Tether Freezes 181K USDT Linked to Bybit Hack, CEO Confirms

• Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino confirmed freezing 181,000 USDT linked to the Bybit hack, showing quick action against illicit crypto transactions.
• Analysts suggest the Bybit hack, which exploited a cold-to-warm wallet transfer, may be linked to the Lazarus Group.

On February 21, 2025, a big hack targeting the Bybit trading platform stunned the crypto community once more. About 401,000 Ethereum (ETH)—equivalent to $1.5 billion—were pilfered in this incident. Bybit CEO Ben Zhou quickly assured that client assets were safe and withdrawals were still running as usual.

Tether’s Quick Action in Freezing Funds

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino confirmed a few days following the incident that 181,000 USDT allegedly connected to the Bybit breach had been frozen by his company. This step reveals Tether’s fast detection and response capability for suspicious transactions on their network.

JUST IN: TETHER CEO PAOLO ARDOINO CONFIRMS THEY FROZE 181K $USDT CONNECTED TO THE BYBIT HACK

“MIGHT NOT BE MUCH BUT IT’S HONEST WORK”

Source: @paoloardoino pic.twitter.com/iRJStAwexU

— Mario Nawfal’s Roundtable (@RoundtableSpace) February 22, 2025

Behind this decision, though, is an interesting issue to consider: is this action sufficient to lessen the effects of a hack of this scope? With billions of dollars taken overall, freezing 181,000 USDT seems like a drop in the sea. Still, this action is a sign that big cryptocurrency companies are progressively raising their security protocols and reactions to cybercrime.

Hacking Mode: Exploiting Internal Transfer Loopholes

According to analysis done by Arkham Intelligence, this attack happened when Bybit was routinely moving from a cold wallet to a warm wallet. The hackers used this opening to divert funds to an unknown address. Fascinatingly, this kind of situation is not the first one that has occurred in the crypto space.

Many analysts believe this action is the work of the Lazarus Group, a hacker group allegedly connected to North Korea. Particularly in the financial and crypto sectors, they are well-known for having rather advanced techniques in launching cyberattacks.

Bybit Remains Optimistic, Claims User Funds Are Safe

Ben Zhou made sure client funds were not impacted even though this event set the crypto community on alert. Moreover, Bybit underlined that they are ready to pay losses without affecting users, as they have assets of over $20 billion.

But this raises a crucial issue: how safe are the security procedures at other cryptocurrency exchanges if a hack like this could occur on a network the size of Bybit? And is there a long-term fix to stop another like occurrence?

Minimizing Risks: How Ethena Labs Protects USDe Assets

Meanwhile, CNF reports that Ethena Labs ensures that their USDe assets are stored in off-exchange storage solutions like Copper Clearloop, eliminating the risk of direct exposure to trading platforms like Bybit. In this way, they can minimize the risk of losing funds due to a hack targeting the exchange.

Such a plan emphasizes even more the need of diversification and the application of more safe storage technologies. These kinds of steps might become the new benchmark in the crypto sector as cybersecurity concerns grow.

This incident tells us once more that hackers still find easy target in the cryptocurrency space. There is a bright side, though: corporations will start acting sooner the more they understand the need of security.