/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"PulseChain Nexus: ZetaChain exploit reveals the failure of human gatekeeping in bug bounties","type":"research","url":"https://www.pulsechain.nexus/zetachain-exploit-reveals-the-failure-of-human-gatekeeping-in-bug-bounties/"}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Telegram: Investigations by ZachXBT","type":"social_media","url":"https://t.me/investigations"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CryptoTimes: ZetaChain Halts Cross-Chain Activity After GatewayEVM Smart Contract Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/04/28/zetachain-halts-cross-chain-activity-after-gatewayevm-smart-contract-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bitcoin Foundation: ZetaChain Halts Cross-Chain Operations After 300K Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://bitcoinfoundation.org/news/crimes-and-fraud-news/zetachain-hack/"}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"ZetaChain Blog: The ZetaLabs Airdrop Pre-Claim","type":"official","url":"https://www.zetachain.com/blog/the-zetalabs-airdrop-pre-claim"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hemera: Safeguarding the ZetaChain Airdrop from Sybil Attacks and Bots using Unsupervised AI & Machine Learning","type":"research","url":"https://www.thehemera.com/blogs/safe-guarding-the-zetachain-airdrop-from-sybil-attacks-and-bots-using-unsupervised-ai-machine-learning"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Airdrops.io: ZetaChain Airdrop","type":"other","url":"https://airdrops.io/zetachain/"}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"CCN: August Anticipates $200M in Token Unlocks for W and ZETA","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/august-token-unlocks-w-zeta-prices/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Tokenomist.ai: ZetaChain (ZETA) Tokenomics & Vesting Schedule","type":"research","url":"https://tokenomist.ai/zetachain"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Crypto-Corner: 5.67% ZETA Token Unlock Coming on May 1st","type":"news_article","url":"https://crypto-corner.com/2025/04/24/5-67-zeta-token-unlock-coming-on-may-1st/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Alea Research: ZetaChain Deep Dive","type":"research","url":"https://alearesearch.io/deep-dives/zetachain/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CCN: ZetaChain Price Prediction 2025 — Bearish Trends Threaten Further Drops","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/zetachain-zeta-price-prediction/"}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Alea Research: ZetaChain Deep Dive","type":"research","url":"https://alearesearch.io/deep-dives/zetachain/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CryptoTimes: How a 'Perfect Storm' of 3 Bugs Led to ZetaChain's $333K GatewayEVM Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/04/29/how-a-perfect-storm-of-3-bugs-led-to-zetachains-333k-gatewayevm-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZetaChain Docs: Observer-Signer Validators","type":"official","url":"https://www.zetachain.com/docs/developers/architecture/observers/"}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"PCRisk: ZetaChain Airdrop Scam — Removal and recovery steps","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/28854-zetachain-airdrop-scam"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ScamAdviser: zetachain.net-d.one Review","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/check-website/zetachain.net-d.one"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CoinTelegraph: ZetaChain Dismissed Bug Report That Could Have Prevented $334K Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/zetachain-dismissed-bug-report-that-could-have-prevented-334k-exploit"},{"credibility":1,"name":"The Block: ZetaChain halts cross-chain transactions following attack on smart contract","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/399092/zetachain-attack-smart-contract"},{"credibility":1,"name":"The Block: ZetaChain identifies cross-chain messaging loophole as root of targeted exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/399315/zetachain-post-mortem"},{"credibility":1,"name":"TechCrunch: How Jane Street-backed ZetaChain aims to expand Bitcoin's use cases","type":"news_article","url":"https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/16/zetachain-bitcoin-trading/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto.news: ZetaChain admits overlooking bug bounty report before $334K exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://crypto.news/zetachain-admits-overlooking-bug-bounty-report-before-334k-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CryptoTimes: How a 'Perfect Storm' of 3 Bugs Led to ZetaChain's $333K GatewayEVM Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/04/29/how-a-perfect-storm-of-3-bugs-led-to-zetachains-333k-gatewayevm-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CryptoTimes: ZetaChain Halts Cross-Chain Activity After GatewayEVM Smart Contract Exploit","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/04/28/zetachain-halts-cross-chain-activity-after-gatewayevm-smart-contract-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"AMBCrypto: Did ZetaChain ignore a bug report that could have prevented $334K exploit?","type":"news_article","url":"https://ambcrypto.com/did-zetachain-ignore-a-bug-report-that-could-have-prevented-334k-exploit/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crowdfund Insider: ZetaChain Suspends Cross-Chain Operations After Security Incident","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/04/276066-zetachain-suspends-cross-chain-operations-on-mainnet-after-security-incident-involving-gatewayevm-smart-contract/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"BanklessTimes: Zetachain ZETA Price Popped After Mainnet Launch But Risks Remain","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.banklesstimes.com/news/2024/02/05/zetachain-zeta-price-popped-after-mainnet-launch-but-risks-remain/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Alea Research: ZetaChain Deep Dive","type":"research","url":"https://alearesearch.io/deep-dives/zetachain/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hemera: Safeguarding the ZetaChain Airdrop from Sybil Attacks","type":"research","url":"https://www.thehemera.com/blogs/safe-guarding-the-zetachain-airdrop-from-sybil-attacks-and-bots-using-unsupervised-ai-machine-learning"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZetaChain Blog: The ZetaLabs Airdrop Pre-Claim","type":"official","url":"https://www.zetachain.com/blog/the-zetalabs-airdrop-pre-claim"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Tokenomist.ai: ZetaChain (ZETA) Tokenomics & Vesting Schedule","type":"research","url":"https://tokenomist.ai/zetachain"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CCN: August Anticipates $200M in Token Unlocks for W and ZETA","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/august-token-unlocks-w-zeta-prices/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CCN: ZetaChain Price Prediction 2025 — Bearish Trends Threaten Further Drops","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/zetachain-zeta-price-prediction/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"PCRisk: ZetaChain Airdrop Scam — Removal and recovery steps","type":"community_report","url":"https://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/28854-zetachain-airdrop-scam"},{"credibility":3,"name":"PulseChain Nexus: ZetaChain exploit reveals the failure of human gatekeeping in bug bounties","type":"research","url":"https://www.pulsechain.nexus/zetachain-exploit-reveals-the-failure-of-human-gatekeeping-in-bug-bounties/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZachXBT Telegram: Investigations by ZachXBT","type":"social_media","url":"https://t.me/investigations"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Crypto-Corner: 5.67% ZETA Token Unlock Coming on May 1st","type":"news_article","url":"https://crypto-corner.com/2025/04/24/5-67-zeta-token-unlock-coming-on-may-1st/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"BeInCrypto: ZetaChain Pauses Mainnet After Hack Hits Team Wallets","type":"news_article","url":"https://beincrypto.com/zetachain-hack-cross-chain-transactions-paused/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ZetaChain Docs: Observer-Signer Validators","type":"official","url":"https://www.zetachain.com/docs/developers/architecture/observers/"}],"summary":"ZetaChain is a San Francisco-based omnichain Layer 1 blockchain that enables native cross-chain smart contracts connecting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other networks. The protocol has been flagged by community investigators and crypto-security observers following a premeditated $334,000 exploit of its GatewayEVM smart contract in April 2026, which the team's own earlier bug-bounty review had dismissed as intended behavior. Additional concerns include a controversial airdrop policy that rewarded sybil actors, persistent token unlock sell pressure, and structural centralization risks inherent to its Threshold Signature Scheme validator design.","timeline":[{"date":"2021-01-01","event":"ZetaChain founded by Ankur Nandwani and Charlie Pyle in San Francisco.","source":"Crunchbase / CBInsights","source_url":"https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/zetachain"},{"date":"2023-08-01","event":"ZetaChain raises $27 million in Series A from Jane Street Capital, Blockchain.com, Sky9, and others.","source":"TechCrunch","source_url":"https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/16/zetachain-bitcoin-trading/"},{"date":"2023-08-20","event":"Snapshot taken for genesis airdrop eligibility across ZetaLabs testnet participants.","source":"ZetaChain Blog","source_url":"https://www.zetachain.com/blog/the-zetalabs-airdrop-pre-claim"},{"date":"2024-01-01","event":"ZetaChain Mainnet Beta launches; over 900,000 users and 8 million transactions reported in first week.","source":"ZetaChain Blog","source_url":"https://www.zetachain.com/blog/announcing-zetachain-mainnet-beta-launch"},{"date":"2024-02-01","event":"ZETA token begins trading. Airdrop of 31.5 million ZETA distributed to 800,000+ users; sybil policy allows top earner of flagged groups to still receive tokens.","source":"ZetaChain Blog / Hemera","source_url":"https://www.zetachain.com/blog/the-zetalabs-airdrop-pre-claim"},{"date":"2024-02-15","event":"ZETA token reaches all-time high of approximately $2.86.","source":"CoinGecko","source_url":"https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/zetachain"},{"date":"2024-08-01","event":"Approximately $34 million in ZETA tokens (19% of circulating supply) unlocks, primarily for Core Contributors and Advisors.","source":"CCN","source_url":"https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/august-token-unlocks-w-zeta-prices/"},{"date":"2025-03-11","event":"ZETA token reaches all-time low of $0.1851, a decline of approximately 93% from its all-time high.","source":"CCN","source_url":"https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/zetachain-zeta-price-prediction/"},{"date":"2025-05-01","event":"A further 5.67% of total ZETA supply (approximately 44 million tokens) unlocks, adding additional sell pressure.","source":"Crypto-Corner","source_url":"https://crypto-corner.com/2025/04/24/5-67-zeta-token-unlock-coming-on-may-1st/"},{"date":"2026-04-23","event":"Attacker funds exploit wallet via Tornado Cash approximately three days before the attack, indicating premeditation.","source":"CryptoTimes","source_url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/04/29/how-a-perfect-storm-of-3-bugs-led-to-zetachains-333k-gatewayevm-exploit/"},{"date":"2026-04-26","event":"GatewayEVM smart contract exploit executes nine cross-chain transactions draining $333,868 in USDC and USDT from ZetaChain-controlled wallets across Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, and BSC.","source":"CoinTelegraph","source_url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/zetachain-dismissed-bug-report-that-could-have-prevented-334k-exploit"},{"date":"2026-04-27","event":"ZetaChain publicly discloses the exploit, pauses all cross-chain transactions, and acknowledges that the vulnerability had previously been reported through its bug bounty program and dismissed as intended behavior.","source":"CoinTelegraph / Crypto.news","source_url":"https://crypto.news/zetachain-admits-overlooking-bug-bounty-report-before-334k-exploit/"},{"date":"2026-04-29","event":"ZetaChain releases post-mortem detailing the three chained design flaws, deploys mainnet patch disabling arbitrary call functionality, and announces review of bug bounty triage processes.","source":"The Block","source_url":"https://www.theblock.co/post/399315/zetachain-post-mortem"}]},"v":1}