Definition ∞ Gas fee exploitation refers to malicious or opportunistic practices that manipulate transaction fees on a blockchain network for unfair gain. This can involve front-running legitimate transactions by submitting a higher-fee transaction to ensure it is processed first, or sandwich attacks where an attacker places their transactions before and after a target transaction to profit from price differences. Such exploitation disproportionately affects smaller users and can lead to increased transaction costs and reduced network fairness. It often leverages knowledge of pending transactions in the mempool.
Context ∞ Gas fee exploitation, particularly Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) activities, remains a significant concern in proof-of-stake blockchains like Ethereum. Developers and researchers are actively working on solutions, including protocol-level changes and specialized transaction ordering mechanisms, to mitigate these exploitative practices. The ongoing discussion involves balancing the incentives for network participants with the need to ensure a fair and equitable transaction environment for all users.
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