Wallet Drainer
Malicious code that empties a wallet in one approval after tricking the owner into signing it.
Wallet drainers are kits that scam sites use to siphon a victim's tokens and NFTs through a single malicious signature. The user thinks they're claiming an airdrop or minting an NFT; the transaction they actually sign grants the attacker permission to move everything valuable.
Drainer-as-a-service operations like the former Inferno Drainer industrialized this, stealing hundreds of millions across thousands of victims. The defense is reading what you sign—watch for unlimited token approvals and setApprovalForAll—and using a separate burner wallet for risky mints. Revoke stale approvals regularly.
Related terms
A scam that tricks you into revealing keys or signing a malicious transaction by posing as something you trust.
WalletA tool that stores the keys controlling your crypto and lets you send, receive, and sign transactions.
Social EngineeringManipulating people rather than code, tricking them into handing over keys, codes, or access.
Address PoisoningA scam that seeds your history with a look-alike address, hoping you copy the wrong one later.