Israel extradites Nomad exploit suspect after rejecting 'code is law' defense

Israel extradited Alexander Block, an Israeli-Russian citizen formerly known as Alexander Gurevich, to U.S. prosecutors on Thursday to face charges over a $2.8 million exploit of the Nomad crypto bridge. Israel's Supreme Court had ruled that deliberately exploiting a software bug can count as criminal computer intrusion even when the code permits the action, and it denied further appeals. Block was indicted in August 2023 on eight counts including computer fraud, transporting stolen property and money laundering. Prosecutors say a June 2022 update to Nomad's smart contracts, built by Illusory Systems, created the flaw, and that Block's alleged transfers around August 1, 2022 exposed it, prompting others to drain more than $186 million.