The domains stolen from the Ethereum Name Service’s (ENS) public sale have been returned.
As CoinDesk reported on the time, the ENS bidding course of managed by digital-collectibles market OpenSea was exploited, permitting a hacker to nab 17 domains for decrease bids than different customers positioned. ENS and OpenSea requested the hacker to return the domains, promising compensation for locating the bug.
An various to Web 2.0’s centralized area title servers (DNS) system, ENS is constructed on prime of the ethereum blockchain to leverage its immutability and decentralized properties. As it occurs, immutability isn’t all the time a great factor.
Once the hacker claimed the ENS domains – which included apple.eth – ENS and OpenSea’s solely recourse was to blacklist the domains and ask for the hacker to return them.
Fortunately, they had been.
Update: the stolen ENS names had been all returned efficiently to @ensdomains! ?Thanks for supporting the neighborhood; we’re working exhausting to restart bidding this week earlier than #devcon5 and can ship out emails to bidders when it’s prepared — OpenSea (@opensea) October 3, 2019
The hacker was apparently swayed by a pretty provide: 25 p.c of the ultimate bidding worth for every of the returned domains as soon as they’re re-auctioned. Some domains are listed for impressively excessive bids such because the proprietor of coffeshop.eth asking for 100 wrapped ether, price about $17,000 at press time. With 17 domains stolen, the hacker may very well be in retailer for a good payday relying on the public sale costs.
OpenSea says auctions will begin once more within the coming weeks.
Speaking with CoinDesk, ENS lead developer Nick Johnson stated OpenSea had no direct communications with the hacker earlier than the domains had been returned. The firm solicited suggestions in a Sept. 29 weblog submit disclosing the bug.
“Evidently the hacker thought 25 percent was a better deal than trying to resell them themselves in the face of blacklisting. Or perhaps they’re just generous – either way we’re grateful.”
Your Opinion Matters
Quality - 10
10
Total Score
Your feedback is important to us to improve our services. We constantly seek feedback to improve and evolve our service, whilst identifying opportunities to assist clients in realising their business objectives.
User Rating: 4.25 ( 4 votes)
Comments