Polymarket temporarily suspends trading on international platform due to security incident

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1. 2h ago

   Polymarket Halts International Trading Following Security Incident

   Prediction market platform Polymarket temporarily suspended trading on its international exchange after a security breach affected a third-party provider and led to stolen user funds. The platform halted activity for about an hour after hackers distributed a cryptocurrency-draining script through an outside vendor. Impacted users will be made whole by the company, according to reports. The incident affected the international crypto-based site and not the federally regulated Polymarket US exchange.

   Why it matters

   Prediction markets have drawn intense scrutiny recently over vulnerabilities, insider trading allegations, and regulatory pressures involving state gambling laws. Security breaches targeting third-party vendors remain a persistent vector for attacks against cryptocurrency platforms. Investigations into the exact scope of the compromise and the total financial losses are ongoing.

   What is confirmed

   • Polymarket temporarily suspended trading on its international platform on Thursday due to a security incident involving a third-party provider.
   • The security incident was linked to a performance-monitoring tool or software vendor.
   • Polymarket stated that impacted users will be made whole.
   • Trading was paused for about an hour.
   • The federally regulated Polymarket US exchange was not affected by the incident.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The incident originated with UK-based web performance monitoring firm and Polymarket vendor DebugBear.
   • Stolen user funds amounted to approximately $1.4 million to $2.65 million, with some assets traced to a suspected attacker wallet.

   What to watch next

   • Official confirmation of the final total of stolen user funds and the identity of the third-party vendor
   • Updates from authorities regarding the recovery of assets and the referral to U.K. authorities
   • Implementation of additional security measures by Polymarket to prevent future third-party script compromises
   Sources used for this update (20)

   1. www.theguardian.com — AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton: ‘We’re creating alien beings. I’m willing to be selfish and choose humans’ | Donald Trump
   2. www.coinlive.com — Anthropic Wants Users To Stop Bullying Claude — But Who Protects The Users?
   3. CNBC — Some Polymarket user funds stolen by hackers, exchange referring matter to U.K. authorities
   4. NBC News — Polymarket trading halted after vendor compromise; impacted users will be ‘made whole’
   5. Reuters — Polymarket halts trading on international platform after third-party provider compromised
   6. Bloomberg.com — Polymarket Trading Halted After Reports of Stolen Funds
   7. WIRED — Polymarket Halted International Trading After Hackers Drained Accounts
   8. Yahoo Finance — Polymarket Halts Trading as Users Report $1.4 Million Drained
   9. The Washington Post — Polymarket pauses international trading after outside vendor’s security issue
   10. The Guardian — Polymarket temporarily suspends trading on international platform due to security incident
   11. WSJ — Hackers Swipe Millions From Polymarket Users in Latest Security Breach
   12. WSJ — The Morning Risk Report: Binance and Polymarket Suspend Trading After Hacks
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