✅ Master MEV & Front-Running
Understand MEV extraction, detection, prevention, and Flashbots
Understand MEV and transaction ordering exploits
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0 / 5 completedKey Takeaways
🎯 Front-Running Fundamentals
Front-running exploits transparent mempool visibility to profit from transaction ordering. Attackers monitor pending transactions, identify profitable opportunities, and submit competing transactions with higher gas prices to execute first. The most common attack is sandwich attacks, which extract value through forced price slippage.
🔍 Detection Signals
Multiple detection methods exist: mempool monitoring (85% effective), gas price pattern analysis (75%), timing/latency analysis (70%), and profit tracking (90%). Combining these signals provides comprehensive attack detection. False positives occur with legitimate arbitrage, so multiple confirmations are critical.
🛡️ Prevention Strategies
Protection ranges from simple slippage tolerance (70% protection) to advanced commit-reveal schemes (99%). Private RPC services like Flashbots Protect (95%) offer strong protection with minimal complexity. Strategy choice depends on transaction value, urgency, and acceptable gas overhead.
⚡ Flashbots Solution
Flashbots provides private transaction submission, eliminating mempool visibility. Transactions are sent directly to block builders via MEV-Boost. Benefits include zero front-running risk, failed transactions don't cost gas, and MEV-Share revenue redistribution. Tradeoff: requires trust in Flashbots infrastructure.
💡 Real-World Impact
Over $1.4B+ MEV extracted since 2020, with ~30,000 daily front-running attempts. Average sandwich attack causes 8% slippage. Protection is critical for high-value transactions, DeFi protocols, and any application where transaction ordering affects outcomes. Simple solutions exist today (Flashbots RPC) with no code changes required.