3Commas Hack

TOTAL LOST $20.0M
High Other

Summarize with AI

ChatGPT Perplexity Claude Grok
Affected Chain 2022 Incident surface
Recovered - No recovery reported
All-Time Rank #229 By amount stolen
Protocol Type Exploit/Other Target category

Incident Overview

Quick Summary

The 3commas crypto API key exploit refers to a security breach that occurred on the 3commas platform in 2022.

Details of the Exploit

The exploit involved hackers using stolen API keys to execute unauthorized trades and steal cryptocurrency from 3commas users. An API key is a secure code that allows one application to access the services or data of another application, and in this case, the hackers were able to use stolen API keys to access and manipulate user accounts on the 3commas platform.

The exact amount of funds stolen is not publicly known, but reports suggest that it was substantial. The 3commas team responded to the exploit by implementing security upgrades and compensating affected users. They also took steps to educate users about the importance of securing their API keys and how to protect themselves from similar attacks in the future. The 3commas crypto API key exploit serves as a reminder of the importance of security in the cryptocurrency world and the need for users to be vigilant in protecting their API keys and other sensitive information.

Incident Report

Protocol / Project 3Commas
Date of Incident
Attack Technique Other
Classification CeFi
Primary Source View Post-Mortem #1 View Post-Mortem #2 View Post-Mortem #3 View Post-Mortem #4

Protocol Information

Protocol Type Exploit/Other
Official Website 3commas.io
Protocol Twitter/X @3commas_io
Team Anonymous
Source Code Unverified

What the Attacker Needed to Succeed

Understanding the prerequisites for this type of attack helps auditors identify protocols that are most at risk and helps developers build better defenses.

Technical Knowledge Deep understanding of other and Solidity and EVM internals
Capital Required Seed capital to cover gas and initial position setup
On-Chain Access Ability to interact with smart contracts and deploy a custom exploit contract
Protocol Analysis Identification of the exploitable vulnerability in 3Commas's contract logic - root cause: cefi
Execution Speed Precise transaction ordering and timing to exploit the vulnerability within a single atomic block
Obfuscation Plan A strategy to launder and move stolen funds - typically through mixers, cross-chain bridges, or decentralized DEX swaps to resist tracing

What Auditors Should Check

Could this have been caught in audit? Likely — with a thorough Other audit checklist and test coverage

If you're auditing a protocol with similar architecture to 3Commas, these are the critical security checks that could have prevented this incident (December 2022).

  • Verify all logic paths related to Other are guarded by proper access controls and input validation
  • Review privileged functions (owner, admin, governance) for potential abuse vectors - centralization risks should be documented and bounded with timelocks or multi-sigs

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