Zano exploiter created 36.9M unauthorized ZANO before blockchain rollback

Zano revealed that the attacker who exploited its Gateway Address vulnerability over the last month used it to create 36.9 million Zano (ZANO), along with Freedom Dollar (fUSD) tokens, before the decision was made to roll the blockchain back by a month. 

In a post-mortem published Thursday, Zano said the attacker first exploited the vulnerability on Aug. 29, creating approximately 18.4 million ZANO in a single transaction. The attacker repeated the exploit on Sept. 25, minting another 18.4 million ZANO, before using the same method to create fUSD. The team said a portion entered the Zano ecosystem. 

“These coins functioned as authentic ZANO and could be spent normally,” the team wrote in its post-mortem. Cointelegraph reached out to Zano for comment.

The figures shed light on why the Zano team called for a rollback of about a month of blockchain history, including legitimate transactions. The team acknowledged that the rollback would hurt trust but argued it was necessary to remove unauthorized supply as it could not be distinguished from legitimate coins.

Attacker paid 100 ZANO exploit entry fee 

Zano’s post-mortem said the attacker paid 100 ZANO to set up the exploit, worth about $553 at the time of publication.