DFINITY founder calls for networks to help freeze Bitget hack funds
DFINITY founder Dominic Williams has called for greater cooperation between blockchain networks following the recent Bitget security breach, saying networks should work together to help prevent stolen cryptocurrency from being moved.
Williams made the comments on X in response to the Bitget hack, in which the cryptocurrency exchange initially reported about US$351.6 million in affected assets. The figure was later revised to around US$387.5 million as the investigation identified additional affected assets.
“DFINITY wishes them well,” Williams wrote, adding that networks such as THORChain should help freeze stolen funds.
He also said he would support proposals through the Internet Computer’s Network Nervous System, or NNS, that sought to freeze funds identified as being stolen.
Williams argued that cooperation between different networks could make it harder for attackers to move stolen assets after a breach.
The comments come as Bitget continues efforts to trace and recover funds following the September 24 incident. The exchange said unauthorised transfers were detected from some of its hot wallets and that its cold wallets remained secure. Bitget also said its User Protection Fund would cover the losses.
The response from THORChain highlights the difficulty of selectively freezing cryptocurrency transactions across decentralised networks. Bitget asked THORChain to block addresses associated with the theft, but THORChain rejected selective blacklisting, saying its emergency controls are designed to halt wider network activity rather than freeze individual addresses or transactions.
Despite that position, blockchain monitoring has continued to track movement linked to the stolen assets. CoinDesk reported that a wallet associated with the Bitget attacker moved about US$6.3 million worth of ether through THORChain into bitcoin on September 28.
Bitget has also begun a phased resumption of withdrawals after saying it had patched the vulnerability. The exchange said withdrawals were being restored in stages as individual networks completed security checks.
Williams’ comments put the incident within a wider discussion about how blockchain networks should respond when stolen assets move across different protocols. His proposal points towards greater coordination between networks, while THORChain’s response reflects the tension between intervention and the decentralised design of permissionless systems.
For the Internet Computer, Williams’ comments specifically point to the NNS governance system as a possible mechanism for responding to proposals involving identified stolen funds. His statement was framed as his own position on how the network could respond, rather than an announcement of an existing NNS decision.
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