Share this article

So Now They’re Hacking DeFi Protocols Before They’ve Even Launched?

When the DeFi degens caught wind of a new pre-release Andre Cronje project they piled in, only to get $16 million hacked away in a flash.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 10:02 a.m. Published Sep 29, 2020, 9:00 p.m.
Breakdown 9.29

When the DeFi degens caught wind of a new pre-release Andre Cronje project they piled in, only to get $16 million hacked away in a flash.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.

This episode is sponsored by Crypto.comBitstamp and Nexo.io.

DeFi is one of the breakout crypto categories of 2020. Indeed, yield farming and the grand game of “money legos” has been so profitable that many are following every new protocol with rapt attention.

This is all the more true for projects graced by YFI creator Andre Cronje. So when word got out about a new, pre-release game economy engine called “Eminence,” the DeFi degens took advantage of the permissionless nature of DeFi to pump $16 million or so into EMN.

What happened next was arguably the first pre-release hack in DeFi’s history. This episode breaks down what happened and what it means for the fledgling field.

See also: The Inevitable Marriage of Yield Farming and NFTs, Explained

For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.

Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.

More For You

Pudgy Penguins: A New Blueprint for Tokenized Culture

Pudgy Title Image

Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.

What to know:

Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.

The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.

More For You

Rollercoaster bitcoin price moves end up liquidating $1.7 billion in bullish crypto bets

(Christian Dubovan/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

More than $1.7 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated in 24 hours as bitcoin fell to $81,000, with long bets accounting for nearly all the damage amid macro jitters and Fed chair speculation.

What to know:

  • More than $1.68 billion in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated in 24 hours, with about 267,000 traders forced out of trades.
  • Long positions accounted for nearly 93 percent of the wipeout, led by roughly $780 million in bitcoin and $414 million in ether liquidations.
  • Analysts say the sell-off was driven less by new bearish sentiment than by overcrowded leverage unwinding, flushing out speculative excess and reducing forced flows in the market.