CrypticDefense

Security Researcher @GuardianAudits

Educate Yourself 👇🏼

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

AI is going to make audits lower quality and increase the demand for good Security Researchers.

Too many new researchers are relying on AI completely to find bugs rather than understanding the code line by line manually.

The worst part is since AI is catching real (mostly obvious) bugs, so many are going to chase the “quick high” again rather than do the real hard work.

Likely we will see within 1 year how much the demand for good auditors will increase, and sadly this may increase the number of hacks.

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@WhiteHatMage “In this top tier codebase, a top tier finding was missed by top auditors at top security firms”

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@__Shafeeq0x @HackenProof Mashallah bro, keep winning

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

Pro tip: use your prompts like a red-dot sight.

[Frank @frankdegods]

bro basically said "look for bugs that could exploit zcash"

that's the prompt that found an exploit in a 10 billion dollar protocol

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@redghosthive Good choice!

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

Hunting bugs in secure codebases can be an extremely low-dopamine activity. After hours of staring at code, your brain starts craving quick stimulation, such as doomscrolling or a short game of chess.

A downward spiral of distraction follows and holds you back from breaking through as a Security Researcher.

You just need to find a healthy way to satisfy your brain's craving for dopamine.

For me, having a cup of coffee usually does the trick (max 3 per day).

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@0x158_ - Green tea
- Go for a walk
- Pushups
- Play with your dog/cat
- Listen to music

Although for me nothing beats a good cup of coffee ☕️

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@Parth0x108 @HackenProof One step closer to a unique find 🙌🏼

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@maraoz AI derangement syndrome strikes again.

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@4gontuk Great work! 🙌🏼

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

I would argue 0% of them are.

If a security researcher was able to have a decent performance in contests, they can also earn well from bounties or private audits. No incentive to turn blackhat.

If they couldn't perform well, then they lack the skill to execute some of the recent hacks anyways.

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

With contest platforms shutting down, AI fearmongering, and a constant flood of spam submissions, many new security researchers feel lost and no longer know where to start.

This is the exact roadmap I would follow if I had to start over today:

https://t.co/uGwKiDVoVZ

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

The barrier to entry for new SRs was already high, and it just got worse. The space already lacks experienced white hats, as shown by the countless hacks last month.

Although existing SRs may benefit from less competition in the short term, fewer eyeballs mean major hacks will continue, making mainstream DeFi adoption much more difficult.

We need to get more creative and find alternatives to help onboard new talent.

[Code4rena @code4rena]

After careful consideration, we’ve made the decision to wind down @code4rena. This community has meant a great deal to everyone who has been part of building it, and sharing this news is not easy.

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@pkqs90 @immunefi Beast!

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@Haxatron1 Escalations only by AI too? 😄

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@TamayoNft Congrats man! 🙌🏼

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@fromeo_016 @monad @code4rena 🔥🔥

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@justAWanderKid Only monero really does. I meant to say it’s the only one that will win in the end.

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

Monero > Zcash > BTC.

Privacy will win at the end.

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

@ParthMandale Great choice! Gl on your journey 🙌🏼

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

It certainly can be a useful assistant if you use it right.

Proving the ai wrong just to look at X and see many people scared they will be replaced 😅

If AI is performing poorly on finding bugs within protocols types that have the largest dataset of findings to learn from, I wonder what that means for SRs specializing in niche areas. I think that shows there is a clear way to become irreplaceable for the foreseeable future.

[CrypticDefense @crypticdefense]

Every Security Researcher of some level using AI can confirm how shit AI is at finding bugs.

Anyone that tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.

Avoid AI audits or get rekt.