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Ask HN: Do Crypto DAPP Apps have any security protections?

5 points by tonymet ↗ HN
My elderly friend was recently scammed out of a large sum of money using DAPP apps inside Coinbase Wallet .

During the inventory I noticed the DAPP used was unsigned and untrusted. Coinbase Wallet doesn’t seem to provide any Trust validation. A warning dialog “be sure you trust this app they can steal your money” is the only protection .

Is there any way to secure, authenticate and trust DAPP Apps?

And what can we do to recover these funds? He lives on a fixed income.

(My friend has learned his lesson – yes we know this was a big mistake)

4 comments

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tonymet
The backstory. My friend is elderly and has typical elderly challenges with vision and using a computer. The scammers tricked him to transfer the funds to the scammers account instead of Coinbase. The DAPP app rendered the fake account balance in Coinbase Wallet. So while my friend thought he had just deposited into his own Coinbase (non-custodial) wallet, the funds were actually stolen and faked using the DAPP app. Every time he opened Coinbase wallet, the fake balance was shown.
wslh
No. There is a mantra in the crypto community about DYOR (Do Your Own Research) but in a way it is an impossibility since most people don't have the knowledge to DYOR. It's like BYOD "Be Your Own Doctor".
tonymet
It’s so wild I honestly cannot believe it. 30 years of 3rd party app trust protocols (e.g. Apple App Store, Google Play, Chrome Extensions, FB/IG Apps). 2024 and Coinbase is just raw-dogging third party apps.
tonymet
I respect DYOR, but how can you research apps that have no bonafides , certs, keys etc?