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Stake DAO

avoid.net/stake-dao→57/100·78% conf.
[AI-DRAFTED · AWAITING FACT-CHECK][src:defillama]

Last changed 2026-10-10 · Score recalculated — Rescored under Scoring v2, the published formula (avoid.net/scoring): 36 → 57. Problems weighed by who is responsible: incidents the subject suffered −9.6, concerns that are not fraud −6.4, problems around the subject, caused by others −1.6; legitimacy credit long-running +10; fact-check adjustments (−10) now shown as page reliability, not in the score. Version history →

Why this score
Every page starts at65
Concerns that are not fraud-6.4
Incidents it suffered (e.g. hacks)-9.6
Problems around it, caused by others-1.6
Long-running+10
Sum57

Score: 57/100 (kept between 0 and 100)

How scoring works →
anchored·4a1ap9…mQfd
last updated 2026-10-10

Summary

Stake DAO is a non-custodial DeFi protocol built around liquid staking, yield aggregation, and governance participation via veToken mechanics. The protocol has suffered three documented security incidents since 2023, the most severe of which — a May 2026 deployer private key compromise — enabled the minting of 5.4 trillion fraudulent vsdCRV tokens on Arbitrum, resulting in roughly $91,000 in realized losses despite a nominally catastrophic exposure. Repeated operational security failures across a two-year span, including a March 2026 oracle exploit draining $176,000 from its Votemarket product, indicate a pattern of infrastructure risk that audited smart contracts alone have not resolved.

Connected Entities

13 entities · 58 linked investigations
Organizations
□Kelp59□Ethereum90□Drift□Arbitrum□Balancer□Binance□Pendle□Stake DAO
Protocols
⌂Wasabi Protocol⌂Drift Protocol⌂KyberSwap⌂LayerZero — DVN Single-Verifier Configuration Risk⌂Curve Finance
Relationships
  • Wasabi Protocol→mentioned with→Drift(75%)
  • Wasabi Protocol→mentioned with→Ethereum(80%)
  • Stake DAO→mentioned with→Drift(85%)
  • Stake DAO→mentioned with→Balancer(60%)
  • Stake DAO→mentioned with→Arbitrum(80%)
  • Stake DAO→mentioned with→Kelp(60%)
  • Stake DAO→mentioned with→Pendle(70%)
  • Stake DAO→mentioned with→KyberSwap(60%)
  • Stake DAO→mentioned with→Ethereum(80%)
  • Balancer→mentioned with→Arbitrum(60%)
  • + 23 more
Also appears in
June 2026 Cross-Chain Bridge Exploit ($127M, Three Protocols)·8BNB Chain Bridge·51LayerZero Protocol·55Aperture LM·58Gravity Bridge·37Spark Protocol·80Aave·81Ethereum·90Taiko Bridge SGX Key Exploit (June 2026)·35LayerZero Executor Wallet Incident (July 2026)·62

Connected Through

13 shared actors · 633 investigations

Distinct actors this investigation shares with others — holders, traders, and named parties. Shared infrastructure (exchanges, pools) is excluded.

Have evidence about Stake DAO?

Timeline(9 events)

20 January 2021

Stake DAO and SDT token launched on Ethereum mainnet; initial airdrop distributed.

4 February 2021

SDT reaches all-time high price of $16.63.

2022

Stake DAO adopts veTokenomic model; SDT lockable for veSDT governance rights.

15 June 2022

SDT reaches all-time low of $0.1750 amid broader crypto bear market.

2023

Two-year linear vesting for initial contributors and angel investors concludes.

29 November 2023

Stake DAO discloses LiquidityGauge deployment error on BNB Chain; approximately $4,011 in CAKE tokens stolen; affected users compensated via airdrop.

12 March 2026

Votemarket oracle contract exploited on Arbitrum and Base; approximately $176,000 drained across 54 reward campaigns. Governance proposal SDGP-65 introduced to reimburse affected users from treasury.

27 May 2026

Deployer private key compromised; attacker mints 5.4 trillion vsdCRV on Arbitrum via forged LayerZero v2 cross-chain message. Attacker realizes approximately $91,000 before DEX liquidity exhausted. Stake DAO shuts down vsdCRV bridge and urges users not to interact with vsdCRV.

28 May 2026

Stake DAO publishes follow-up statement assuring users that core products (Liquid Lockers, Boosted Yields, Votemarket, Morpho lending) are unaffected; vsdCRV backing on Ethereum mainnet confirmed secured.

Provenance & Audit Trail
Recorded on Solana ✓Verify on-chain25 Wayback Archivessrc:defillama

Decision Log

  • #4rescore+21Recorded on Solana ✓10/10/2026, 6:44:40 PM
    slot 455364435 · hash CmpdR8XpPi6ih7ecSBehZpYZnC2n8fj8atX74VCsjUqc
  • #3review revise-10Recorded on Solana ✓8/27/2026, 10:41:31 AM
    slot 443525333 · hash AhUSnz9tiFkWTc6dU1hohmfu7Bve1sgG3MBTPxUh4WNC
  • #2reviewRecorded on Solana ✓8/27/2026, 10:41:31 AM
    slot 443525330 · hash EGB73CfsXnPgx6zDY6364eQNqqxvkQv8APiWcuoK1Uyx
  • #1publishRecorded on Solana ✓5/29/2026, 2:35:00 AM
    slot 422848455 · hash ESZXryXwjtoCADpwDGfqBSbtf49dvFPV78q7J9SKGajd

This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (4 decisions). 25 of 28 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.

full audit log →version history →

model: claude-sonnet-4-6

generated: 5/4/2026, 2:54:18 AM

last updated: 10/10/2026, 6:44:40 PM

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