Integrate sandwich‑attack prediction with DeFi
Existing approaches skew toward “post‑attack compensation” or “structures less prone to attack.” A complementary approach is to predict risk beforehand and warn users.
We propose a Sandwich Attack Prediction API integrated into Uniswap and other DeFi applications.
Idea overview
- When a user prepares a swap, the front‑end sends parameters to the API:
- Which tokens and how much
- Which smart contract/route
- User’s slippage tolerance
- The API analyzes mempool state and market liquidity and returns a 5‑level risk score for sandwich likelihood.
Flow (concept)
- Before the user clicks “Swap,” the front‑end queries the API.
- The API returns risk (e.g., 1 = safe, 5 = very risky).
- If risk is high, the UI shows a warning and asks for confirmation.
Example:
- Risk 1–2 → proceed normally
- Risk 3 → show a warning (potential price manipulation)
- Risk 4–5 → show a confirmation dialog before execution
User benefits
- Preventive measure: detect risk before executing to avoid losses and wasted gas.
- Transparency: quantified risk is easier for newcomers to understand.
- Easy integration: simple to add to existing DeFi UIs via API.
Value to DeFi projects
- Improves UX by giving users confidence at trade time.
- Differentiates from other DEXs/aggregators.
- Reduces attack losses and improves ecosystem trust.
Challenges
- Prediction accuracy is critical; false positives harm UX.
- Mempool and market conditions change rapidly; real‑time analysis is required.
- Private mempools and Flashbots‑routed flow are hard to observe externally.
Summary
“Sandwich‑attack prediction × DeFi integration” adds a proactive layer to avoid attacks. Alongside insurance and structural (non‑AMM) designs, it is a third approach that can meaningfully improve UX.