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CoinBatmi feature visual — market neutral — Blockstream Tells Hackers To Return Remaining Bitcoin Stolen in Liquid Theft
Key Takeaways
Blockstream issued a public ultimatum for the return of remaining Bitcoin drained from its Liquid Network sidechain.
Over 4,000 BTC were initially exploited from the Liquid sidechain by unidentified actors.
The exploiters, identifying as "white hat hackers," seek to retain a portion of the stolen funds as a reward.
Bitcoin trades at $77,376 as of 2026-09-11, showing a 2.90% decline over the past seven days.
The incident highlights ongoing security challenges in sidechain implementations and cross-chain bridges.
Blockstream publicly demanded the return of remaining Bitcoin from exploiters who drained over 4,000 BTC from its Liquid Network sidechain, rejecting claims for a "white hat" reward. This ultimatum anchors a significant dispute over the substantial funds taken from the Bitcoin sidechain.
## Liquid Network Exploit Details The incident involved the compromise of Blockstream's Liquid sidechain, leading to the unauthorized exfiltration of over 4,000 bitcoin. The exploiters have identified themselves as "white hat hackers" and expressed intent to keep a portion of the stolen assets, a position Blockstream disputes.
While specific technical details of the vulnerability were not disclosed, the outcome was the successful transfer of funds.
Blockstream's public demand signals a firm stance against the exploiters' terms, indicating a lack of negotiation regarding a reward. The company is actively pursuing the full recovery of the remaining funds. This event shows persistent security risks associated with sidechains and cross-chain bridges within the broader crypto market.
## Bitcoin Market Reaction Bitcoin (BTC) trades at $77,376 as of 2026-09-11, data. The asset experienced a 2.90% decline over the last seven days, despite a slight 0.19% gain in the past 24 hours. Daily trading volume for BTC stands at $35,293.0 million, contributing to a total market capitalization of $1,554.25 billion.
The broader crypto market shows a 1.93% decrease in total market cap over 24 hours, reaching $2.66 trillion. BTC dominance holds at 58.2% of the total market capitalization.
BTC 7-Day Price Performance
## Sidechain Security Watchpoints The Liquid Network exploit shows the persistent security risks associated with sidechains and cross-chain bridges. Other protocols utilizing similar sidechain architectures will likely review their security postures following this high-profile incident involving a substantial amount of bitcoin.
Watch for any further communication from Blockstream regarding recovery progress or legal actions against the exploiters as the situation develops.
Metric
Value
BTC Price (2026-09-11)
$77,376
BTC 24h Change
+0.19%
BTC 7d Change
-2.90%
BTC 24h Volume
$35,293.0M
BTC Market Cap
$1,554.25B
Frequently Asked Questions
+What is the Liquid Network?
The Liquid Network is a Bitcoin sidechain developed by Blockstream, designed to enable faster, confidential transactions and the issuance of tokenized assets.
+How much Bitcoin was stolen from the Liquid Network?
Over 4,000 bitcoins were initially drained from Blockstream's Liquid Network during the exploit.
+Why is Blockstream demanding the full return of funds?
Blockstream rejects the exploiters' claim to be "white hat hackers" seeking a reward, maintaining that all stolen assets must be returned.
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