Hyperbridge breach triggers Polkadot selloff; $DOT slides 5% as attacker mints 1B fake tokens on Ethereum

Polkadot's $DOT briefly fell about 5% as traders reacted to an exploit involving Hyperbridge, a gateway used for bridged assets. The attacker allegedly forged cross-chain messages, seized an Ethereum-based $DOT admin role, minted 1 billion counterfeit $DOT, then sold the entire amount for roughly 108 ETH, netting an estimated $237,000. Polkadot's native chain was not compromised. The incident is reported to be confined to bridged tokens issued on Ethereum.