A popular crypto network paused its entire blockchain after a major theft. On the night of October 18,
2026, the team behind Qubic stopped all mainnet activity. The emergency shutdown happened after a
computer thief drained 1,404 user wallets. In total, the attacker took about 1.3 million dollars worth of
QU tokens.
Qubic is an open blockchain network. It was built for digital artificial intelligence computing. The project
lets computers around the world share power. Users train machine learning models together. The
network uses its own digital coin, called QU. It rewards computer owners. It also pays for network tasks.
Many community members run nodes from home. They earn tokens while helping open science work.
Project leaders quickly looked into the attack. They wanted to see what went wrong. The review showed
that the core blockchain code was not broken. The main ledger operated normally. Instead, the
weakness came from an older software tool. The tool was used to create crypto wallets. The flaw
existed in early versions of the Qubic wallet app. It affected apps built for Apple mobile phones and
computers before July 2025.
In those older apps, the software created secret recovery words that were too easy to guess. A recovery
phrase is a list of secret words. It unlocks a crypto wallet. When a wallet app works well, it picks words
using true random math. But on older Apple devices, the code used weak random math. A clever
attacker figured out the pattern. The thief ran computer scripts to recreate the secret keys. Then the
thief emptied 1,404 user accounts.
To protect other users, Qubic validators voted to halt the network right away. Halting a blockchain stops
all new transactions. This quick move prevented the thief from moving more coins. The team reported
that 87.1 percent of the stolen coins are still trapped inside the network. The attacker was not able to
bridge the stolen funds onto other blockchains like Ethereum or Solana. The funds cannot leave the
chain while validators stay offline.
The Qubic team is now working on an emergency software update. The fix will block the attacker’s
wallet addresses from moving any coins. It will also help affected wallet owners regain control of their
funds. The developers urged all users who created wallets on Apple devices before July 2025 to act.
They must move their funds to brand new addresses. Users must make fresh seed words using updated
software tools.

Network validators are talking through official chat channels. They are testing the patch on test
networks before restarting the mainnet. The team wants to ensure that every node runs the new
security code before transactions start again. Node operators must update their software before joining
the network.
The project leaders also set up a special help channel for victims. Community helpers are guiding
affected users on how to check their wallet balances. They are showing users how to create safe new
accounts on modern devices. The team promised full honesty as the audit continues. They will share
daily news until the network is fully running again.
In addition, security auditors are checking other community tools across the ecosystem. They want to
ensure no other wallet software has similar seed flaws. The developers are also exploring recovery tools
for impacted holders.
This incident highlights a common security risk in the crypto industry. Even when a blockchain’s core
computer code is secure, weak wallet apps can leave doors open for hackers. Security experts remind
crypto users to keep their wallet software updated at all times. Users should also look into hardware
wallets for extra storage safety. Never share secret words with anyone online. Always double-check web
links before typing in private keys.