What if I told you that the fate of $91 billion depends on just two signatures? ๐คฏ
The cybersecurity guys at
#Hacken dissected $USDT under a microscope and found a few โinterestingโ surprises. Spoiler: thereโs nothing decentralized about it.
Hereโs what you should know:
๐ด On TRON, half of all the USDT supply (~$91.3B) runs on it. This is governed by a 2-out-of-3 scheme. Meaning a hacker only needs to steal TWO keys to gain control of this amount.
๐ด Ethereum, Avalanche, and Celo use the same sets of keys (a 3-out-of-6 scheme). Compromising three signers puts multiple networks at once at risk.
๐ด Freezing funds or issuing new tokens can be done instantly. Thereโs no time delay (no timelock) to give you a chance to stop the hack.
๐ด Smart contracts technically donโt restrict issuance. If theyโve gathered enough signatures for a quorum, tokens can be printed without limitsโwithout any on-chain checks of the actual dollar reserves.
#Tether is convenient and liquid, but itโs a 100% centralized machine that runs on trust in a handful of people. Donโt put all your eggs in one basket!
Which stablecoin do you trust most for storing capital: USDT, USDC, or maybe DAI?