Blockstream Refuses Ransom as Liquid Hackers Hold Nearly 600 BTC

Blockstream's refusal to pay is the notable choice here: it converts a theft into a prolonged recovery effort rather than a quick, quiet settlement, and it puts exchanges and forensic firms at the center of the outcome. Because the assets sit on Liquid, a federated sidechain whose trust model already draws scrutiny, the incident lands hardest on projects and users weighing that trade-off. Whether the attackers move the coins toward a monitored venue, and how quickly exchanges act on tracing, is the open question.