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Arbitrage Attack

Definition

An arbitrage attack involves exploiting price differences across various markets or protocols to generate profit, often by manipulating market conditions within a single transaction or block. In decentralized finance (DeFi), this typically occurs when an attacker uses flash loans to borrow substantial capital without collateral. They then execute a sequence of trades that alter asset prices, repaying the loan while retaining the gains. Such attacks capitalize on vulnerabilities in smart contract logic or oracle mechanisms, moving beyond simple market inefficiencies.