Within hours after its introduction, the NBA playoffs NFT contract was hacked

The NBA’s much anticipated 2022 NFT release was delayed by smart contract hackers, who stole 100 digital photos worth approximately $68,000 only hours after it was introduced.

Non-whitelisted wallets were able to leap ahead in line by collecting valid signatures from whitelisted users when a hacker ran code on their computers.

A total of 18,000 photographs were included in “The Association,” which was launched on April 20 as the official NBA NFT collection for this year’s playoffs season.

On OpenSea, which is the world’s biggest NFT marketplace, more than 3,400 ETH ($10 million) have been traded since the collection’s launch.

NFTs were sold in a “blind mint” by the NBA, which randomised the picture that was shown to the purchaser. The NBA now revealed the NFT images that had been previously hidden (April 22).

The NFTs get their data from oracles called Chainlinks (LINKs), which keep track of each player’s stats. Off-blockchain data is supposed to be interpreted by Chainlink’s oracle network for use on the blockchain.

Players’ playoff performances will have a significant impact on the visuals, so keep an eye on them in the coming weeks. The NBA made improvements based on pre-determined goals that each player could reach on the floor.

Even with $10 billion in yearly income, the NBA was evidently unable to finance adequate code inspections to keep its players secure from hackers.

By paying over $8,000 in gas costs, the assailant was able to rapidly consummate their robbery on Ethereum’s blockchain by minting 100 NFTs. On OpenSea, they instantly put all 100 NFTs up for sale.

Troubleshooting was done by the NBA NFT development team. Smart contracts were blamed for causing the Allowed List to be sold out early.

Some of the stolen NBA NFTs may have been sold, although the exact number is unknown at this time. The NBA wishes to express its sincere apologies to the whitelisted community members whose NFTs were stolen.

For official NFT collecting, the NBA also runs another NFT marketplace called Top Shot on the Flow blockchain. Highlights from basketball games are supported by Top Shot, as well as brief video clips and trade cards. The NBAxNFT Discord channel has more than 58,000 members.

The NFL and UFC, among others, have offered their own NFT collections, but to yet those products haven’t been utilised in the same manner as the ones from these sporting organisations.

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