Developers of Ethereum Launch First-Ever Blockchain Hackathon — Attackathon
Developers of Ethereum have announced the first-ever blockchain hackathon called Attackathon, which promises to be a landmark event in the world of cryptocurrencies. This unique competition, with a total prize pool of $2 million, will last for four weeks and will focus on identifying vulnerabilities in the Ethereum protocol code ahead of the important Pectra hard fork. Organizers emphasize that Attackathon will be the largest crowdsourced security audit for the Ethereum blockchain codebase.
Announcement and Organization
According to a statement from the Ethereum Protocol Security (EPS) research group, the hackathon will start with technical familiarization of the participants with the blockchain code. This initial introduction will give participants the opportunity to better understand the structure and potential vulnerabilities of the system. Rewards will be given for the discovery of the most critical errors, provided detailed reports that meet the event’s requirements are submitted.
At the end of the hackathon, the results will be collected and analyzed by the event’s partner, the vulnerability search platform Immunefi, which will prepare a report with a detailed description of all discovered errors and vulnerabilities.
Funding and Future Hackathons
The Ethereum team has allocated $500,000 from the prize pool, and the remaining $1.5 million has been raised through sponsors. This event will kick off a new tradition: EPS plans to organize similar hackathons before each hard fork that introduces changes to the Ethereum codebase.
The next hard fork, Pectra, is expected in late 2024 — early 2025 and will combine updates under the code names Prague and Electra. One of the most significant changes expected in this hard fork will be the implementation of a social recovery function. This feature will allow users to eliminate the need to remember a complex 24-word private key and will also add new smart contract wallet features.
Examples of Changes in Other Projects
Previously, the Solana blockchain, in collaboration with Immunefi, also launched a bug bounty program ahead of the release of the Firedancer client-validator, which is designed to increase network throughput and resilience.
The Ethereum Attackathon represents a significant step forward in ensuring the security and reliability of blockchain technologies, providing a unique opportunity for the community of researchers and developers to play a key role in protecting the Ethereum ecosystem ahead of important updates.
