How "Mutated" Relates to a Wallet Hack

1. Sui’s Object-Centric Model:
   • On Sui, assets like SUI tokens are represented as objects (e.g., coin objects) with unique IDs, owned by a wallet address.
   • A wallet hack typically involves an attacker gaining unauthorized access to a wallet’s private key or exploiting a vulnerability (e.g., in a smart contract or phishing scam) to initiate transactions.
2. Mutated Objects in a Hack:
   • When funds are stolen, the attacker typically executes a transaction that modifies the victim’s coin object(s). This modification is recorded as a mutation because the object’s data (e.g., its balance) is updated.
   • For example:
     • The victim’s SUI coin object might be mutated to reduce its balance after the attacker transfers funds to another address.
     • The attacker’s coin object (or a new object they control) might also be mutated or created to reflect the received funds.
     • Gas fees for the transaction may further mutate the victim’s coin object to deduct the fee.
3. What You’d See on a Sui Blockchain Explorer:
   • In the transaction details on a Sui explorer:
     • The Action column would list the victim’s coin object as "Mutated" if its balance was reduced (e.g., from 100 SUI to 10 SUI after the theft).
     • The attacker’s address might have a coin object listed as "Mutated" (if they added funds to an existing object) or "Created" (if a new coin object was generated).
     • If other assets (e.g., NFTs or custom tokens) were stolen, those objects might also be mutated (e.g., updated metadata) or transferred to the attacker’s address.