The KelpDAO attack was possible because the DeFi platform used only 1-verifier setup instead of multiple.
Hackers used fake data and DDoS to trick the system.
LayerZero issued a statement and confirmed that the issue was isolated and no other apps or assets have been affected.
LayerZero has issued a detailed statement today, April 20, 2026, regarding the massive $290 million exploit which targeted KelpDAO’s rsETH assets on April 18, 2026. This attack, attributed to North Korea’s notorious Lazarus Group, specifically the TraderTraitor subgroup, exposed vulnerabilities in single verifier setups.
https://t.co/3vIHs3Xgs4
— LayerZero (@LayerZero_Core) April 20, 2026
Crucially, LayerZero in the statement stressed on the fact that its protocol worked perfectly, containing the damage to just one asset all because of its modular security design.
Ripple CTO David Schwartz called it “way more sophisticated than I expected,” blaming KelpDAO’s laziness in security con
We współpracy z: https://www.cryptonewsz.com/layerzero-kelpdao-config-led-to-the-exploit/
