A Solana-based presale for the Wet (WET) token was abruptly halted and reset after a sophisticated Sybil attack, involving over 1,000 wallets, allegedly sniped nearly the entire token sale within seconds. The event, hosted on the decentralized exchange aggregator Jupiter, saw genuine participants locked out due to the coordinated bot activity.
Key Takeaways
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A Sybil attack using over 1,000 wallets compromised the Solana WET token presale.
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HumidiFi, the project behind the presale, has scrapped the launch and will issue a new token with an airdrop for legitimate participants.
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Blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps identified the alleged attacker, linking the coordinated wallets to a single entity.
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The incident highlights the growing threat of Sybil attacks in token presales and airdrops.
The Attack Unfolds
HumidiFi, the Solana automated market maker responsible for the presale, confirmed the attack and announced the cancellation of the initial launch. The team stated their intention to create a new token and conduct a pro-rata airdrop for all "Wetlist" and JUP staker buyers, explicitly excluding the identified sniper. A new public sale is planned for Monday.
Identifying the Attacker
Blockchain analytics platform Bubblemaps reported identifying the entity behind the presale manipulation. Their analysis revealed that a significant portion of the participating wallets, at least 1,100 out of 1,530, exhibited identical funding and activity patterns. These wallets, many new with no prior on-chain history, were funded by a small number of sources within a tight timeframe and with similar amounts of USDC. Bubblemaps CEO Nick Vaiman noted that despite some clusters not being directly linked on-chain, the behavioral similarities strongly indicated a single actor.
Sybil Attacks: A Growing Threat
This incident is not isolated. November saw similar Sybil attack patterns, including one where a single entity claimed 60% of aPriori's APR token airdrop and another where Edel Finance-linked wallets allegedly acquired 30% of their own EDEL tokens. Vaiman emphasized that Sybil attacks are a critical security threat to token launches. He recommended that projects implement Know Your Customer (KYC) measures, utilize algorithms for Sybil detection, or conduct manual reviews of participants to mitigate such risks.
Sources
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Solana WET presale hijacked by Sybil wallets as HumidiFi resets launch — TradingView News, TradingView.
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