Solana validator DeezNode reportedly pocketed over $13 million in a month by exploiting users with sandwich attacks, sparking fresh MEV concerns on the network.
Solana (SOL) validators on the network, which is inherently costly to operate, are frequently reliant on subsidies from the Solana Foundation or strategies centered on Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) to sustain operations.
DeezNode, identified as both a Solana validator and a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) cluster service, reportedly leveraged so-called “sandwich attacks” to illicitly acquire over $13 million in value from unsuspecting Solana users within a single month, as detailed in a published report.
According to findings shared by vitorpy, the founder of DarkLake, a dedicated automated system operated by DeezNode executed a massive 1.55 million transactions throughout December of 2024.
This aggressive exploitative activity allegedly generated a profit of 65,800 SOL for the implicated entity.
At the valuation metrics prevalent at the time of Vitorpy’s announcement, this illicitly obtained sum exceeded $13 million.
Projecting these figures across a full year suggests a potential annualized extraction of approximately 801,540 SOL from network users via this method, an amount equivalent to roughly $163.4 million.
Solana Validators and the Necessity of MEV
Intriguingly, this situation is described as a counterintuitive outcome stemming from measures ostensibly designed to combat MEV-driven abuses.
Specifically, the closure of Jito’s publicly accessible mempool, initially touted as a preventative solution, appears to have exacerbated the problem.
Instead of curbing MEV exploitation, the action purportedly redirected such activities into private network channels managed by providers like DeezNode, ironically increasing both the velocity and intensity of these exploitations.
“Examination of transaction patterns across validators demonstrably reveals a clear trend: the shutdown of Jito’s public mempool did not eliminate MEV,” asserted Vitorpy, “it simply displaced the practice, shifting extraction to concealed, private networks.”
It’s pertinent to acknowledge that this incident is not unprecedented within the Solana ecosystem.
Also Read: Solana Struggles Below $135 Amid Deteriorating Demand
