HTX Global hacked for $8 million, Justin Sun communicates calm and offers employment for hacker

• HTX Global was hacked for 5,000 ETH on September 24, worth approximately $8 million.
• The exchange has successfully covered the losses incurred, with customers’ accounts made whole.
• The exploiter has been identified and offered a 5% white hat bonus, valid for 7 days before law enforcement involvement.  
• Meanwhile, platform advisor Justin Sun says $8 million is nothing compared to the $8 billion in customer assets on the platform.

HTX Global, formerly Huobi Global, is the latest hacking victim after an exploit on Sunday, September 24. The attack saw the platform lose up to 5,000 ETH, worth approximately $8 million at prevailing rates. Recent revelations by the exchange’s advisor and Tron founder Justin Sun indicate that the losses have been covered, with all issues resolved and assured of customer funds’ safety.

Also Read: Justin Sun of Tron contemplates an offer for FTX's holding tokens as crypto markets bend to FUD

HTX Global hacked but Justin Sun maintains composure

HTX Global lost approximately 5,000 ETH in a Sunday attack, with revelations by Justin Sun that the loss has been covered. The bad actor’s wallet address has been discovered (here), with a 5% ($400,000) white hat bonus on the table valid for seven days. More interestingly, Sun says that if the exploiter returns the funds, they will get a job on the platform as a “security white hat advisor for HTX.”

Nevertheless, failure to return the funds within the provided period will warrant the involvement of law enforcement.

The attack was detected at approximately 6PM SGT (10 AM GMT), with the exchange responding almost immediately to manage the situation. Accordingly, all funds were made secure, and trading operations have continued as usual. Sun indicates that they addressed and resolved all issues promptly, restoring the platform to its normal state immediately.

HTX Global makes $8 million in weekly revenue

Further, Justin Sun indicated that $8 million was nothing compared to what the exchange holds in customer assets, adding that the loss accounted for a mere two weeks of revenue for HTX Global.

With Sun brushing off the exploit with an employment invitation, onlookers show interest in seeing how or whether the platform will be able to sustain normal operations following the attack.

Meanwhile, blockchain security firm PeckShield has corroborated the announcement, indicating a list of top 10 hacks in the first nine months of 2025. At the helm is Mixin Network, which lost up to $200 million in an exploit on its cloud service.

Mixin Network, a decentralized crypto network based in Hong Kong, halted operations (deposit and withdrawals) after the attack. Notably, part of the network’s capital came from renowned Chinese Key Opinion leader Li Xiaolai, who has endorsed and invested in the platform several times before. The attack has raised concerns over the reliance of the network on a centralized database.

Binance CEO has raised concerns over the incident, saying, "a decentralized peer-to-peer network had a database, which when hacked, can lose half of the users' assets...”

The attack comes as Hong Kong positions itself as a hub for crypto in Asia, and could pose as a dent for this vision. Head of blockchain and cryptocurrency research at Daiwa Capital Markets, bears the same thought, saying, “I think this scandal will have a pretty sizeable negative impact on retail sentiment.” His statement comes as the incident bears a significant local presence with key personalities involved, including Xiaolai. 

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