How much was lost in the zkSync Copycat hack?

The zkSync Copycat hack resulted in $202K in losses on July 28, 2023.

What attack technique was used in the zkSync Copycat exploit?

The zkSync Copycat exploit utilized Rugpull. Understanding this attack vector is critical for smart contract auditors and developers building secure DeFi protocols.

How can developers prevent similar smart contract attacks?

Preventing smart contract hacks requires a combination of secure coding practices, thorough security audits, and understanding common attack vectors like reentrancy, oracle manipulation, and access control flaws. Smart Contract Hacking (SCH) provides hands-on training to help developers and auditors identify and prevent vulnerabilities before deployment.

zkSync Copycat Hack

TOTAL LOST $202K

Low Jul 28, 2023 Rugpull

Affected Chain 2023 Incident surface

Recovered - No recovery reported

All-Time Rank #1293 By amount stolen

Protocol Type Exit Scam/Rugpull Target category

Incident Overview

Quick Summary

Fake zkSync token rugpulled, removing liquidity worth 201,549 $USD; total funds lost equate to 822.65 $BNB.

Details of the Exploit

zkSync (TBD) is a copycat BEP20 token trading on PancakeSwap, not to be confused with the original zkSync project or tokens sharing the same token symbol. On July 28, 2023, the deployer executed a rugpull by removing liquidity from the LP pool in two separate transactions. The stolen funds were subsequently transferred to another EOA address and distributed between multiple addresses.

The total loss in this exit scam is 201,549 $USD, equivalent to 822.65 $BNB.

Block Data Reference

Deployer Address:

https://bscscan.com/address/0x1cd9af6a…ef9a8b

Scammer Address:

https://bscscan.com/address/0xa52f62dc…907594

Liquidity Removal Transactions:

https://bscscan.com/tx/0x65a6f4f5…b23552

https://bscscan.com/tx/0xf748b082…4a9606

Incident Report

Protocol / Project zkSync Copycat

Date of Incident July 28, 2023

Attack Technique Rugpull

Classification Token

Primary Source View Post-Mortem

Protocol Information

Protocol Type Exit Scam/Rugpull

Affected Token TBD

Team Anonymous

Source Code Verified On-Chain

What the Attacker Needed to Succeed

Understanding the prerequisites for this type of attack helps auditors identify protocols that are most at risk and helps developers build better defenses.

Technical Knowledge Deep understanding of rugpull and Solidity and EVM internals

Capital Required Seed capital to cover gas and initial position setup

On-Chain Access Ability to interact with smart contracts and deploy a custom exploit contract

Protocol Analysis Identification of the exploitable vulnerability in zkSync Copycat's contract logic - root cause: token

Execution Speed Precise transaction ordering and timing to exploit the vulnerability within a single atomic block

Obfuscation Plan A strategy to launder and move stolen funds - typically through mixers, cross-chain bridges, or decentralized DEX swaps to resist tracing

What Auditors Should Check

Could this have been caught in audit? Hard to catch — private key / OpSec failures are outside smart contract audit scope

If you're auditing a protocol with similar architecture to zkSync Copycat, these are the critical security checks that could have prevented this incident (July 2023).

Verify all logic paths related to Rugpull are guarded by proper access controls and input validation
Review privileged functions (owner, admin, governance) for potential abuse vectors - centralization risks should be documented and bounded with timelocks or multi-sigs

Master these auditing techniques with hands-on labs and real exploit scenarios in the Smart Contract Hacking course.

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Sources & References

01
Source 1 https://twitter.com/CertiKAlert/status/1684998871561224192

Threat Assessment

Severity Level

LOW

Attack Vector Rugpull
Root Cause Token
Year 2023

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