# Hacker Moves $270M Stolen Crypto to Tornado Cash

> Hacker behind $270m crypto theft shifts funds to Tornado Cash mixer, raising recovery questions.
- Title: Hacker Moves $270M Stolen Crypto to Tornado Cash | Shortify
- Summary: Hacker behind $270m crypto theft shifts funds to Tornado Cash mixer, raising recovery questions. A hacker who stole $270 million from Drift Protocol is…
- Keywords: drift protocol, tornado cash, eth, crypto theft, north korean hackers, unc4736, eth recovery, solana, Hacker, Moves, 270M, Stolen
- Source: 24/7 Wall St. — https://247wallst.com/investing/cryptocurrency/2026/10/20/a-hacker-who-stole-270-million-is-moving-it-into-tornado-cash-can-stolen-crypto-ever-be-recovered
- Author: Sam Daodu
- Published: 2026-10-20T15:30:05+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: drift protocol, tornado cash, eth, crypto theft, north korean hackers, unc4736, eth recovery, solana
## Hacker Moves Stolen Funds
The hacker behind the $270 million theft from Drift Protocol sent 25,700 ETH to Tornado Cash after two months of silence.
## Tornado Cash Mixes Funds
Tornado Cash is a crypto mixer that blends users’ coins together, making it hard to trace which coins belong to whom.
## Hacker Holds $195M ETH
The hacker still holds 81,864 ETH, worth about $195 million at current prices, suggesting this could be the start of a larger laundering effort.
## North Korean Hackers Spent Six Months
North Korean intelligence conducted a six-month operation using social engineering tactics to exploit Drift Protocol.
## Drift Exploit Details
Attackers exploited Drift’s zero-timelock Security Council migration, compromising contributors’ devices to gain multisig wallet approvals.
## ETH Price Drops
Ethereum dropped 1.7% in the last 24 hours and 9.5% over the past month, with Bitcoin falling 1.1% to $81,425.
## Recovery Methods
Stolen crypto could be recovered through stablecoin freezes, exchange blocks, law enforcement seizures, or negotiated returns.
## Tornado Cash Blocks Recovery
ETH that goes through Tornado Cash often evades recovery methods due to lack of central issuer and obscured coin links.
## Hacker’s Next Move
The hacker’s remaining ETH is likely to follow the pattern of moving through Tornado Cash, with recovery dependent on a mistake at a regulated exchange.
## Market Reaction
Traders are treating the hack as a non-event if ETH stays above $2,370, but could face pressure if ETH breaks below that level.
## Key takeaway

A hacker who stole $270 million from Drift Protocol is moving stolen Ethereum to Tornado Cash, making recovery nearly impossible due to blockchain mixing.