NEAR Intents Recovers Full $3.8 Million Stolen in Exploit After Issuing Ultimatum

WHY IT MATTERS

In crypto, when someone finds and exploits a flaw in a project's code to steal funds, the project sometimes issues a public message to the attacker — essentially saying, "Return the money by this deadline, or we will pursue you with law enforcement and blockchain tracking tools." Think of it like a store catching a shoplifter on camera and giving them a chance to return the goods before calling the police. In this case, the approach worked and all $3.8 million was returned. This matters because it shows that stolen crypto is not always gone forever — projects and security researchers have increasingly sophisticated tools to trace funds on public blockchains, which can pressure attackers into returning what they took.