Address truncation in wallets remains a critical vulnerability: Ethereum Community Foundation warns after $50 million USDT theft

A recent cyber scam incident highlights a security issue that has gone unnoticed in the industry for years. Hackers exploited a common user interface practice: partially hiding blockchain addresses using ellipses ( for example: 0xbaf4b1aF…B6495F8b5).

How the attack happened

The attacker employed a sophisticated strategy: generating a fraudulent address that matched the first three characters and the last digits of the legitimate address. This approach takes advantage of the ellipsis system that hides the middle section of the address. A victim, trusting that the visible characters were sufficient for verification, transferred 50 million USDT to the malicious address without thoroughly examining the full code.

Vulnerabilities in the user interface

The Ethereum Community Foundation has warned that many digital wallets and block explorers implement this problematic display system. By hiding the central portion of the address, they create a security blind spot that malicious actors can easily exploit. The real issue is not the ellipses as a concept, but the false sense of security they provide.

Recommendations for greater protection

The organization immediately recommends displaying addresses in full, without any truncation. This change would allow users to verify each character completely before authorizing transactions. Improvements to current user interfaces are technically feasible and could be implemented without major complications in wallets and block explorer platforms.

This warning serves as an urgent call to the entire industry to rethink security standards in the display of critical information.