Liquid Network Hacker Holds 598.5 BTC as Channel Suspension Reaches Day 11

The actor behind the Liquid Network exploit reportedly retains 598.5 BTC as the L-BTC-to-Bitcoin conversion channel enters its 11th consecutive day of suspension, with Blockstream having declined to pay a ransom demand even as roughly 3,400 BTC was reportedly recovered following a patch to the underlying vulnerability. Reported 598.5 BTC Balance and What Is Confirmed Per CryptoDaily reporting, exploit actors returned approximately 3,400 BTC after a patch was deployed to the Liquid Network, but a residual balance of 598.5 BTC reportedly remains under the attacker's control as of the time of writing. That figure should be treated as reported, not independently verified on-chain, as the available evidence does not supply a block explorer transaction hash or wallet address confirming the current holding. For related coverage, see DeFi Development Corp Launches Solana-Backed Preferred Stock CHAD. Blockstream, the company that maintains the Liquid Network sidechain, refused to pay a ransom associated with the exploit, according to CoinMarketCap Academy. The refusal mirrors the posture taken by several protocol operators in prior incidents, including the Wormhole Network exploiter, where funds remained under attacker control for an extended period after the initial breach. Blockonomi reported that the exploit was linked to a bug that put roughly $400 million at risk before the vulnerability was patched and the majority of funds were returned. Neither the 598.5 BTC remainder nor the broader 3,400 BTC recovery figure has been confirmed via a signed Blockstream statement or auditable on-chain record in the sources reviewed. For related coverage, see MoonPay Adds $1.2B WTGXX Tokenized Fund to Stablecoin Reserve. L-BTC-to-Bitcoin Channel Suspension Enters Day 11 The L-BTC-to-Bitcoin conversion route, the primary path users rely on to redeem Liquid Bitcoin back to native BTC on the main chain, has been suspended for 11 days as of this report's framing. No confirmed operator statement on a restoration timeline has been supplied in the available evidence, and the cause of the suspension beyond its connection to the broader exploit has not been independently confirmed in the sources reviewed. For related coverage, see AML RightSource Recognized with CobraSight Award for Digital Asset Compliance Expertise. For L-BTC holders, the practical effect is that the standard redemption mechanism is unavailable. Secondary market routes may exist, but any discount or premium on L-BTC relative to BTC during the suspension period is not documented in the current evidence base. In a comparable pattern, the AFX Trade hacker's cross-chain swap via THORChain illustrated how attackers use alternative routing when primary channels are under scrutiny. Key Questions Without Confirmed Answers Three variables remain unresolved based on the available evidence. First, whether the 598.5 BTC balance has moved since the reports were filed is unknown; no block explorer data was supplied to track wallet activity.