On November 2023, MEVbot was exploited in a access control, resulting in approximately $2M in losses. That makes the MEVbot exploit the 60th largest DeFi incident out of 690 documented in our archive.
Attack Mechanics: How the MEVbot Access Control Played Out
Exploit Class Applied to MEVbot
The MEVbot incident on November 7, 2023 is classified as a Access Control. A privileged function lacks a proper authorisation check, letting an unauthorised caller execute it. In the full archive, MEVbot is 1 of 77 documented access control incidents.
MEVbot in Context
At $2M, the MEVbot exploit is a significant ($1M–$10M) event compared to the largest same-class incident in our archive — Corkprotocol (2025) at $12M.
Prior Access Control Before MEVbot
The nearest access control incident before MEVbot was BRAND, 5 days earlier on November 2, 2023. The same exploit class surfaced again within the access control attack surface.
MEVbot Vulnerability Signature
The primary source categorises the MEVbot exploit specifically as “Lack of access control”. This narrower label is entity-specific: it reflects how the MEVbot contract failed, rather than the broad access control pattern alone.
Impact & Recovery for MEVbot
MEVbot Loss Figure
The MEVbot exploit caused $2,000,000 in losses — a significant ($1M–$10M) incident and the 22nd largest of 214 documented in 2023. This single incident represents 0.3% of all tracked losses that year.
Where MEVbot Sits Among Access Control Attacks
Ranked by loss size, MEVbot is the 4th largest of 77 access control incidents documented. That puts the MEVbot loss above the class average of $636K.
Timeline Since the MEVbot Incident
The MEVbot exploit occurred 2.4 years ago (889 days). The contract, its fork-block, and the attack transaction remain on-chain and forensically reproducible.
Primary Reference for MEVbot
Public post-mortem / on-chain analysis for the MEVbot incident: view source.
FAQ
How much did MEVbot lose?
The MEVbot exploit in November 2023 resulted in $2,000,000 in losses — the 22nd largest of 214 DeFi incidents that year.
When did the MEVbot hack happen?
The MEVbot exploit was recorded on November 7, 2023 — 889 days ago.
What type of exploit hit MEVbot?
The MEVbot incident is classified as a Access Control. A privileged function lacks a proper authorisation check, letting an unauthorised caller execute it.
How common is the Access Control pattern seen at MEVbot?
Our archive contains 77 documented access control incidents. The MEVbot incident is one of them.
How does MEVbot compare to the largest Access Control attack?
The largest access control incident in our archive is Corkprotocol (2025) at $12M. The MEVbot loss is $2M.
What does the study reveal about the diversification within the cryptocurrency space?
It highlights the diversification shaped by technological characteristics, temporal considerations, and the influence of monetary policy.
Explain the role of MQTT in the system.
MQTT facilitates lightweight, secure communication between IoT devices and the blockchain network.