Crypto Exchange Said "Attack Under Control": The Theft Continued for 4 More Hours

Brazilian exchange Mercado Bitcoin declared an attack “under control” while the thief kept draining customer deposit addresses for roughly four more hours, according to Bitquery’s on-chain review reported by CoinDesk. The attacker targeted deposit addresses rather than the exchange’s main wallets, and the total value of funds taken has not been disclosed in the reporting. The discrepancy matters because it undercuts the exchange’s public timeline and raises questions about how quickly deposit-address sweeps are monitored. Watch for Mercado Bitcoin’s reconciliation of affected balances, any reimbursement plan for users, and whether on-chain analysts trace the stolen funds to specific wallets or bridges.