MEV Wiki
  • Introduction
  • Resource List
  • Terms and Concepts
    • DeFi
    • Automated Market Maker
    • Arbitrage
    • Lending Platforms
    • Slippage
    • Liquidations
    • Priority Gas Auctions
    • Transaction Ordering
  • Attack Examples
    • Front-running
    • Sandwich attack
    • Back-running
    • Liquidations
    • Time bandit attack
    • Uncle bandit attack
  • Attempts to trick the bots
    • Salmonella
    • Kattana
    • Other attempts
  • Solutions
    • Front-running as a Service (FaaS) or MEV Auctions (MEVA)
      • Private Transactions
      • BackRunMe by bloXroute
      • Flashbots
      • mistX by alchemist
      • KeeperDAO
      • EDEN Network (ArcherSwap)
      • Optimism
      • MiningDAO
      • BackBone Cabal
    • MEV Minimization
      • Conveyor (Automata Network)
      • SecretSwap (Secret Network)
      • Fair sequencing service (Chainlink)
      • Arbitrum (Offchain Labs)
      • Vega protocol
      • CowSwap
      • Veedo (StarkWare)
      • LibSubmarine
      • Sikka
      • Shutter Network
    • Other solutions
      • B.Protocol
  • Miscellaneous
  • Contributions
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  1. Attack Examples

Liquidations

How are liquidations exploited?

Back-running strategies also apply to liquidations whereby a transaction sender wishes to be the first to liquidate a loan right after a price oracle update (which will allow liquidation to be triggered).

  • Fixed spread liquidation used by Compound, Aave, and dYdX allows a liquidator to purchase collateral at a fixed discount when repaying debt.

A detects a liquidation opportunity at block B (i.e., after the execution of B). A then issues a liquidation transaction T, which is expected to be mined in the next block B +1. A attempts to destructively front-run other competing liquidators by setting high transaction fees for his liquidation transaction T.

A observes a transaction T, which will create a liquidation opportunity (e.g., an oracle price update transaction which will render a collateralized debt liquidatable). A then back-runs T with a liquidation transaction TA to avoid the transaction fee bidding competition.

  • The auction liquidation allows a liquidator to start an auction that lasts for a pre-configured period (e.g., 6 hours). Competing liquidators can engage and bid on the collateral price.

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Last updated 3 years ago

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