If You Can’t Read It, Don’t Sign It: Why Signature Transparency Matters in Web3
Key Takeaways
• In Web3, unreadable signatures enable phishing and asset theft
• Safe multisigs aren’t foolproof—final signers can be tricked into confirming malicious transactions
• Permit signatures silently grant spending access, making them a favorite phishing vector
• OneKey parses all signatures—Safe, EIP-712, Permit2—and shows contract details clearly
• Signature transparency is essential for all wallet users, not just DAOs or power users
In the world of crypto, every action we take—every transfer, every authorization, every contract interaction—is ultimately a signature. But do you really know what you're signing?
Most of today’s transaction signatures are not human-readable. They’re hashes. They’re ABI. They’re technical details that many users can’t understand. That means most users are signing blindly.
These unreadable signatures have become a breeding ground for phishing attacks and one of the most overlooked vulnerabilities in Web3 security.
This article breaks down two common attack methods—Safe multisig misuse and Permit phishing—and introduces how OneKey helps you understand every signature before it’s too late.
1. Safe Multisig Is Not a Magic Safety Box
Safe is the most popular multisig wallet protocol in the ecosystem. Its logic appears solid: a transaction requires multiple owner signatures before execution.
But the real danger lies in the signing process, not the final execution.
Imagine you’re the last signer in a multisig transaction. You see that others have already signed. Maybe you’re rushing, or afraid of slowing down the team. So you just click "Confirm" without reading anything—and that’s how entire funds have been transferred to hackers, under your final signature.
This isn’t hypothetical. Many DAOs and institutions have faced these exact scenarios in real operations.
The problem isn’t the system—it’s that humans didn’t understand what they were signing.
OneKey's solution is to make every Safe signature transparent.
Before you sign, OneKey will show you:
- Who initiated the transaction?
- Which contract is being called?
- What function is being executed?
- What tokens, amounts, and addresses are involved?
You’re no longer signing an opaque hash—you’re confirming a readable, understandable contract action.
2. Permit Signatures: The Most Popular and Dangerous Phishing Method
Permit signatures (like EIP-2612 or Permit2) have become the go-to attack vector for phishing campaigns in recent years.
The danger? They don’t transfer funds directly, so users let their guard down. But these signatures silently grant unlimited spending access to your tokens.
Here’s how a typical attack works:
- You visit a fake site—maybe a "whitelist registration" or airdrop page.
- The site asks you to sign a "verification" message.
- What you actually sign is a permit granting an attacker full approval to your tokens.
- The attacker then uses
transferFromto drain your wallet without you ever clicking “Send.”
These attacks are terrifying not just because they’re silent—but because they look legitimate.
OneKey’s Permit Signature Parsing can detect and alert you to these hidden approvals.
Before signing, OneKey shows you:
- Which token is being approved?
- What’s the approval amount? (Is it “infinite”?)
- Who is being approved?
- Are there any red flags? (e.g. suspicious or unverified address)
The goal is simple: stop you from signing away your assets by mistake.
3. Signature Parsing: A Must-Have for the Next Generation of Wallets
Wallets are no longer just “storage” tools. In today’s complex Web3 world, wallets must help users understand their actions.
Authorizations. Contract calls. Delegate permissions. These are all hidden in signatures—and a secure wallet must be able to decode them before asking for your approval.
Since Day 1, OneKey has built human-readable signature parsing as a core feature.
- For Safe / Gnosis series: full contract call details
- For EIP-712 / EIP-2616 / Permit: decode message contents and mark key risks
- For batch transactions, DelegateCalls, and advanced functions: warnings and insights
- All key details are clearly shown on both the app and hardware device screen
Final Thoughts
If you can’t read it, don’t sign it.
If you don’t understand it, don’t confirm it.
OneKey helps you understand every signature before signing, empowering you to make informed, secure decisions.
It’s not just for Safe users, DAO managers, or Web3 veterans. Everyone who connects a wallet needs this kind of protection.
Making signatures transparent is the smallest loop we can close for Web3 security—and the most important one we want to guard for you.
Learn more about OneKey👉 onekey.so
