DeFi protocol Ether.fi said it has temporarily paused LayerZero cross-chain transfers for weETH and eETH while the industry investigates the root cause of the Kelp rsETH incident. The project also paused Teller contracts tied to Liquid (ETH, BTC, USD), sETHFI and eBTC to stop LayerZero OFT cross-chain transfers, and has suspended deposit and withdrawal functions for those products. Ether.fi added that its Liquid Vaults are not directly exposed to Kelp rsETH and that it is working closely with security partners. The team said further updates will follow.

Huo Xing Finance reported that on April 19, citing on-chain analyst Yujin, KelpDAO was exploited in the early hours of the day. The attacker allegedly minted 116,500 rsETH through a vulnerability, causing losses estimated at about $293 million. Most of the rsETH was then deposited into Aave as collateral to borrow ETH, with a smaller portion swapped directly for ETH. Combined, the collateralized borrowing and spot sales yielded 106,466 ETH for the attacker, worth roughly $250 million.

RAVE's token price plunged 88% over the past 24 hours after ZachXBT, Binance, Bitget and others issued updates referencing investigations involving the project. Liquidations totaled about $43.68 million during the same period.

ChainCatcher reports that Elon Musk has agreed to make "ASTEROID" a SpaceX mascot after responding "Ok" to a question raised by the late Liv Perrotto about adopting her design. The update sparked a sharp rally in the Ethereum-based meme coin ASTEROID, launched in September 2024. The token briefly pushed its market capitalization above $160 million and was last around $116 million, with a 24-hour gain of more than 500% and 24-hour trading volume topping $77 million. Liv Perrotto, 15, had hoped to meet Musk before she died of cancer and prepared a list of questions she wanted to ask. She previously helped design a zero-gravity toy called "Asteroid", shaped like a Shiba Inu. After her death, her mother publicly appealed to Musk to honor Liv's wish by making Asteroid SpaceX's official mascot. Musk had earlier replied, "I'll get back to you soon."

ASTEROID, an Ethereum-based meme coin launched in September 2024, briefly climbed above a $160 million market capitalization after reports that Elon Musk agreed to make "Asteroid" the mascot of SpaceX. Based on GMGN pricing data, the token is now valued at about $114 million. ASTEROID has surged 519% over the past 24 hours, with trading volume reaching $77.4 million.

ChainCatcher reports, citing British sources, that vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz stalled again on the evening of the 18th after radio warnings said Iran's armed forces had resumed "strict management and control" of the waterway. Multiple ships operating in the area received the alerts, which were later confirmed. Also on the 18th, UK maritime security firm Pioneer Technologies said three vessels were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz—an oil tanker, a cruise ship and a container ship. The report said two of the vessels were directly warned and fired upon by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The container ship, about 25 nautical miles northeast of Oman, was hit by unidentified projectiles, damaging some containers.

Huo Xing Finance reported that on April 19, onchain analyst Aunt Ai (@ai_9684xtpa) said Justin Sun withdrew 53,665 ETH from Aave about five hours earlier, worth roughly $126 million. The ETH has remained in his wallet with no further transfers observed.

ChainCatcher reported, citing on-chain analyst @ai_9684xtpa, that Sun Zhengchen withdrew 53,665 ETH from Aave about five hours ago, worth roughly $126 million. The ETH remains in his wallet and has not been moved onward.

Aave has frozen the rsETH markets on Aave V3 and V4 following the Kelp DAO incident, making the asset temporarily unavailable for lending. The protocol said Aave V3 and V4 no longer hold any rsETH. Aave stressed that its own contracts were not compromised and that the issue is isolated to rsETH, after a bridge vulnerability in Kelp DAO's rsETH was exploited. The freeze is intended to block new rsETH deposits and collateral-backed borrowing while the situation is assessed. The team is reviewing all rsETH borrowing activity on Aave tied to the exploit and said it will provide updates as soon as possible. If the incident results in bad debt for the protocol, Aave said it will consider options to cover any losses. Earlier reports said Kelp DAO's cross-chain bridge was compromised, leading to the transfer of about $292 million in rsETH. (Source: PANews)