Israel sends alleged Nomad bridge exploiter to the US
Alexander Block, accused of taking about $2.8M from the Nomad bridge in 2022, has been extradited to the US after losing his appeals in Israel.
The facts
- According to Decrypt, citing The Jerusalem Post, Israel extradited Alexander Block (formerly Alexander Gurevich) to the US over the alleged theft of about $2.8 million from the Nomad bridge in 2022.
- A US grand jury indicted him in August 2023 on four counts of computer fraud, one of transporting stolen property and three of money laundering. These are allegations, not proven in court.
- Israel's Supreme Court rejected his appeal. It held that exploiting a programming flaw can count as unlawful computer intrusion even if the software technically allowed it.
- Prosecutors allege his exploit exposed the flaw to other users, who then drained more than $186 million from a Nomad-controlled wallet. Nomad recovered about $22 million in the days after the hack.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
For years, the defence in bridge and DeFi exploits has been 'the code let me do it'. Israel's top court has now said that argument does not automatically work. If more courts agree, the line between a clever trade and a crime gets clearer. The court also said public blockchain records do not clear a suspect. A wallet is not a name, and an open ledger does not mean nobody is hiding anything.
For traders
Bridge risk is real and it is not priced into every token. Before moving size across a bridge, check how recently its contracts were updated and whether the team has been audited. Nomad's loss followed a software update that was poorly tested.
For builders
Treat every upgrade as a fresh attack surface and test it as hard as the first launch. Also note the legal signal: a 'bug bounty' offer made after you have already taken funds may be read as extortion, not research. If you find a flaw, report it first.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Decrypt's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.