ChainBleedv0.1 · open intel
← back to feed·PRIVATE-KEY2021-08-12 · 4y ago
Incident · SLOWMIST

DAO Maker

Private Key Leaked
Estimated loss
$7.00M
VERDICT —OUT OF SCOPE
Root cause is private-key / signer compromise — the on-chain contract behaved exactly as written. No pre-deployment source audit or bytecode review reaches the key-custody perimeter; this is operational-security territory (HSM/MPC hygiene, key rotation, hot-wallet isolation). Bytecode would show nothing wrong.
▰ METHOD
PRIVATE KEY
PRIVATE-KEY
Root cause

Root-cause analysis not yet published. The incident description below contains all currently available signal — review the attack transaction directly for definitive forensics.

▰ PROOF OF CONCEPT
DEFIHACKLABS
src/test/2021-09/DaoMaker_exp.sol
view forked test on github ↗

Reproducible Foundry test fork from SunWeb3Sec/DeFiHackLabs. Clone the repo, run forge test against the file path above, and replay the exploit against a mainnet fork at the historical block. Use for reproduction only — not for live targets.

Forensic narrative

DAO Maker issued an announcement stating that at around 1:00 UTC on August 12th, hackers maliciously used a DAO Maker wallet and obtained administrator rights. After initially testing this vulnerability and successfully stealing 10,000 USDC, the cybercriminal made another 15 transactions quietly. In this way, hackers embezzled approximately $7 million before the security team was able to track, control, and prevent the outflow of funds. A total of 5,251 users were affected, and each user lost an average of $1250. Fortunately, users who hold up to $900 in funds are not affected at all. Attack method (per SlowMist): Private Key Leaked. Reported loss: $ 7,000,000.

Primary source
https://www.newsweek.com/dao-maker-hack-7m-stolen-defi-heist-1618785
Sourced from
slowmist
Technical record
chain
protocol
DAO Maker
bug_class
private-key
date_occurred
2021-08-12
loss_usd
$7,000,000
source_id
sm:dao-maker::2021-08-12
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