Hacker Shuffles $323 Million in Ethereum, Raises Money Laundering Concerns

• The address linked to the theft of $323 million worth of Ethereum (ETH) from Wormhole began shuffling assets.
• The hacker transferred the funds onto a decentralized exchange (DEX) and then cycled funds around different DeFi protocols.
• The hacker swapped 95,630 ETH ($157.2 million) into staked ether (stETH) through OpenOcean, the famous decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator.

The address linked to the theft of a whopping $323 million worth of Ethereum (ETH) from Wormhole has recently shown signs of activity, according to records on Etherscan. The news about the activity on the cross-chain protocol was first brought to light by Twitter user @Spreekaway on Monday, January 23.

Wormhole is a communication bridge that links Solana to other Decentralized Finance (DeFi) blockchain networks. The theft occurred back in 2022 and is considered to be one of the biggest of its kind. Fortunately, the losses were refunded by the crypto division of trading giant Jump, which is a major force behind Wormhole.

When the activity on the address related to the theft began, it looked like the hacker was consolidating Ether before making a colossal swap for 95,630 ETH ($157.2 million) into the staked ether (stETH) through OpenOcean, the popular decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator. After that, the hacker swapped the stETH for 86,473 wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) using the decentralized exchange Uniswap.

The threat actor then proceeded to move the WBTC to the decentralized trading platform Kyber Network, where he swapped it for USDC and then transferred the USDC to MakerDAO’s decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The hacker then used the USDC to take out a loan of $12.7 million in DAI.

Given the sophisticated nature of the hacker’s movements, it is likely that he is using the funds to launder his ill-gotten gains. It is also possible that he is attempting to remain anonymous by swapping between different assets and protocols.

The hacker’s actions are of grave concern as it could lead to a significant increase in the already high levels of money laundering taking place in the crypto space. It is therefore important for users to remain vigilant and take the necessary precautions to protect their funds from being stolen. Moreover, the industry must continue to work together to identify and stop this kind of criminal activity.

Gala Price Surges 6.6%: Can Buyers Break 200-Day EMA and Reach $0.1?

• Gala price has increased by 6.6% over the last 24 hours, after being lifted by a partnership with Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) earlier this month.
• The 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) has been holding the ground at $0.05236, preventing Gala price from reaching a new 2023 high.
• A daily close above the 200-day EMA is required to ensure the continuation of the uptrend, first to $0.07 and then above $0.10.

Gala Games‘ play-to-earn (P2E) blockchain token, Gala price, has been one of the best-performing tokens in 2023, with gains exceeding 180% in 30 days. With the rise of new blockchain gaming platforms such as Meta Masters Guild (MEMAG) and Calvaria (RIA), gamers are on the lookout for blockchain games that are actually enjoyable to play. This, in turn, has sparked an increased interest in the crypto economy, which has pushed Gala price up by 6.6% in the last 24 hours.

The rally was initially ignited by the partnership between Gala Games and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) earlier this month, which pushed Gala price above $0.04. The bulls‘ aggressiveness extended the leg even further, allowing it to break the critical resistance highlighted by the lower yellow band on the daily time frame chart. Although the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) (in purple), which is holding the ground at $0.05236, has put a cap on the movement to the upside, Gala price still managed to tag a new 2023 high at $0.0566 before retracing to trade at $0.0527 at the time of writing.

This brings us to the question; is Gala price ready to pick up the pace to $0.1? To ensure the continuation of the uptrend, a daily close above the 200-day EMA is required. If this occurs, it could provide the much-needed momentum for the token to reach $0.07, and then eventually stretch the bullish leg above $0.10.

However, it is important to note that the selling pressure from the 200-day EMA is likely to be strong, and therefore, the buyers will have to be extra aggressive to break through. If the buyers pull this off, then the next major resistance will be at the upper yellow band, which is currently sitting at $0.0633.

In conclusion, the performance of Gala price in the coming days will depend on the ability of the buyers to break through the 200-day EMA and push the token to higher levels. If successful, the token could pick up the pace to $0.1 in the coming weeks.