Hartej Sawhney's high bets of the world of security audits
West of the chain chain, where treasures are made and eliminated in an instant, it is not a clever conclusion of the security of contracts is not just a buzz – it is a cornerstone of trust.
As self -evident contracts are increasingly becoming the backbone of decentralized finance and growing application, ensuring that their safety is more critical than ever. But the landscape is treacherous, with potential traps that even the most experienced developer can overlook.
Hartej Sawhney, the founder and CEO of Zokyo and the creator of Hosho, the first cyber security company of Hosho, gave an overview of the difficulty of auditing a smart contract. In the field of 11 years of experience, his team in Zokyo has secured more than $ 42 billion digital assets.
Zokyo specializes in insuring complex Web3 protocols and infrastructure. Their experienced engineers understand the innovative risks provided by protocols, modular 2 solutions and depinecosystems. These developing systems are often complex, lacking in -depth auditing and developing at a pace that challenges traditional security measures.
Facts and figures: a growing problem
In 2024, the block chain and cryptocurrency sectors experienced a significant increase in security violations, emphasizing the critical need for advanced defenses. According to an annual report, about $ 2.2 billion were stolen in 303 hacking cases, indicating an increase in stolen funds by 21% compared to last year.
These worrying numbers emphasize the necessary security measures in the chip chain ecosystem. Especially now that adoption accelerates between institutions, Fortune 500 companies and the public sector.
As a result, leading BUG Bounty platforms offer increasingly significant payments to ethical hackers, who reveal critical vulnerabilities of smart contracts. For example, Uniswap imposed as much as $ 15.5 million in its V4's basic contracts. This trend reflects a broader shift in the industry, as technical giants such as Microsoft and Google also increase their investments in preventive security.
Unique Challenges of Blockchain Security
Unlike traditional software, where vulnerabilities can often be patched after post -garbage, smart contracts are unchanged while living in blockchain. This unchanged creates a high contribution to the environment where security audits must be thorough before being deployed.
As Sawhney says:
“Smart contracts are unchanged and often have real financial value from the first day. There is no mistake – with one neglected vulnerability, there may be immediate and irreversible consequences. Therefore, blockchain audits require a completely different way of thinking.”
Damn is in details: a widespread clever contract attacks
Even the best -crafted smart contract can be withdrawn with one neglected vulnerability. Therefore, security auditors must maintain relentless attention to the details – the smallest mistake may open the door for important operation. Sawhney breaks down some of the most common threats:
“Reentrancy Attacks' Exploit the Recursive Calling of Functions Before a Contract's State is Updated, Often Resulting in Unintended and Dangerous Behavior. Bances to Gain Unfair Advantes in Distribution.
These are just a few common suspects. Uncontrolled external speeches, the dependence of the timeline and excessive the complexity of the contract remain as important risks, each extending the attack space in different ways. However, more is that the danger landscape is constantly evolving, as attackers are working on increasingly sophisticated ways to use smart contracts.
“Smart contracts, as limited national machines can exist in many states, some of which may be vulnerable to attacks,” states Sawhney. “Developers can avoid these vulnerabilities through defense programming, extensive testing (both unit, integration and cloud testing), and through the entire development process, security mindset.”
Balancing: Thorough Vs Temporal Restrictions
Blockchain's development moves fast and security teams often compete against the clock. Auditors provide deep and thorough analysis by navigating dense deadlines and rapidly developing code bases.
“Criminal hackers have an unlimited time to find one vulnerability, while auditors need to detect all possible problems within a limited time,” said Sawhney. “By working closely with development teams, auditors can speed up their understanding of the code and focus on revealing critical vulnerabilities, which may not be immediately obvious.”
Enter white hats: role of ethical hacking teams
Ethical hacking teams, often called white hats, are an important part of the safety equation. These cyber security experts use their skills to identify and use vulnerabilities in a controlled environment, providing invaluable information for developers and project stakeholders. According to Sawhney:
“Ethical hacking teams increase security audits by simulating the attacks of the real world, similar to the red team operations in traditional cyber security. They introduce malicious hacker mindsets and techniques to test the durability of smart treaties, providing knowledge that standard audits can skip. durability.
As technology also develops, the tools and techniques available to security auditors. Of course, as with everything else technology, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a role. At the forefront of this evolution is the AI-executed static analysis and advanced smoothing platforms. These tools allow for more complex detection of vulnerability and advanced simulation of the real world scenarios.
“Tools like AI-implemented static analysis and advanced smoothing platforms make a smart contract revolutionary,” Said Sawhney. “These tools allow for a more complex identification of vulnerability and better simulation of real world scenarios. Platforms like delicate offering advanced smoothing options, but more user -friendly, integrated solutions in development environments such
In addition to the technical skills: the human element
Although technical knowledge is undoubtedly crucial for a successful security auditor, Sawhney emphasizes the importance of effective communication skills:
“In addition to technical skills, effective communication is crucial for security auditors. They need to convert complex technical problems into a language that is understandable to non -technical stakeholders, especially in the audit reports, which are primary to customers. Clearly articulated and recommended corrections ensure that all parties understand security positions and repair.”
However, the development teams should ensure that their code is complete and thoroughly documented before the auditors are involved.
“In order to maximize the efficiency of the security audit, the development teams should ensure that their code is complete and fully documented before the audit begins,” said Sawhney. “This includes a thorough unit testing and detailed documentation of the planned functionality and design of the contract. Involving the auditors, dealing with open and identified problems can significantly improve the results of the audit.”
Navigating ethical considerations and risks
In a world of pseudonymous block chain, where transparency and privacy often collide, the involvement of external security auditors is unique challenges. Trust problems and potential conflicts of interest are inherent risks that organizations need to solve to ensure transparency and responsibility.
To alleviate these risks, Sawhney recommends a few important steps:
“The use of external teams in a pseudonymous block chain environment for security audits are unique challenges, including potential conflicts and trust. In order to alleviate these risks, companies should apply strong error branches to rapidly reported vulnerabilities and know their client (KYC) measures to ensure responsibility and For clear communication and defined. “In ethical areas.
In front of the road
The dangers and vulnerability facing security auditors are constantly evolving and the stakes have never been higher. Fulfillment of this challenge requires accurate attention to details, the use of innovative tools and a collaboration -based mindset. Only then can the ecosystem of the chain become a safer and more durable environment for everyone. Sawhney in the words:
“Security is not a one -off event, but a continuing process. By accepting the best practices, the use of a preventive approach, and working with security experts, we can navigate in this digital minefield and create a more durable and reliable block chain.”
This article was originally published dataconomy and it is published with the permission.
