What are the major security risks and vulnerabilities in Cardano (ADA) smart contracts and network attacks?

Smart Contract Vulnerabilities: From Formal Verification Claims to Deserialization Hash Errors and Chain Splits in November 2025

On November 21–22, 2025, Cardano experienced a significant chain split triggered by a deliberately crafted malformed transaction that exploited an overlooked deserialization vulnerability in the network's transaction validation layer. While Cardano smart contracts have long relied on formal verification methods to ensure security, this incident revealed gaps in validation mechanisms that formal verification claims alone could not prevent. The malformed transaction successfully bypassed validation on updated node versions while being rejected by older infrastructure, causing block producers to extend different chains depending on their software version.

The core issue stemmed from inconsistent handling of improperly formatted data during deserialization processes. This technical flaw allowed the transaction to slip past validation checks on newer nodes, creating two divergent ledger histories—a "poisoned" chain and a "healthy" chain. The network's inability to maintain a single canonical version undermined the fundamental expectation of deterministic settlement, demonstrating that even sophisticated smart contract security frameworks face practical vulnerabilities in edge cases.

Coordinated response from Input Output Global (IOG), the Cardano Foundation, Intersect, and EMURGO proved critical. Engineering teams released patched node software within approximately three hours and coordinated network-wide upgrades, allowing the network to reconverge on a single canonical chain. This incident highlighted that Cardano smart contract security depends not only on formal verification approaches but also on robust transaction validation, continuous security audits, and rapid incident response protocols to address unforeseen vulnerabilities.

Network Security Incidents: Hacking Attacks, Scams, and 479,111 Active Address Loss Within a Single Month

The 2025 security incident demonstrates significant vulnerabilities within Cardano's infrastructure that warrant serious attention. A coordinated attack involving both hacking and scams resulted in the loss of 479,111 active addresses within just thirty days, marking one of the most substantial network security incidents affecting ADA holders. This breach, which compromised multiple platforms simultaneously, reveals critical gaps in how the network protects user assets and validates transactions.

The dual nature of this security crisis—combining technical hacking attacks with social engineering scams—highlights how network security weaknesses can be exploited through different vectors. While hacking attacks targeted platform infrastructure and smart contract vulnerabilities, scams leveraged user trust to facilitate unauthorized access to addresses. The sheer volume of compromised addresses indicates that these weren't isolated incidents but rather systematic security failures across interconnected platforms within the Cardano ecosystem.

This incident underscores the importance of robust security protocols and the ongoing challenges facing blockchain networks. For investors and users, it demonstrates that even established platforms can experience major breaches, emphasizing the need for enhanced security measures and vigilant risk management within the ADA network infrastructure.

Centralized Dependency Risks: Exchange Custody Issues, Stablecoin Liquidity Gaps, and DeFi TVL Collapse to Hundreds of Millions

Cardano's reliance on centralized infrastructure creates significant systemic vulnerabilities that directly contributed to the ecosystem's rapid decline. Exchange custody concentration remains a critical weakness, as the majority of ADA holdings flow through centralized platforms rather than self-custody solutions, amplifying counterparty risk during market volatility. The stablecoin liquidity situation exacerbates these centralized dependency concerns, with DJED dominating the native ecosystem while USDC and USDT remain accessible only through the Wanchain bridge—a single point of failure for critical dollar-pegged assets. This limited stablecoin availability constrains DeFi protocol functionality, as demonstrated by Cardano's remarkably low daily transaction volume of approximately 400 stablecoin transactions compared to Tron's 300,000, revealing severe liquidity fragmentation. The cascading effect became apparent through the DeFi TVL collapse, which plummeted from $693 million in late 2024 to just $182 million by 2025. This dramatic deterioration in total value locked reflects how concentrated dependencies undermine confidence in the ecosystem, as users simultaneously exit both lending protocols and custody arrangements during market stress. ADA's 70% price decline in 2025 further aggravated these centralization risks, as lower collateral values reduced borrowing capacity across DeFi platforms and forced liquidations. The interconnected nature of these centralized vulnerabilities—exchange custody concentration, bridge-dependent stablecoins, and concentrated TVL among limited protocols—creates a fragile ecosystem where any single institutional failure or bridge exploit could trigger cascading collapses across dependent financial layers.

FAQ

Cardano智能合约存在哪些常见的安全漏洞和风险？

Cardano智能合约的常见安全漏洞包括算术错误、整数溢出和下溢、可见性设置不当以及时间戳操纵。此外，还存在合约逻辑缺陷、并发问题和不安全的随机数生成等风险。建议通过正规审计和最佳实践编码来降低风险。

What types of attacks is the Cardano network vulnerable to, such as 51% attacks and double-spending attacks?

Cardano, as a Proof-of-Stake system, can resist attacks from adversaries with less than 34% stake, but cannot defend against 51% attacks. Double-spending is theoretically possible in PoS systems if an attacker controls majority stake. Cardano's design mitigates these risks through stake distribution and cryptographic security.

Compared to Ethereum, how secure are Cardano's smart contracts?

Cardano's smart contracts benefit from the peer-reviewed Ouroboros proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, offering comparable security to Ethereum. Cardano emphasizes formal verification and a more rigorous development approach, potentially reducing vulnerabilities while maintaining energy efficiency and scalability advantages.

How to identify and prevent security vulnerabilities in Cardano smart contracts?

Conduct comprehensive code audits and formal verification before deployment. Utilize Cardano's Extended UTxO model for enhanced transaction validation. Employ static analysis tools to detect potential flaws and implement best practices in contract design to mitigate risks effectively.

What security measures does Cardano adopt to protect network security and user assets?

Cardano employs proof-of-stake consensus, multi-signature wallets, and decentralized network architecture. Users protect assets through seed phrases. The protocol's peer-reviewed design and Ouroboros consensus mechanism ensure robust security and asset protection.

Plutus smart contract language has what security advantages compared to Solidity?

Plutus, based on Haskell, emphasizes formal verification and safety through strong typing, reducing vulnerabilities. Unlike Solidity's dynamic analysis, Plutus enables rigorous mathematical verification before deployment, providing superior security assurance.

Cardano生态中发生过哪些重大安全事件或攻击案例？

Cardano自2017年以来未曾发生重大安全事件或网络攻击。仅存在针对ADA持有者的Ada Giveaway诈骗等小型风险，但未对网络安全造成影响。

How can users safely interact with Cardano smart contracts and protect their private keys?

Use hardware wallets to securely manage private keys and avoid running smart contract interactions in browsers. Ensure wallet software is officially verified to prevent malicious code. Regularly backup and keep private keys confidential.