Crypto Whale Loses $6 Million in Phishing Attack Targeting staked Ethereum
- A crypto whale lost over $6 million in staked Ethereum (stETH) and Aave-wrapped Bitcoin (aEthWBTC) on September 18.
- The loss occurred after the victim approved malicious “Permit” signatures, which appeared as routine wallet confirmations.
- The transaction did not require gas fees, leading the victim to unknowingly authorize the transfer of funds.
- In August alone, phishing attacks resulted in losses of $12.17 million from over 15,200 victims, a significant increase of 72% from July.
- Three large accounts accounted for nearly half of August’s total losses, including one wallet that lost $3.08 million in a single exploit.
This incident underscores a growing trend of phishing schemes exploiting DeFi vulnerabilities through permit approvals, which allow attackers to drain assets without immediate detection.
The recent theft highlights the risks associated with unchecked wallet permissions, as demonstrated by the loss of $6.28 million due to a seemingly harmless transaction request.
