DAO behind CoW Swap urges users to stay off platform after ‘hijacking‘
TL;DR
CoW Swap's DAO has urged users to avoid its platform due to a DNS hijacking incident. The organization is currently addressing the security breach and has paused its backend and APIs.
Key points
- CoW Swap's website was hijacked via DNS exploit
- DAO advises users to avoid the platform
- Backend and APIs have been paused
Decentralized exchange aggregator CoW Swap is calling on users to refrain from using its website after an unknown party hijacked its domain.
In a Tuesday X post, the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) behind CoW Swap said its website had experienced a “DNS [Domain Name System] hijacking,” leading to a pause of its backend and APIs. The frontend exploit, through the website http://swap.cow.fi, was ongoing at the time of publication.
“We are now actively working to resolve the situation,” said CoW Swap. “Please continue to refrain from using swap dot cow dot fi until we confirm that it is safe to use.”
Source: CoW Swap
DNS attacks like the one CoW Swap reported are not uncommon among crypto and blockchain companies where user funds are at risk from phishing attempts. Decentralized exchange Balancer reported a domain attack in 2023, while Curve Finance said it has experienced multiple DNS hijackings.
Related: Firestorm erupts in Aave governance forum over CoW Swap fees
The price of the CoW Protocol’s COW token dropped more than 3% amid news of the domain hijacking, to $0.2159 from $0.2229.
Web3 hacks, driven by phishing, resulted in a half billion dollars in losses in Q1 2026
Blockchain security company Hacken reported on Tuesday that Web3 projects lost $482 million to hacks and scams in the first quarter of 2026. According to Hacken, there were 44 incidents over Q1 2026, most of which were phishing and social engineering attacks.
Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?
Q&A
What happened to CoW Swap's website?
CoW Swap's website experienced a DNS hijacking, prompting the DAO to advise users to stay off the platform.
What should users do regarding CoW Swap after the hijacking?
Users are advised to refrain from using the CoW Swap website until the DAO confirms it is safe.
How is CoW Swap addressing the DNS hijacking issue?
CoW Swap is actively working to resolve the DNS hijacking situation and has paused its backend and APIs.
