285 millions de dollars volés, 0 adresses USDC gelées - Actu Crypto 🗞️

This summary covers recent developments in the crypto world, starting with the impact of quantum computing, moving to the role of artificial intelligence in security, detailing a significant hack on the Drift protocol, discussing the European Central Bank’s views on the digital euro, and concluding with news about a new European stablecoin and an upcoming on-chain IPO. Google recently published a paper on quantum computing, indicating a continued trend of decreasing qubit requirements to break modern encryption. While quantum computers are still primitive, algorithmic advancements mean that what was once estimated to be a threat by 2035 could now arrive as early as 2029. The hardware requirements for achieving significant results are diminishing and could align with hardware performance before the end of the decade. It's crucial to remember that this is an estimate, and cryptocurrencies are not the only potential victims. All widely used encryption algorithms are vulnerable. While the rising price of crypto makes it an attractive target for malicious entities with quantum capabilities, banks, state infrastructures, commercial sites, and email providers are also at risk. The only entities that will be spared are those that proactively adopt quantum-resistant algorithms. The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies complicates this transition, as updating encryption algorithms takes a long time, and old addresses, like those belonging to Satoshi, would remain vulnerable. Therefore, addressing this issue before "D-day" is essential for the long-term survival of the crypto ecosystem. Some networks are already working on solutions, but their timely success remains uncertain. In the United States, preparations are underway; Trump's cyber strategy manifesto, published a month ago, mentioned promoting post-quantum cryptography and quantum computing. This highlights that post-quantum cryptography is a serious consideration, not just a fringe idea. The report also touches on artificial intelligence, a significant topic in crypto for trading and security. Coincidentally, following the report's announcement of promoting AI-driven security development, Chainalysis revealed the deployment of AI agents to assist client investigations. These agents are custom-built for reliability and offer auditable results through a deterministic process. They have already been used to simplify complex investigations across numerous chains and assets, providing evidence for their reasoning, improving alert systems, generating summaries, retrieving data, and even coding entire web applications for specific client needs. The deterministic nature of these AI agents is surprising, as it's typically fundamental to how Large Language Models (LLMs) operate, leaving no room for "hallucinations." This development suggests that criminals will increasingly need to employ AI to continue their activities, leading to a digital arms race where honest individuals on pseudonymous blockchains might face unprecedented surveillance without necessarily being better protected. On Wednesday, April 1st, the Drift protocol, a decentralized exchange on the Solana network, suffered an attack resulting in a loss of $285 million. This attack began approximately six months prior, in the autumn of 2025 (as stated in the transcript, though this date seems to be a typo and likely refers to 2023 or 2024). During a crypto conference, individuals posing as a quantitative trading firm contacted Drift protocol contributors, expressing interest in integrating with the platform. They were skilled, had authentic credentials, and a deep understanding of the platform. Over several months, they engaged in legitimate discussions with the team, gradually embedding themselves in the protocol's governance and becoming indispensable. They even deposited $1 million of their own funds. They continued to meet the team in person at various crypto conferences, during which time they allegedly infected team members' computers with viruses, though the precise role of these viruses is still unclear. On March 11th, they moved to the next phase of their plan. They created Ethereum addresses using funds from Tornado Cash. These Ethers were then used to create a fictitious token called "carbon vote" (CVT), almost entirely owned by the attackers. They gave it a false appearance of legitimacy through wash trading with a few thousand dollars of liquidity, establishing an on-chain price history of around one dollar per token, which remained stable. Between March 23rd and 30th, they prepared their attack on Solana by drafting "durable announcement" transactions designed for later publication. Once ready, this group, having built a reputation for reliability with the Drift team, managed to get them to sign the pre-fabricated transactions, possibly through the inserted viruses. These transactions, seemingly legitimate at first glance, contained secret instructions, including adding their CVT token to Drift's acceptable collateral list, using its market price history in the Oracle system, and maximizing withdrawal thresholds. They then used this fake collateral to drain the funds and quickly disappeared, deleting all relevant Telegram channels and the viruses they had installed. Experts largely agree that this attack was likely orchestrated by North Koreans. However, more interestingly, several industry specialists quickly detected the suspicious behavior. Furthermore, the attackers largely exfiltrated the funds as USDC, even using CCTP, a cross-chain bridge owned by Circle. Despite having the power to halt the funds for six hours, Circle took no action. This contrasts sharply with a previous instance where Circle froze 16 wallets, a significant portion of which were allegedly innocent. In this case, involving a massive, undeniable hack, Circle did nothing. Circle later justified its inaction to Coindesk, stating that they only block addresses linked to illegal activities when there is a court order or police instruction, despite their own legal terms reserving the right to block any addresses they determine to be involved in illegal activities. This highlights a system that appears to be more effective against innocent individuals than against actual criminals. The discussion then moved to Finst, a Dutch crypto exchange platform offering over 340 tradable cryptocurrencies, useful services for investors like crypto bundles, semi-automated investing, and staking. Finst boasts very low trading fees, even for small volume traders, which is noteworthy as lower fees are typically reserved for market makers and wealthy, active users. New users can currently receive a €20 Bitcoin bonus by creating an account via a provided link. Returning to European news, Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB's Executive Board, delivered a speech in Lithuania outlining the EU's perspective on the upcoming digital euro. He praised the digital euro's merits, citing the European financial system's current dependence on non-European infrastructure. Amusingly, the arguments used to promote the euro against the Americans can be re-purposed to advocate for crypto against the EU. Cipollone highlighted the threat of disconnection, where Americans' ability to disconnect Europeans from the payment system grants them significant leverage. This argument also applies to an ECB-controlled system, which would be more susceptible to arbitrary censorship of citizens than a decentralized crypto. Similarly, he mentioned that dominant service providers unilaterally impose fees and rules that Europeans must endure, which mirrors the EU's own regulations that member states must accept. This is a self-inflicted goal, much like a recent blog post suggesting the digital euro is an opportunity for banks. If it benefits banks, it will likely be less beneficial for customers, who will continue to pay high fees while banks incur fewer charges. In parallel, European banks are not passively waiting for the digital euro. Facing the dollar's dominance in the stablecoin market, the Kivalis consortium, formed by 12 European banks, announced that its MIKA-certified stablecoin is expected to launch in the second half of 2026. However, its success hinges not only on the number of participating banks but also on a coherent and effective strategy to integrate it into decentralized finance. Without this, it will struggle to compete against established champions that have been present for years and won't be dislodged simply because a new stablecoin is denominated in euros. Finally, in four days, the first European on-chain IPO will take place via the French platform Le (Lightning Stock Exchange). This marks a significant step for the tokenized asset ecosystem and is hoped to usher in a new era for SMEs, which are the engine of the economy.