Ethereum

2024

Clash

Gold

<p>New research shows that sandwich attacks on Ethereum drained nearly $40 million from users in 2025, yet the total value extracted has fallen dramatically even as decentralized exchange (DEX) volumes climbed from $65 billion to over $100 billion per month.</p>
<p>The findings, based on EigenPhi data, reveal a surprising disconnect between attack profitability and trading activity.</p>
<h3 id="extraction-collapses-but-attack-frequency-stays-high">Extraction Collapses but Attack Frequency Stays High</h3>
<p>Monthly sandwich extraction fell from about $10 million in late 2024 to just $2.5 million by October 2025. However, the number of attacks remains elevated, hovering between 60,000 and 90,000 per month. The chart shows this divergence clearly: yellow bars representing extraction shrink month after month, while purple DEX volume lines rise sharply through mid-2025 before easing slightly.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.ethnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/G7YAxrRXIAAuazk.jpeg" alt="" width="512" height="345"></p>
<h3 id="low-volatility-pools-become-prime-targets">Low-Volatility Pools Become Prime Targets</h3>
<p>One of the most concerning trends is where attackers are focusing their activity.<br> According to the research:</p>
<ul>
 <li>38% of attacks targeted low-volatility pools such as stablecoins and wrapped assets.</li>
 <li>12% hit stable swaps, where unexpected slippage can cause outsized user losses.</li>
</ul>
<p>These pools traditionally offer predictable pricing, making sudden sandwich-induced slippage particularly damaging for unsuspecting traders.</p>
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<h3 id="profitability-shrinks-to-just-3-per-attack">Profitability Shrinks to Just $3 Per Attack</h3>
<p>Average profit per sandwich attack sits at approximately $3, a dramatic drop from prior years. Only six attackers were able to generate more than $10,000 total profit in 2025, suggesting that MEV competition, rising transaction fees, and improved user protections are compressing margins across the board.</p>
<p>The chart confirms this trend with the grey bars, representing total profit, remaining barely visible compared to prior peaks.</p>
<h3 id="is-mev-protection-finally-working">Is MEV Protection Finally Working?</h3>
<p>With extraction falling despite steady attack frequency and rising DEX activity, researchers are asking whether the Ethereum ecosystem is witnessing broader adoption of MEV-protection tools.</p>
<p>The emergence of solutions like private transaction relays, intent-based trading, and protected RPCs may be reducing exploitable opportunities even as overall trading activity surges.</p>
<p>The latest data suggests a changing landscape: sandwich attacks remain common, but they are significantly less profitable, an early sign that MEV defenses may be gaining real traction across Ethereum’s user base.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.ethnews.com/ethereums-sandwich-attack-profits-collapse-even-as-dex-volumes-hit-new-highs/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Ethereum’s Sandwich Attack Profits Collapse Even as DEX Volumes Hit New Highs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ethnews.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ETHNews</a>.</p>

Ethereum’s Sandwich Attack Profits Collapse Even as DEX Volumes Hit New Highs

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