Cryptocurrency

"Avalanche-based protocol reportedly rug-pulled within hours of launch"

2022-02-20 [vendor] Atom Protocol [chain] avalanche
Primary Source ↗
Blockchain(s) Avalanche

Incident Details

Atom Protocol, a project built on the Avalanche blockchain (and not to be confused with the Atom/Cosmos project on Binance), rug pulled within a day of launching. The developers posted a tweet reading, “There is a problem/mistake in contracts, we can’t do anything. We have to close the project, sorry”. Shortly afterwards, they deleted their Twitter account and Discord.Some users directed their anger at Assure DeFi, a project that claims to “privately verify the identity” of various projects. The group had reportedly verified the identities of those behind Atom Protocol, lending the project credibility to some who bought in. Assure later tweeted that “many people are still misunderstanding the role of KYC/verification. KYC is a deterrent and not a scam prevention and if anyone says otherwise they are misleading you.”

Technical Details

Initial Attack Vector
Exit scam / rug pull
Vendor / Product
Atom Protocol

Timeline

  1. 2022-02-20 Breach occurred
  2. 2022-02-20 Publicly disclosed