If you recently heard about the Aerodrome Finance hack and felt confused about what actually happened, you are not alone. On November 22, 2025, one of the most popular decentralized exchanges on the Base network was compromised — but not in the way most people expect when they hear about a crypto hack. The smart contracts that power Aerodrome were never broken. Instead, attackers hijacked the website that users visit to interact with those contracts. Understanding this distinction is critical for anyone participating in decentralized finance, and this guide breaks down exactly what happened, why it matters, and what you can do to stay safe.
The Basics
Decentralized exchanges like Aerodrome Finance operate through smart contracts — self-executing programs living on the blockchain. These contracts handle token swaps, liquidity provision, and other trading functions automatically, without any intermediary. The contracts themselves are publicly verifiable and, in Aerodrome’s case, had been thoroughly audited.
However, most users do not interact with these contracts directly by sending raw blockchain transactions. Instead, they visit a website — the frontend — that provides a user-friendly interface. When you click “Swap” on the Aerodrome website, the frontend constructs the appropriate transaction and sends it to your wallet for approval. This frontend is hosted on traditional web infrastructure using standard DNS, the same system that powers every website on the internet.
DNS, or Domain Name System, works like a phonebook for the internet. When you type aerodrome.finance into your browser, DNS servers translate that name into an IP address where the website lives. If someone can manipulate those DNS records, they can redirect you to a completely different server — one that looks identical to the real site but operates under attacker control.
Why It Matters
When the Aerodrome DNS records were hijacked on November 22, users who typed the familiar URL were sent to a fake version of the site. This fake site looked exactly like the real one but contained a dangerous trap. When users connected their wallets and attempted to trade, the fake site generated malicious transaction requests designed to drain their funds.
The attack worked in stages. First, the fake site showed a simple signature request containing just the number “1” — something that seemed harmless and routine. Once the user signed that, the site rapidly presented multiple unlimited approval requests for ETH, USDC, WETH, and NFTs. These approvals gave the attackers permission to transfer those assets out of the user’s wallet at any time. Within approximately one hour, over $1 million was stolen.
This attack mattered because it exposed a fundamental weakness in how most people access DeFi. The blockchain and smart contracts may be decentralized and secure, but the path most users take to reach them is neither. It is a centralized web2 layer that can be compromised using techniques that have existed since the early days of the internet.
Getting Started Guide
Protecting yourself starts with understanding how to verify you are on the correct website. The simplest method is to bookmark the official URL directly from a trusted source — such as the project’s official GitHub repository or verified social media accounts — and always access the site through that bookmark rather than by typing the URL or clicking links.
Next, familiarize yourself with ENS names. The Ethereum Name Service provides decentralized domain names that resolve through the blockchain rather than traditional DNS. When Aerodrome was compromised, the team directed users to ENS-based mirrors like aero.drome.eth.limo. These addresses are immune to DNS hijacking because they do not rely on centralized DNS servers. Many major DeFi protocols now maintain ENS alternatives — find them and bookmark them before you need them.
Hardware wallets provide perhaps the most important safety net. Unlike software wallets that display transaction details within the same browser environment that might be compromised, hardware wallets show transaction data on their own independent screen. When the Aerodrome fake site requested malicious approvals, a hardware wallet would have displayed the actual approval details — revealing the attack regardless of what the website showed.
Common Pitfalls
The biggest mistake new DeFi users make is blindly approving every transaction request that appears in their wallet. Attackers rely on this behavior. The Aerodrome attackers specifically designed their exploit to feel routine — a simple signature followed by standard-looking approval requests. Always read what you are signing, even if it seems tedious.
Another common error is clicking links from social media or chat groups to access DeFi protocols. Scammers frequently post fake links in the comments of official announcements, and compromised accounts can spread malicious URLs to thousands of followers. Always navigate to DeFi platforms through your own bookmarks or by manually typing verified addresses.
Many users also fail to revoke old token approvals. Every time you approve a contract to spend your tokens, that permission remains active until you explicitly revoke it. Over time, you may accumulate dozens of active approvals across various protocols — any one of which could become a vulnerability if that protocol is later compromised. Use a tool like Revoke.cash periodically to clean up unused approvals.
Next Steps
Start by auditing your current setup. Check which applications have active approvals for your wallets and revoke any you no longer need. Research ENS-based alternatives for every DeFi protocol you use regularly and add them to your bookmarks. If you do not already use a hardware wallet, consider getting one — it is the single most impactful security upgrade available to any crypto user.
The Aerodrome incident resulted in real financial losses for real people, but it also provides a valuable learning opportunity. The crypto market on November 22 saw Bitcoin trading near $84,648 and Ethereum around $2,767, meaning even small approval mistakes could result in significant losses. Take the time now to strengthen your defenses before the next incident — because in DeFi, the question is never if the next attack will come, but when.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always conduct your own research before interacting with any DeFi protocol.
the smart contracts were fine but the DNS got hijacked. this is why i always check the contract address in my wallet popup before signing anything. saved me twice already
Piotr W. checking the contract address in the wallet popup saved you twice. most people never look at that screen. DNSSEC adoption would fix the root cause
The part about blindly approving transactions hit close to home. I used to just click approve on everything without reading. After reading this guide I spent an hour on Revoke.cash cleaning up old approvals and found three unlimited approvals I had completely forgotten about. Lesson learned the easy way for once.
LunaStake revoke.cash is essential. most people have dozens of old approvals sitting there from protocols they havent used in months. one compromised frontend and those approvals are a goldmine
Good write-up. One question: how do you verify that an ENS name itself has not been compromised? Is there a way to check the controller history of an ENS name to see if it recently changed hands?
Web3Wanderer you can check ENS controller history on Etherscan under the contract tab. if the controller changed hands recently thats a red flag for DNS-style attacks on ENS names too
Yuki S. ENS controller history check on Etherscan is good advice. also worth checking if the resolver changed recently, that can redirect transactions too