A recent hack that resulted in the loss of $4.13 million has brought to light a significant security contrast between the Ethereum ($ETH) and Cardano (ADA) blockchains. A Cardano DRep, known as “dori,” shared insights on Cardano’s security superiority over Ethereum in a detailed post outlining the exploit.
Ethereum MEV design faulted for $4.13 million breach
The hacker leveraged a vulnerability in the DeFi protocol Makinafi on Ethereum, as explained by dori. They attribute the exploit to Ethereum’s transaction-ordering mechanism that enabled MEV bots to capitalize on the breach before the hacker could act.
Due to Ethereum’s security design, the MEV bots rearranged the transaction, leading to a substantial loss of approximately $4.13 million, shared between the hacker and the MEV bot.
Following the hack on @makinafi on $ETH, MEV bots intercepted the breach, resulting in a loss of around $4.13M to the platform. It’s akin to a bank robbery with an unexpected twist…
— dori (@dori_coin) January 27, 2026
Dori asserts that Ethereum’s design flaw facilitated this incident, showcasing a profit-focused approach over security. They likened the scenario to a government official seizing stolen money from a bank robber.
In a fair system, Ethereum should prioritize halting the hacker or reclaiming the funds, rather than permitting them to redirect the money. Dori attributes this issue to Ethereum’s security architecture, stemming from its profit-centric blockchain model.
Comparatively, Cardano is lauded by dori for being a more equitable financial infrastructure. Utilizing the eUTXO model, Cardano ensures transaction validity independently of execution order, mitigating profit opportunities, sandwich attacks, and MEV extraction.
According to dori, Cardano’s design would have prevented a similar incident on its blockchain, emphasizing its fairer financial system in contrast to Ethereum. This highlights how Ethereum’s structure enables powerful entities to benefit from breaches, contradicting its claims of being a neutral or just financial system.
Makinafi funds recovery update
Despite dori’s critique, Makinafi successfully recovered most of the stolen funds through collaboration with MEV builders and validators, who executed a restitution plan for affected users.
Interestingly, amidst the Ethereum-Cardano rivalry, a Midnight developer hinted at a potential integration between the two blockchains in December 2025. This integration aims to enable direct connectivity between Ethereum and Cardano wallets without requiring a switch between ecosystems.
