Over the past few years, crypto users have faced a steady wave of attacks from malicious decentralized applications (dApps) designed to “drain” wallets of their assets. These so-called drainer dApps are typically disguised as legitimate platforms but hide malicious smart contracts that steal funds the moment a user signs an interaction.
The latest evolution of this threat is Vanilla Drainer, a drainer-as-a-service that reportedly siphoned more than $5 million in just three weeks, according to Cointelegraph. The service even advertises itself as capable of bypassing advanced fraud detection tools making it particularly dangerous for unsuspecting users.
While drainer scams are not new, their sophistication is growing. That means users need more than awareness; they need wallet-level security measures designed to stop these attacks at their source.
The Drainer Problem in 2025
Crypto drainers exploit one of the biggest pain points in decentralized finance: transaction approvals. When connecting to a dApp, users often have to grant permissions for smart contracts to access their tokens. Most people click through these prompts without fully reading them, and malicious actors take advantage of this by crafting approvals that give them unlimited access to a wallet’s funds.
Like its predecessors, Angel and Inferno, Vanilla Drainer automates this process and sells it as a service to scammers. This industrialization of wallet draining puts more users at risk, especially those relying on hot wallets, where private keys are easily compromised.
Secure WalletConnect Integration
Tangem Wallet tackles this threat from multiple angles. The recent upgrade to its WalletConnect user interface makes the connection process seamless and significantly safer.
Here’s how:
- Private Keys Stay Offline
Tangem is an actual cold wallet. The private keys never leave the secure element inside the Tangem card. Even if a malicious dApp attempts to exploit permissions, it cannot extract or control private keys; the user always holds the ultimate signing power.
- Transparent Approval Flows
With the new UI, every action requested by a dApp through WalletConnect is clearly displayed, requiring explicit user confirmation. This prevents the “blind approval” problem that drainers depend on. Users can see exactly what they’re signing and reject anything suspicious.
- Safer dApp Access Across Multiple Networks
Tangem’s WalletConnect works with a wide range of EVM-compatible chains and Solana. That means users can interact with popular, well-audited dApps on Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, and more, without relying on risky, unverified platforms where drainers are more likely to appear.
- Built-In Safety Guidance
Tangem also provides users with educational tools and support for revoking harmful approvals. If a user ever suspects their wallet has been exposed to a drainer, they can quickly revoke permissions using explorers like Etherscan. Combined with Tangem’s non-custodial setup, this ensures users always maintain full control.
Why Better Education Matters Now
The rise of services like Vanilla Drainer highlights a critical reality: scams are becoming more professionalized, scalable, and harder to detect. No single anti-fraud tool can catch them all.
That’s why security must be built into the wallet itself. Tangem’s combination of cold-storage security, transparent approval processes, and improved WalletConnect integration gives users the power to interact with decentralized applications safely without falling prey to hidden drainers.
Final Thoughts
Crypto adoption continues to grow, but so does the sophistication of attacks targeting users. The best defense is a wallet that stores assets securely and helps prevent mistakes that scammers exploit.
With its upgraded WalletConnect UI, Tangem Wallet empowers users to explore DeFi with confidence, knowing that their assets stay secure, their approvals stay transparent, and their keys never leave the card.