Upgradeable contract (proxy)
The contract is a proxy: the logic behind it can be replaced later.
Why it matters
What you audited today is not necessarily what runs tomorrow. Common in serious projects, but it is still power somebody holds.
- Severity in our model
- Warning
- Applies to
- Ethereum and other EVM chains
- Where we read it
- Contract analysis (GoPlus Security)
- Tokens we found it on
- 28 tokens of 5,361 checked
Tokens where we found this
From the tokens we have checked, most traded first. A finding on this list is a property of the contract or the pool — read the token's page for the full picture before drawing a conclusion.
- PYUSDPayPal USDEthereum · $100.19MSome risk
- USDSUSDS StablecoinEthereum · $50MSome risk
- cbBTCCoinbase Wrapped BTCBase · $17.65MSome risk
- EURCEURCBase · $1.25MSome risk
- ARBArbitrumArbitrum · $1.9MSome risk
- cbBTCCoinbase Wrapped BTCArbitrum · $1.63MSome risk
- stETHLiquid staked Ether 2.0Ethereum · $90.4MSome risk
- SOLSOLANABNB Chain · $1.25MSome risk
- cbETHCoinbase Wrapped Staked ETHBase · $2.47MSome risk
- MORPHOMorpho TokenBase · $879.6kSome risk
- frxUSDFrax USDEthereum · $16.61MSome risk
- AAVEAave TokenEthereum · $11.51MSome risk
- EURCEuro CoinEthereum · $5.63MSome risk
- USD1World Liberty Financial USDBNB Chain · $5.4MSome risk
- wstETHWrapped liquid staked Ether 2.0Base · $4.4MSome risk
- wstETHWrapped liquid staked Ether 2.0Optimism · $501.1kSome risk
- PENDLEPendleArbitrum · $2.04MSome risk
- MAGICMAGICBase · $388.1kSome risk
- BRETTBrettBNB Chain · $335.3kSome risk
- GRTGraph TokenArbitrum · $471.8kSome risk
- SHIBSHIBA INUBNB Chain · $390.8kSome risk
- AVAXAvalancheBNB Chain · $204.5kSome risk
- UNIUniswapBNB Chain · $1.26MSome risk
- weETHWrapped eETHBase · $1.48MSome risk
- sAVAXStaked AVAXAvalanche · $264.9kBlocking risk found
Who holds this power, and when it matters
This is a capability, not an event: nothing has happened to the token because of it. What it means is that a specific address can decide something about your holding later. On a regulated issuer — a stablecoin, a bank-issued token — that power is usually disclosed policy, used to comply with court orders, and the issuer has a name and an address. On an anonymous token it is the piece that turns a normal-looking launch into a trap once enough money is in. The question worth asking is not "does the power exist" but "who holds it, and what do they lose by using it".
What to check next
Look at whether ownership has been renounced, and whether it can be taken back. A renounced contract with no hidden owner cannot use owner-only powers at all — we mark that on the token page when it applies. Then look at how the supply is distributed: a power in the hands of someone who also holds most of the tokens is a much shorter path to a loss than the same power held by an issuer with a business to protect.
How to check it yourself
Everything we report can be verified without us. Open the contract on the block explorer for its chain, read the verified source if there is one, and look at the holders tab: who holds the supply, whether the pool tokens sit in a lock contract or a personal wallet. For market data, compare the pool size with how much actually trades — a pool nobody trades in is a number, not an exit.
If you are about to buy, the cheapest test is the smallest one: buy a tiny amount, then immediately try to sell it. A contract that blocks selling will tell you so for a few dollars instead of everything you were about to put in.
Related checks
- Maximum trade size can be changed The owner can change the limit on how much can be traded in one transaction.
- Trading cooldown The contract enforces a waiting period between trades for the same wallet.
- More tokens can be minted The supply is not fixed: an authority can create new tokens at will.
- Transfer fee on every move The token charges a fee on each transfer, held by the token extension.
- Name and metadata can be changed The update authority can still rewrite the token name, symbol and image.
- Custom transfer hook Every transfer calls custom code before it completes.
Questions
What does "Upgradeable contract (proxy)" mean on a token?
The contract is a proxy: the logic behind it can be replaced later. What you audited today is not necessarily what runs tomorrow. Common in serious projects, but it is still power somebody holds.
Does it mean the token is a scam?
No. It is a property of the contract or a fact about the market, read from a public source at a point in time. On its own it does not stop you selling. It is context, and it matters most alongside the other findings on the token page.
Where do you read it from?
From contract analysis (GoPlus Security), which reads the deployed contract and its authorities directly on chain.
All checks · how the verdict is calculated · tokens we have checked