Gala Games Recovers $23M Stolen By Hacker, Plans Token Buyback Program

In a recent security incident, Gala Games, a Web3 gaming company, fell victim to an exploit that led to the unauthorized minting of 5 billion tokens, equivalent to approximately $214 million. 

The hacker behind the breach subsequently sold 592 million GALA tokens, amounting to $21.8 million in value, as blockchain analysis firm Lookonchain confirmed.

Gala Games responded to the breach, assuring the community via social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the security incident involving the GALA token had been contained and that the affected wallet had been frozen. 

The company acknowledged the isolated nature of the incident and stated that it had addressed the cause while collaborating closely with law enforcement agencies to investigate the individuals responsible for the breach.

Eric Schiermeyer, CEO of Gala Games, expressed his regret over the incident, referencing his previous stance on projects experiencing hacks. 

Schiermeyer disclosed that the breach led to the unauthorized sale of 600 million GALA tokens, equivalent to $21 million, and the subsequent burning of 4.4 billion tokens. Within 45 minutes, Gala Games identified the compromise and effectively secured and removed unauthorized access to the GALA contract.

Reassuring stakeholders, Schiermeyer emphasized that the Ethereum (ETH) contract for GALA remained secure and protected by a multi-signature (multi-sig) wallet, with no compromise detected. 

Acknowledging internal control shortcomings, Schiermeyer also admitted responsibility for the incident and outlined the steps being taken to prevent its recurrence.

Gala Games expressed confidence in identifying the culprit behind the breach. They confirmed active collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and a network of international authorities to ensure appropriate legal actions are pursued.

The incident raised concerns regarding the project’s daily distribution, prompting Gala Games to propose a node vote to address the issue. As per their community-driven approach, the decision on how to proceed will be determined by the community itself.

In response to the incident, DFW Labs, a Web3 investor and market maker, took action to alleviate selling pressure in the market. They purchased 28 million GALA tokens from the open market to stabilize the value of the token, which had fallen to $0.037 on Monday following the exploit. 

However, with the investment from DFW Labs, the token rebounded to its current trading price of $0.0431, representing a loss of 7.8% in the last 24 hours. 

Ultimately, Gala Games assured the public that the issue had been contained, with all contracts being secured and increased safeguards being implemented to prevent future occurrences.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com