Staggered Laundering Highlights Sophisticated Crypto Theft

[johnblockbuster]

Attacker laundering funds in batches. Source: PeckShield

The attacker behind the whale wallet hack acted methodically, depositing 1,000 ETH into Tornado Cash on Nov. 4 and continuing with smaller, staged transfers over weeks. Roughly $25M still remains under control. Security experts cite multiple possible attack vectors: malware on the signer’s device, phishing schemes, or poor operational security, like storing keys in plaintext. Hackers exploited weaknesses in wallet configuration, turning what should have been a multisig into a single-point-of-failure, showing how high-value crypto remains vulnerable to sophisticated, patient attackers.