Network Attacks: A Deep-dive Network attacks are a class of exploits that focus on the isolation and manipulation of individual nodes or groups of nodes. While blockchain networks are theoretically robust against such attempts, both hackers and academics have found loopholes that can be used not only to defraud and damage individuals, but also scale up to take down entire... Read More

Smart Contract Risk and How to Mitigate It: A Deep-dive The strengths of smart contracts are also the source of its weaknesses, and will always present opportunities for hackers to exploit. So far, the pace of innovation in counter-measures is struggling to keep pace with innovation in the methods of attack. It’s reasonable to assume that as the Web3 environment... Read More

The full story behind the Wormhole bridge hack that led to the fraudulent minting of 120,000 wETH and threatened to crash Solana. Early February of 2022 was a low-point for the cryptocurrency asset class; one of many more to come throughout the year. The price of BTC was on a relentless downtrend from a high of $69,044.77 on Nov 10,... Read More

Security Threats to Blockchain Networks – The utopian view of the blockchain as an unhackable alternative to the status quo is a pipedream. Many traditional cyberattacks are effective in a blockchain-based setting, and even cryptographically-secured processes are prone to errors and exploits. Understanding the potential attack vectors is a prerequisite to building a stable blockchain-based alternative to today’s centralized networks.... Read More

Table of ContentsCyber-Attack Strategies in the Blockchain Era – A Framework for Categorizing the Emerging Threats to the Crypto EconomyMarket attacksPump-and-dumpExit scamRug-pullInvestment scamFront runningEconomic attacksPhishingSpear phishingExtortionRansomwareChurningCelebrity-based scamsConsensus attacksFinney attackRace attackVector7651% majority attackNothing-at-stakeWeak subjectivityLiveness denialCensorshipPrecomputation attackSelfish miningBribery attacksLong-range PoS attacksSimplePosterior CorruptionStake BleedingNetwork-level attacksRouting attacksSybil attacksDDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)Eclipse attacksTransaction MalleabilityTimejackingWallet attacksSeizure of Private Keys (Hot Wallets)Cold wallet hacksFake WalletsSIM-SwapSecurity phrase... Read More

Self-help authors and politicians seem to agree on at least one thing: mindset matters. The shelves of bookstores worldwide are awash with motivational books by evangelical writers hoping to convert readers to their gospel of optimism. The central thesis is simple: success depends on approaching life, especially its challenges, with a positive outlook. Politicians and leaders have always appreciated the... Read More

While I add a similar disclaimer to all of my public content, it’s particularly important in this case to emphasize that the convictions I’ve expressed in this article are entirely my own. I’ve arrived at these opinions after 30 years of corporate work, but they are in no particular way inspired by any of my current or former employers or... Read More

Read Part 1: Why Part 2: How One day, sitting in the shed he called home, the journalist, Oobah Butler, had an idea: he would turn his shed into a fake restaurant and make it the top-rated eatery in London. This audacious thought wasn’t random, though. Before becoming a feature writer for VICE.com, one of Butler’s part-time jobs had been... Read More

How window-dressing chips away at any tangible rewards companies could reap from neurodiversity efforts. Diversity has made a dent in the public consciousness. With a long-overdue shift from an ethical buzzword into a brand-defining must-have, emerging nuances to diversity have at last begun to take their place on the front burner. In fact, neurodiversity is now so widely known that... Read More

Many believe total anonymity is possible using private cryptocurrencies. It might not always be the case. Are popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum private? Absolutely not. There are privacy enhancing tools and techniques that can be used to obscure crypto transactions, but in general most cryptocurrencies leave a very convenient trail to trace for investigators and law enforcement. But not... Read More