Solana Foundation took decisive action by removing a group of validator operators from its delegation program for their involvement in sandwich attacks against users. This move is part of the foundation’s strict rules against such malicious activities, as stated by Solana Validator Relations Leader Tim Garcia in a May 7 Discord post.
Crackdown on Mempools Facilitating Sandwich Attacks
The Solana Foundation continues its enforcement actions by monitoring and identifying operators participating in mempools that facilitate sandwich attacks. Garcia wrote in a message shared on Solana Foundation’s Discord server, “These decisions are final. Enforcement actions continue as we identify operators participating in mempools that allow sandwich attacks.”
Helius co-founder Mert Mumtaz explained that this measure ensures the foundation does not empower validators engaging in malicious activities. Removing these validators from the program reflects the foundation’s commitment to protecting individual users from harmful practices.
Sandwich attacks involve placing two transactions around the victim’s transaction to manipulate the price and profit from the difference. This type of front-running exploit clearly violates Solana Foundation’s rules, which prohibit validators from joining special mempools to conduct such attacks. Garcia reiterated, “Operators engaging in malicious activities like joining a special mempool for sandwich attack transactions or otherwise harming Solana users will not be tolerated by the delegation program.”
The Solana Foundation Delegation Program is designed to support validators by delegating SOL coins to them, eliminating the need for validators to hold a significant amount of coins themselves. Validators are selected based on performance, but participation requires adherence to good practices and ethical behavior. Those found violating these principles are immediately and permanently removed from the program, losing all stakes delegated by the foundation.
Despite their removal from the delegation program, affected validators can continue contributing to the Solana Blockchain since it operates on a permissionless network, but they will no longer benefit from the foundation’s subsidies.
MEV Issues in Solana
In Solana, issues related to Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) have arisen when validators manipulate transaction ordering to maximize profit, including front-running and sandwich attacks. These practices exploit transactions to profit from price changes, leading to higher costs and slippage for users. The Solana Foundation’s recent actions demonstrate its intent to address and mitigate these MEV issues to maintain a fair and secure network environment.
By enforcing strict rules and removing violators from the delegation program, the Solana Foundation aims to protect its network’s integrity and shield users from exploitative practices. This approach is crucial in promoting a more reliable and efficient Blockchain ecosystem by ensuring only ethical and high-performing validators benefit from the foundation’s support.
