OKX Halts DEX Aggregator Amid North Korean Hacker Threats

The OKX cryptocurrency exchange has halted the operations of its decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator to prevent further «abuse» from the North Korean hacking group Lazarus.

The exchange announced, «We are temporarily suspending our DEX aggregator to rectify incomplete tagging seen on blockchain explorers while implementing new security features. This decision comes in light of recent coordinated attacks by media, along with the Lazarus group’s failed attempts to exploit our DeFi services.»

This measure was taken after discussions with regulatory authorities, the company stated.

“Recently, we found organized efforts from the Lazarus group aimed at misusing our DeFi services,” OKX explained.

The DEX aggregator will remain offline for internal assessments and updates, as detailed by the exchange’s support team. The platform has not specified when operations will resume.

Meanwhile, OKX’s cryptocurrency wallets will continue to function normally, although the creation of new addresses has been temporarily suspended in certain regions.

Previously, EU financial regulators initiated an investigation into the OKX Web3 platform, which provides access to the DEX aggregator and a non-custodial wallet. According to Bloomberg, the platform was allegedly used for laundering assets stolen from Bybit.

“In recent days, we have faced targeted media attacks questioning our integrity and operations,” the company noted on its blog.

OKX CEO Star Xu mentioned that the exchange has implemented a real-time tracking and blocking system for hacker addresses, as well as restricted access to the aggregator from specific regions.

«We have already put in place numerous controls for OKX Web3 to combat misuse, including blocking IPs from prohibited markets and establishing a real-time detection and blocking system for blacklisted addresses. We will continue to work diligently to develop industry control standards alongside our global partners.»

He emphasized that the aggregator does not hold users’ assets but simply provides access to liquidity across various protocols. Xu also mentioned that the company will consistently enhance its security measures.

As a reminder, in February, OKX admitted to violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws and agreed to pay over $504 million in fines and restitution.