Post by Informal Systems

After 95+ blockchain security audits, one truth stands out: The most dangerous vulnerabilities don't come from checklists, they lurk at the boundaries where systems interact. Here's what securing millions in assets has taught us: 1. Developer mindset is critical for effective security. Developing infrastructure like CometBFT, IBC, and Hermes has shown us how valid components can interact to create unexpected vulnerabilities that typical security reviews miss. 2. Cross-ecosystem insights lead to more effective security assessments. Our work across Cosmos, Ethereum, and Bitcoin reveals patterns of vulnerability that single-ecosystem auditors often miss, especially in cross-chain protocols where different consensus models interact. 3. System invariants provide stronger security guarantees than bug hunting. This insight led us to build Quint, our formal specification language focused on properties that must hold true under all conditions. These lessons have shaped our comprehensive security audit methodology. Discover how we approach blockchain security differently: https://lnkd.in/eR3Yjg6W