Unauthorized Minting

Definition ∞ Unauthorized minting refers to the illicit creation of new digital tokens or cryptocurrencies without proper authorization or adherence to a protocol’s predefined issuance rules. This often occurs due to a smart contract vulnerability or a compromise of administrative keys, leading to an unexpected increase in the token supply. Such an event typically devalues existing tokens and undermines the project’s economic integrity.
Context ∞ Unauthorized minting represents a severe security exploit that can cause catastrophic financial losses for token holders and damage a project’s reputation. The discussion surrounding these incidents highlights the critical need for rigorous smart contract auditing and robust access control mechanisms. Developers are continually refining token issuance protocols to prevent such unauthorized supply expansions.