THEO bridge exploit: three audits, $1.76M stolen anyway

On October 13, 2026, an exploit on Autheo's Hyperlane-based bridge minted 19 million unauthorized THEO tokens on Base, sending the price down 92% from about $0.08 to $0.006. The tokens were swapped for roughly 700.8 ETH (~$1.76 million). The project had passed audits by Halborn, CertiK and Avelar Labs, but bridge infrastructure fell outside their scope.

• 19M unauthorized THEO tokens minted on Base on October 13, 2026
• THEO price fell 92% in 24 hours, from $0.08 to $0.006
• Stolen tokens swapped for ~700.8 ETH, about $1.76 million
• Halborn, CertiK and Avelar Labs audits did not cover the Hyperlane bridge