How Do Price Manipulation Attacks Target Oracle Feeds?

Attackers target oracle feeds by manipulating the price of the underlying asset on a centralized or low-liquidity exchange that the oracle uses as a source. They then quickly execute a trade on the smart contract, exploiting the manipulated price before the oracle can update or correct the feed.

Flash loan attacks are a common tool used to acquire the capital needed for such a price manipulation.

What Techniques Are Used to Detect and Handle Stale or Corrupted Market Data?
What Is “Slippage Tolerance” and How Does It Enable Sandwich Attacks?
What Is a “Stale Price” and How Does It Relate to Oracle Updates?
Define “Oracle Risk” and Its Impact on Interconnected DeFi Protocols
Are There Regulatory Differences in Reporting Requirements for Trades Executed via Iceberg Orders versus in Dark Pools?
What Is the Typical Target for an Attacker Attempting a Double-Spend?
What Are the Most Common Smart Contract Vulnerabilities Exploited by State-Sponsored Attackers?
How Does the Concept of “Finality” Apply to the Price Reported by a DON?

Glossar