On August 2021, Cream Finance was exploited in a flash loan attack, resulting in approximately $18 in losses. That makes the Cream Finance exploit the 460th largest DeFi incident out of 690 documented in our archive.
Attack Mechanics: How the Cream Finance Flash Loan Attack Played Out
Exploit Class Applied to Cream Finance
The Cream Finance incident on August 30, 2021 is classified as a Flash Loan Attack. Attackers borrow huge amounts via uncollateralised single-transaction loans and manipulate protocol state before repaying in the same block. In the full archive, Cream Finance is 1 of 27 documented flash loan attack incidents.
Cream Finance in Context
At $18, the Cream Finance exploit is a minor (<$1M) event compared to the largest same-class incident in our archive — PolterFinance (2024) at $7M.
Prior Flash Loan Attack Before Cream Finance
The nearest flash loan attack incident before Cream Finance was XSURGE, 13 days earlier on August 17, 2021 ($5 lost). The same exploit class surfaced again within the flash loan attack attack surface.
Cream Finance Vulnerability Signature
The primary source categorises the Cream Finance exploit specifically as “Flashloan Attack + Reentrancy”. This narrower label is entity-specific: it reflects how the Cream Finance contract failed, rather than the broad flash loan attack pattern alone.
Impact & Recovery for Cream Finance
Cream Finance Loss Figure
The Cream Finance exploit caused $18 in losses — a minor (<$1M) incident and the 14th largest of 37 documented in 2021.
Where Cream Finance Sits Among Flash Loan Attack Attacks
Ranked by loss size, Cream Finance is the 19th largest of 27 flash loan attack incidents documented. That puts the Cream Finance loss below the class average of $577.3K.
Timeline Since the Cream Finance Incident
The Cream Finance exploit occurred 4.6 years ago (1,688 days). The contract, its fork-block, and the attack transaction remain on-chain and forensically reproducible.
Primary Reference for Cream Finance
Public post-mortem / on-chain analysis for the Cream Finance incident: view source.
FAQ
How much did Cream Finance lose?
The Cream Finance exploit in August 2021 resulted in $18 in losses — the 14th largest of 37 DeFi incidents that year.
When did the Cream Finance hack happen?
The Cream Finance exploit was recorded on August 30, 2021 — 1,688 days ago.
What type of exploit hit Cream Finance?
The Cream Finance incident is classified as a Flash Loan Attack. Attackers borrow huge amounts via uncollateralised single-transaction loans and manipulate protocol state before repaying in the same block.
How common is the Flash Loan Attack pattern seen at Cream Finance?
Our archive contains 27 documented flash loan attack incidents. The Cream Finance incident is one of them.
How does Cream Finance compare to the largest Flash Loan Attack attack?
The largest flash loan attack incident in our archive is PolterFinance (2024) at $7M. The Cream Finance loss is $18.
What is the main feature of blockchain that ensures data integrity?
Immutability, ensuring data cannot be altered once recorded on the blockchain.
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The study aimed to overcome the lack of a reliable ESG index by using multiple ESG measures.