Quantstamp 2023 Web3 Security Year In Review

The upcoming EVM hardfork, Pectra, amongst other changes, will implement EIP-7702, a proposal introducing a new transaction type that allows Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) to delegate—and later undelegate—their behavior to smart contracts. While this upgrade enhances flexibility, it also disrupts long-standing security assumptions in many deployed contracts. With the risk that malicious actors may exploit these changes once Pectra is enabled, it is crucial to assess whether your codebase might be negatively impacted.

In recent months, AI agents have attracted significant attention by the promise of assisting users and automating complex processes across diverse applications. The rapid performance improvements of Large Language Models (LLMs) in natural language processing (NLP) tasks drive this trend. However, as the capabilities and reach of these agents expand, so do the risks. The rapid pace of development, combined with the intricacies of integrating LLMs into real-world infrastructures—especially in dynamic fields like blockchain—has created an urgent need to scrutinize them for security, compliance, and operational integrity.

April was a hectic month for the web3 security landscape, including significant rug pulls and security hacks totaling over $103 million in losses. Read on as we dive into three major security incidents and some of the trends from last month.