The NEAR Intents exploit cost the cross-chain protocol about $3.8 million on October 1, 2026. An attacker abused a bug in its Omni deposit and withdrawal system. However, the team already patched the contract and promised to reimburse every affected user in full.
In short, that is the story. Below, we cover where the money went and how the NEAR price reacted as a result.
What happened in the NEAR Intents exploit
First, some background. NEAR Intents lets users swap crypto across blockchains. On Thursday, the team confirmed an attack and therefore paused the service, along with near.com.
According to the team, the bug sat in how the Omni deposit and withdrawal infrastructure talks to the NEAR Intents smart contract. Meanwhile, their preliminary report puts the total loss at roughly $3.8 million.
One detail matters here, though. The flaw hit the cross-chain infrastructure, not the NEAR Protocol blockchain itself. In other words, the chain kept running as normal.
Where the stolen funds went
Onchain investigator ZachXBT flagged the incident on Telegram. Specifically, he spotted several irregular outflows from the BSC hot wallet linked to NEAR Intents.
After that, the attacker moved fast. ZachXBT says the funds first went to KuCoin and then got bridged to Bitcoin. KuCoin has not commented publicly at the time of writing, however.
Nobody knows who is behind it yet. In addition, the team has not shared attacker addresses or the exact mechanics.
How the team responded
The response came within hours. For example, here is what the team did:
- The contract vulnerability is patched.
- Core services were therefore expected back within about an hour.
- However, deposits and withdrawals on BSC, Polygon, TON and several other chains stay paused for roughly 12 hours longer.
- Users get full compensation for affected funds.
- Meanwhile, law enforcement and blockchain analytics firms are tracing the money.
- Finally, a full post-mortem should follow in the coming days.
For context, NEAR Intents recently passed $25 billion in lifetime volume. Therefore, a $3.8 million loss is painful yet small next to that flow.
There is some irony too. Less than a week ago, the protocol’s SHIELD system intercepted over $50 million in suspicious transfers tied to the Bitget attacker. Now, it has to chase its own stolen funds instead.
NEAR price reaction
The market did not wait for the post-mortem. As a result, NEAR dropped from $5.5 to $4.7 on the news.
Personally, I am still DCAing NEAR. After all, a patched infrastructure bug with a full refund does not change my view on the chain. Still, this is my own position and not financial advice.
A week of exploits
This incident did not happen in isolation. Indeed, it has been a rough week for crypto security.
First came the Bitget hack, with over $350 million stolen. We also covered the MetaMask security incident and the Magic Eden exploit in the same stretch.
Altogether, that makes four incidents in a few days. Therefore, keep only what you need on bridges, apps and hot wallets.
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Final Words
Overall, the NEAR Intents exploit looks contained. The bug is patched, the loss is modest, and users should get their money back. Nevertheless, the real test is the post-mortem and how fast the refunds land.
Until then, expect some chains to stay paused. Meanwhile, we will update this post once the team shares the full report.
FAQ
How much was stolen in the NEAR Intents exploit?
About $3.8 million, according to the team’s preliminary report.
Is NEAR Protocol itself hacked?
No. The bug affected the Omni deposit and withdrawal infrastructure of NEAR Intents. The NEAR blockchain was not compromised.
Will users get their funds back?
Yes. NEAR Intents has promised full compensation for all affected funds.
Where did the stolen funds go?
ZachXBT reported that the attacker sent the funds to KuCoin and bridged them to Bitcoin.
Can I use NEAR Intents again?
Core services were set to resume shortly after the patch. Deposits and withdrawals on BSC, Polygon, TON and some other chains remain paused for about 12 hours longer.
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