Week 4: Blockchain security and Research

TOC

1. AI

2. Decentralized Applications

3. Smart Contract Security and Auditing

4. MEV and Blockchain Research

5. Code is Law

AI

• Use agentic IDEs i.e. cursor, claude code, opencode or Github Copilot to write contracts and tests.

  • Anthropic: AI agents find $4.6M in blockchain smart contract exploits

• Using AI to look for smart contract vulnerabilities.

  • Agent Lisa

• Finite Monkey: AI engine for smart contract audit

• AI Agents

  • x402 web payments

  • Autonmous agents with ERC8004

• AI Sectools (TG Chat)

Decentralized Applications

• Ethereum Book: Chapter 12

• Ethereum Apps

Applications

Popular Consumer applications

• Coninbase (Custodial wallet)

• Unswap (Decentralized Exchange)

• pump.fun (Token Launching)

• DexScreen (Explore token launches)

• Polymarket (Prediction markets)

• Hyperliquid (Perps)

• Opensea (Art & NFTs)

Social

• Zora (Social app insta vibes)

• Facaster (Social app twitter vibes)

• Base App (Social app)

• fomo (new)

Data and analytics

• Dune

• coingecko

• Token Terminal

x402 Payments

• x402.org

• Coinbase x402

Chain Ecosystem

• Layer 2 chains

• Base

• Unichain

• Optimism

Smart Contract Security and Auditing

• Ethereum Book: Chapter 9 (Smart Contract Security)

• Ethereum Protocol Attackathon 2025

• Security considerations (Solidity docs)

• Defi Hack Labs (Reproduce DeFi hacked incidents using Foundry)

• Seal 911 bot

Audit contests

• Audit contests and bounties

  • Imunifi bug bounty

  • Code4rena

  • Cantina

  • Remedy

  • Cyfrin Codehawks

  • Areta

Video course

• Web3 Security Basics (Cyfrin Updraft)

Groups

• ETH Security (TG Chat)

• ETHSecurity

MEV and Blockchain Research

• flashbots

• Protect RPC (flashbots)

Code is Law

• Erik Voorhees: Code is Law

Other news

• SEAL 911 (2025 Overview)