zkSync Era
Summary
zkSync Era is an EVM-compatible ZK rollup Layer 2 network on Ethereum, developed by Matter Labs and governed through the ZK Nation framework. The network launched its ZK token in June 2024 to significant community controversy over airdrop eligibility and alleged Sybil-farming failures. In April 2025, an admin private-key compromise allowed an attacker to mint 111 million unclaimed ZK tokens worth approximately $5 million from airdrop contracts, though 90% of funds were later recovered via a bounty agreement.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigations- + 5 more
Timeline(15 events)
2018-12-01
Matter Labs founded by Alex Gluchowski and co-founder Alex V. in Berlin.
IQ.wiki - Alex Gluchowski2021-02-01
Matter Labs raises $6 million Series A with support from Binance, Aave, Curve, and Coinbase Ventures.
TechCrunch - Matter Labs raises $200 million2021-11-01
Matter Labs raises $50 million Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
TechCrunch - Matter Labs raises $200 million2022-11-16
Matter Labs raises $200 million Series C co-led by Blockchain Capital and Dragonfly, committing to open-source the platform.
TechCrunch - Matter Labs raises $200 million to scale Ethereum2024-02-18
zkSync Era TVL reaches approximately $617 million, representing a 22.47% weekly increase.
Binance Square - zkSync Era TVL rebounds to $617 million2024-06-17
ZK token launches and airdrop distributes 3.675 billion tokens to 695,232 wallets. #ZKsyncScam trends on X amid widespread community backlash over exclusions and alleged Sybil-farming failures.
BeInCrypto - ZKsync Airdrop Outrage: Why #ZKsyncScam Is Trending2025-04-15
Compromised admin private key used to invoke sweepUnclaimed() on three airdrop contracts, minting approximately 111 million ZK tokens (~$5 million). ZK token falls 13.7% to an all-time low of ~$0.04.
CoinDesk - ZKSync Admin Wallet Compromised, $5M Stolen2025-04-21
ZKsync Security Council issues on-chain safe harbor proposal offering attacker a 10% bounty to return 90% of stolen funds within 72 hours.
CryptoSlate - ZKsync reclaims stolen $5 million tokens2025-04-23
Attacker accepts bounty terms and returns approximately $5.7 million in ZK tokens and ETH to the Security Council via three on-chain transactions.
BeInCrypto - ZKsync Price Falters Despite 90% of Stolen Funds Returned2025-05-13
Official X accounts of ZKsync and Matter Labs compromised for approximately 15 minutes; attackers post fake ZK airdrop link and false claims of SEC investigation.
Crypto.news - ZKsync X accounts hacked to promote fake SEC warnings2025-06-01
One-year cliff passes for Matter Labs team and investor token allocations, unlocking 3.6% of total supply with up to 0.8% unlocking monthly thereafter through June 2028.
CoinDCX - ZK Token Airdrop: From a $5M Hack to the Future of ZKSync in 2025Decision Log
- hash: DJnW5gx7DZdRbpJmDJq19Xqm6LAFG42Df9MKTgp88xyX
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 5/31/2026, 5:48:57 PM
last updated: 5/31/2026, 5:49:03 PM
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