Shibarium Network, Shiba Inu's second-layer solution, was the target of a sophisticated attack involving flash loans and validator key compromise. According to developer Kaal Dhariya, the attacker acquired 4,6 million BONE tokens, gained majority control of validators, and signed a malicious state to drain assets from the cross-chain bridge.
As part of the emergency response, the team suspended staking and unstaking operations, migrated the staking manager's funds to a physical wallet protected by 6/9 multisig, and initiated an audit to determine whether the source of the failure came from a server or developer machine.
The Shibarium bridge connects the Shiba Inu ecosystem to the Ethereum network, enabling transfers of SHIB, BONE, LEASH, and wETH. The goal is to ease Ethereum's burden, offering lower fees and greater scalability for DeFi, gaming, and metaverse applications.
According to Dhariya, the fact that the BONEs are delegated to Validator 1 and are currently locked in place for a deactivation period leaves room for the assets to be frozen. The team also stated that they are working with security companies such as Hexens, Seal 911, and PeckShield, as well as competent authorities. Still, the developers have opened the door to negotiations with the attacker: "If the funds are returned, we will not take legal action and may consider a small reward."
🚨 Shibarium Bridge Security Update 🚨
Earlier today, a sophisticated (probably planned for months) attack was carried out using a flash loan to purchase 4.6M BONE. The attacker gained access to validator signing keys, achieved majority validator power, and signed a malicious…
— Kaal (@kaaldhairya) September 13, 2025
The BONE cryptocurrency, used as Shiba Inu's governance token, has jumped 40% in the last 24 hours, trading at $0,235 and with a daily volume exceeding $10,8 million. Its market capitalization is around $59 million, with a circulating supply of less than 250 million units.
In addition to governance, BONE is used for staking and rewards. It plays a key role in the operation of ShibaSwap and the validation of the Shibarium network. SHIB, in turn, rose 5% and is trading at $0.00001411, reflecting the increased attention surrounding the project's infrastructure following the incident.