The cross-chain protocol NEAR Intents has recovered approximately $3.8 million in USDT following a security breach. The funds were drained from a treasury contract on the BNB Chain between September 30 and October 1, 2026, through multiple withdrawals totaling around $3.87 million.
The protocol's SHIELD AI security layer detected the unauthorized activity, allowing the team to patch the vulnerability within one hour. General Manager Alex Shevchenko identified the suspected exploiter and issued a 48-hour ultimatum on October 2, providing specific return addresses for BTC, EVM, and Solana networks.
The suspected entity returned the full amount, and the company officially closed its investigation on October 4. During the incident, deposits and withdrawals across 11 networks, including BSC and Polygon, were paused for approximately 12 hours to facilitate infrastructure repairs. The protocol has committed to compensating affected users.
Prior to this incident, NEAR Intents had blocked transfers related to a separate hack of the Bitget exchange. The protocol reportedly prevented nearly $50 million in illicit transfers and froze $503,000 in attempted transactions during that event.
