Imagine owning 100 ETH but being unable to access it—a forgotten multichain vulnerability turned this fortune into dust, only to be miraculously recovered hours later. This incident involving Safe's multisig wallet not only highlights the risks of early contract designs unprepared for multichain environments but also showcases the power of white hat teams pulling users back from the brink.
The One-Click Nightmare: How an Old Safe Version Caused a Cross-Chain Crisis
Yesterday, crypto user @khalo_0x shared his ordeal: while using Safe's official cross-chain bridge to transfer 100 ETH from Ethereum to Base, he discovered he couldn't control the funds at the destination address. Despite the identical address, the Safe wallet on Base belonged to a completely different set of signers.
Safe's Lukas Schor explained that the root cause traced back to Khalo's Safe smart wallet version (v1.1.1), deployed in 2020. This version lacked multichain compatibility, allowing anyone to deploy their own Safe contract at the same address on other chains—enabling front-running deployments and potential fund hijacking.
The White Hat Savior: Protofire's Stealthy Protection of User Funds
As Khalo sought help, Schor and engineer tschubotz.eth discovered that the address had been preemptively deployed by white hat team Protofire. They'd identified the multichain risk in older Safe versions and proactively deployed hundreds of legacy Safe addresses on Base to prevent black hat exploits.
After verification, Protofire returned Khalo's 100 ETH in full—a rare "perfect reversal" in crypto security history and a testament to the white hat ecosystem's critical role.
Lessons from Bybit: Safe's Security Mechanisms Under Scrutiny
Schor stressed this was an edge case caused by outdated versions lacking multichain protections. Current versions enforce consistency, and Safe's LIFI Protocol-based bridge tool now warns users if destination-chain code exists with mismatched signer settings.
This follows January's Bybit hack, where attackers compromised $1.5B by infiltrating a Safe developer's device—a reminder of the core security challenges facing smart wallets.
👉 Learn how to secure your multichain assets
Key Takeaways for the Multichain Future
Dragonfly's Hosseeb called this "one of crypto's most thrilling recent stories," emphasizing that hope lies not in eliminating risk but in communities choosing to act ethically.
Three critical lessons emerged:
- Self-custody risks escalate with multichain complexity—UX flaws can undo years of caution.
- Proactive white hats are essential—Protofire's intervention saved millions.
- Protocols need built-in fail-safes—better warnings and deployment logic are crucial.
As Khalo noted: "After eight years avoiding scams, I lost to a UX bug." This isn't isolated—it's a growing pain of multichain adoption. Only through robust design, early-warning systems, and more Protofire-like heroes can we build a safer crypto world.
FAQs
Q: How can I check if my Safe wallet is multichain-compatible?
A: Verify your Safe version at app.safe.global. Versions post-2023 inherently support multichain consistency.
Q: What should I do before cross-chain transfers?
A: Always confirm destination-chain contract ownership using block explorers like Etherscan.
👉 Explore secure multichain tools
Q: How common are such white hat rescues?
A: Rare but growing—teams like Protofire and Immunefi actively monitor for vulnerabilities to preempt exploits.
Q: Can legacy Safe wallets be upgraded?
A: Yes, but funds must be migrated manually—contact Safe's support for guidance.