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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIf a crypto exploit may affect a contract you approved, check and revoke its token or NFT permissions on every affected network. Revocation is an on-chain transaction; disconnecting a wallet from a website does not remove an existing allowance. If your recovery phrase or private key may be exposed, move any remaining assets to a new secure wallet as soon as it is safe to do so—revoking approvals cannot make a compromised key safe.
What a token approval does—and what disconnecting does not do
A token approval, often called an allowance, lets a smart contract spend a specified token amount from your wallet. Some approvals are limited to a particular amount; others grant an unlimited allowance. An NFT approval can let a contract or address transfer a particular token or, in some cases, any NFT in a collection.
Disconnecting a wallet from a decentralized application changes its connection to the site, not permissions already recorded on-chain. Those permissions remain until they expire, are used, or you submit a transaction to change or remove them. An exploit can therefore put an old approval at risk even if you have stopped using the app or withdrawn funds from its interface. MetaMask explains the risks of unlimited permissions in its token approvals guidance; Revoke.cash maintains dated examples of approval-related incidents.
First determine whether the wallet key is safe
An abused allowance and a compromised wallet key are different problems. If evidence points to a particular exploited or malicious spender, revoke that spender’s permissions. But if someone may have obtained your recovery phrase or private key—or your device or wallet software is compromised—an attacker may still control the wallet and can potentially grant new permissions or move assets.
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MetaMask lists malware, phishing, sharing a Secret Recovery Phrase or private key, unlimited dapp permissions, and fake extensions among possible causes of unauthorized transactions in its stolen funds guidance. Ethereum.org advises moving remaining assets to a new secure wallet and revoking malicious approvals in its revocation guide. MetaMask likewise recommends creating a new account, moving remaining funds if safe, and discontinuing use of the old wallet and accounts tied to the compromised Secret Recovery Phrase.
If funds sent to the old wallet are immediately swept away, Revoke.cash says that is a sign the seed phrase is compromised. Do not keep sending funds to that wallet to cover gas; the attacker may take those too. Prioritize moving assets you can safely move to a new wallet, and avoid signing transactions from the suspect wallet unless you understand the risk.
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Revoke approvals step by step
- List the affected networks. Identify the blockchain where the exploit or suspicious transaction occurred. An approval checker for Ethereum Mainnet will not show permissions on Polygon or another network. Treat each chain as a separate check.
- Open a reputable approval checker or wallet tool. Ethereum.org names Revoke.cash, Revokescout via Blockscout, and Etherscan’s Token Approval Checker. MetaMask also lists supported explorer checkers and wallet tools in its approval guidance. Before connecting, confirm that the service supports the affected network and the approval type you need to inspect.
- Connect to the correct network and inspect the permission. Confirm the chain, token or NFT collection, spender contract address, and allowance or approval status. Prioritize the known exploited spender, unfamiliar contracts, unused permissions, and unlimited allowances. Do not rely only on a dapp name shown in your wallet; verify the spender address against reliable incident or explorer information.
- Submit the revocation transaction. For an ERC-20 token, revocation generally sets the allowance to zero. For an NFT, it removes the relevant approval or sets the permission to false. This requires an on-chain transaction and a network fee. The wallet prompt may still say “approve” because the contract uses an approval function to change the permission value. Read the transaction details carefully; do not sign a new positive or unlimited allowance when your intention is to revoke.
- Wait for confirmation and verify. After the transaction confirms, refresh the checker and reconnect to the same network. Ethereum.org advises refreshing after a few minutes and checking that the revoked contract has disappeared from the list. If it remains, confirm you are viewing the right chain and wallet address, then inspect the transaction status in a block explorer.
- Save evidence and report the incident. Keep the relevant wallet and spender addresses, transaction hashes, screenshots, and communications. Ethereum.org’s guide includes reporting options for scam addresses, websites, and law enforcement. A revocation does not reverse a transfer that has already happened.
Choose a checker that fits the approval you need to review
Tool support varies and may change, so confirm current network and approval-type support in the service interface. Compare the options on these practical points:
- Network coverage: Can it inspect the chain where the permission exists?
- Permission coverage: Does it show the ERC-20 allowances or the NFT approvals relevant to your situation?
- Clarity: Does it show the spender address, token, and permission or allowance amount clearly enough to verify what you are changing?
- Transaction handling: Does it let you submit a revocation through your wallet, where you can review and sign the on-chain transaction?
- Verification: Can you refresh the result after confirmation and check that the permission changed?
Ethereum.org and MetaMask identify explorer-based checkers and wallet-connected tools; neither a tool’s familiar name nor its list of approvals proves that it covers every chain or every non-standard approval.
Understand what revocation can and cannot do
- It limits future use of the permission. A successfully revoked allowance prevents that spender from using the revoked token allowance going forward, unless you grant it permission again.
- It cannot recover stolen assets. Self-custodial transactions are not reversible by MetaMask, and Revoke.cash cannot restore assets already taken. Revocation is prevention for remaining exposure, not a refund.
- It does not withdraw deposits. Revoking an allowance does not itself unstake or withdraw tokens already deposited in a protocol. A later action that needs the spender may require a new approval.
- It may disrupt an intended use. Some active NFT listings depend on an approval. Focus first on exploited, unknown, or unnecessary permissions rather than assuming every approval is harmful.
- A standard checker may miss some NFT approvals. Revoke.cash notes that some older NFT collections do not emit the indexed approval events standard tools rely on. If a relevant approval is missing, check the collection’s interface or an appropriate block explorer as well.
Examples of approval-related exploits
Revoke.cash’s incident list reports that about $13.4 million was stolen from SwapNet users on January 25, 2026, after an attacker abused approvals granted directly to SwapNet; the incident report advises affected users to revoke those approvals. It also reports about $3.6 million stolen from Arcadia Finance users on July 15, 2025, and says Arcadia advised users to revoke approvals and disable active automations. These are amounts and incident details reported by Revoke.cash, not independently audited totals; consult its incident list for the reported context and current status.
The examples illustrate why an allowance can matter after a user stops interacting with a protocol. They do not mean every approval is malicious, nor do they establish how common approval abuse is across crypto users.
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