What is a Wallet Drainer?
A wallet drainer is malicious software that exploits token approvals, signed messages, or compromised keys to transfer all assets from a victim's cryptocurrency wallet — typically through phishing sites, malicious dApps, or compromised legitimate applications.
WHY IT MATTERS
Wallet drainers are the most common attack vector in crypto. Services like Inferno Drainer, Pink Drainer, and Angel Drainer provide drain-as-a-service toolkits that attackers deploy through phishing sites mimicking legitimate dApps. Victims connect their wallets and sign a malicious transaction or approval that transfers all their assets.
The typical flow: victim visits a phishing site → connects wallet → signs a 'claim' or 'mint' transaction → the transaction is actually a transfer/approval that sends all tokens to the attacker. Sophisticated drainers batch multiple token transfers into a single transaction.
Agent wallets face automated drain risks. A compromised MCP tool, malicious contract interaction, or prompt injection could cause the agent to sign transactions that transfer all wallet contents. Without spending limits, a single malicious interaction can drain everything.
HOW POLICYLAYER USES THIS
PolicyLayer prevents wallet draining by enforcing per-transaction and cumulative spending limits. Even if an agent is tricked into signing a malicious transaction, the policy limits cap the loss — the entire wallet can't be drained in one transaction or even across multiple transactions.