Governance Attacks: DeFi's Cheapest—and Deadliest—Exploit Class

Governance attacks represent a critical vulnerability in DeFi protocols because they require only capital—not technical expertise or hacking skills—to execute. Recent incidents like Moonwell ($1.08M potential theft for $1,800), GreenField DAO ($31M loss), and Beanstalk ($182M loss) demonstrate that governance hijacking often delivers infinite ROI when facilitated by flash loans. As protocols continue to neglect proper governance safeguards, these attacks have become DeFi's highest-ROI exploit vector, demanding urgent attention from developers and token holders.