In 2021, hackers stole a bunch of digital money, called cryptocurrency, from a platform named Uranium Finance. This platform was built on something called Binance Smart Chain, which is like a big online system for trading cryptocurrency. Recently, U.S. authorities got back $31 million of that stolen money. Here’s what happened in simple terms.
What Was Uranium Finance?
Uranium Finance was a special kind of online money-trading system that started in April 2021. It worked automatically to help people swap different types of cryptocurrency, kind of like a vending machine for digital cash. It was similar to another popular system called Uniswap.
The Hacks
Sadly, Uranium Finance didn’t last long. Hackers found weak spots in its computer code, called “smart contracts,” and used them to steal money. There were two big attacks in April 2021:
- First Attack (April 6, 2021): The hackers took advantage of a problem in how the system gave out rewards. They stole $1.4 million. Later, they gave back $1 million but kept $385,500 for themselves. They hid this money using a tool called Tornado Cash, which mixes up cryptocurrency to make it hard to track.
- Second Attack (April 28, 2021): This time, the hackers found a tiny mistake in the code—just one wrong character! That let them trick the system and steal $52 million by messing with account balances.
In total, the hackers took over $53.7 million. After the attacks, they moved the stolen cryptocurrency around through different online trading platforms and turned it into other types of digital money. Then they stored it in secret online wallets and left it there for years.
How the Money Was Found
A company called TRM Labs, which is good at tracking cryptocurrency on the blockchain (a digital record-keeping system), helped U.S. law enforcement find the stolen money. They worked with two groups: the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Diego.
Starting in February 2023, TRM Labs followed the trail of the stolen cryptocurrency across different blockchains. They figured out how the hackers tried to hide it, like using Tornado Cash and swapping it between systems. By March 2023, they had a clear map of what the hackers did. This information helped the police take action.
Finally, in February 2025, the authorities grabbed $31 million of the stolen funds. This is one of the biggest recoveries of hacked cryptocurrency in recent years.
What’s Next for Victims?
The hacks caused millions of dollars in losses for people who had money on Uranium Finance. Now that some of the money is back, the U.S. SDNY is asking those victims to email [email protected]. They might be able to get a share of the $31 million that was recovered.
Why This Matters
This story shows how tricky it can be to keep digital money safe online. It also shows how experts and police can work together to catch hackers and return stolen funds, even years later. For now, over half of the stolen money from the second attack is still out there, but this recovery is a big step forward.
