THORChain (RUNE) Halts Trading After $10M Exploit, Token Drops 13%
Decentralized liquidity protocol THORChain has halted trading following a suspected $10 million exploit flagged by blockchain investigator ZachXBT. The protocol paused all activity for approximately 12 hours after reports surfaced of funds being drained across several blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Base. According to data from Arkham Intelligence, wallets linked to the exploiter held approximately $10.8 million in stolen funds, with transactions spreading across multiple blockchains. The breach was reportedly executed in a series of smaller transfers, with activity ceasing by 10:11 AM UTC on May 15, 2026. Security firm PeckShield corroborated the findings, identifying 36.75 BTC and other assets as part of the exploit. Immediate Fallout: RUNE Token Drops THORChain‘s native token RUNE saw a sharp decline in response to the news, dropping 13% to trade near $0.51 by the end of May 15. CoinGecko data shows the token is now down 72% year-over-year, with the latest exploit adding pressure to its already strained price action. At the time of writing, RUNE’s 24-hour price change stood at -0.08%, reflecting lingering market uncertainty. The exploit has also reignited concerns about THORChains security measures. As a non-custodial cross-chain protocol, THORChain allows users to swap assets across different blockchains, making it a frequent target