Boltz halts Bitcoin swap service after AI-driven attacks
Security & Exploits ·
The non-custodial Bitcoin bridge suspended swaps indefinitely after attackers using AI-assisted methods outpaced the team's ability to patch its defenses.
Boltz, a non-custodial Bitcoin swap service used by wallets including Aqua and Bull Bitcoin, has stopped processing swaps with no restart date given. The service said AI-assisted attacks moved faster than its security team could apply fixes, according to The Defiant. The shutdown removes a swap layer that Aqua and Bull Bitcoin wallets had relied on for non-custodial exchange functions.
The halt lands alongside a separate $114M Coldcard exploit, though the two incidents involve different products and no direct technical link between them has been detailed in available reporting. Two sources have covered the Boltz suspension, with one describing it as a Bitcoin bridge and another as a non-custodial Bitcoin swap service, both citing AI-assisted attacks as the reason patching efforts could not keep pace.
Boltz has not disclosed what specifically was exploited, how much user or protocol value was affected, or a timeline for resuming operations. There is also no confirmation yet of whether Aqua or Bull Bitcoin users experienced direct losses or simply lost access to swap functionality while the service is offline.
What remains unresolved is the scope of the AI-assisted attacks themselves — whether they targeted smart contract logic, infrastructure, or another attack surface — and whether other non-custodial swap providers face similar exposure. Watch for a technical postmortem from Boltz and any statements from Aqua or Bull Bitcoin on how the suspension affects their users in the near term.