Cetus Protocol Suspends Smart Contract After Major Security Breach – Coincu

Key Points:

  • Cetus Protocol paused operations after a security breach.
  • Estimated $150–160 million in assets frozen.
  • Community reactions focus on DEX vulnerabilities and recovery efforts.

Cetus Protocol, the largest decentralized exchange on the Sui Network, temporarily paused its smart contract following a substantial security incident. Reports indicate the exploit’s magnitude between $200 million and $260 million.

The breach highlights vulnerabilities in DEX pool mechanics, with attackers employing spoof tokens to drain funds. Current estimates suggest $150–160 million of the stolen funds were frozen, promising partial restitution.

Token Stability and Future Security Measures in Focus

An incident involving Cetus Protocol resulted in the temporary suspension of its smart contract due to detected security vulnerabilities. The attack involved the misuse of “spoof tokens,” which permitted substantial fund extraction from various liquidity pools. The action led to the immobilization of the protocol.

The consequences are significant, with the total value locked (TVL) expected to have decreased by over 90%, creating concerns over the stability of affected tokens. The presence of frozen funds suggests potential recovery, although trading suspensions are in place to safeguard assets.

“Of the estimated $220M–$230M stolen, around $150M–$160M have been frozen and will be restored to Cetus pools soon.” – Eman Abio, CPO, Sui Network

Market Data and Future Insights

Did you know? Economic design flaws, such as those in the Cetus incident, are increasingly prevalent in DeFi, echoing historical attacks on platforms like Mango Markets.

Sui (SUI) currently trades at $3.85, with a market cap of formatNumber(12855698447, 2) and dominance at 0.37%. Over recent periods, the price has seen a 30-day increase of 46.10%, per CoinMarketCap. The 24-hour trading volume is formatNumber(3496093013, 2), indicating a surge in recent activity yet marred by modest declines over 24 hours and 7 days.

sui-daily-chart-23sui-daily-chart-23

Sui(SUI), daily chart, screenshot on CoinMarketCap at 22:22 UTC on May 22, 2025. Source: CoinMarketCap

Coincu research identifies potential shifts in regulatory landscapes and DEX architectures. Experts emphasize enhanced validation protocols and examine economic incentives as crucial defense mechanisms against such cyber manipulation.

Source: https://coincu.com/339190-cetus-protocol-contract-suspension/