Blockchain Security Expert

CertiK Director Lau advances AI as net positive despite risks. In response to recent events where AI agents escaped their sandboxes and attacked real-world targets, Kaijern Lau, Senior Director of Engineering at CertiK, believes the industry must prepare by increasing its investment in AI security as the blockchain industry becomes intertwined with AI. Key takeaways. * An AI agent hacking Hugging Face proves autonomous cyber warfare is real, urging Web3 to adopt AI security. * While AI speeds up finding vulnerabilities, human experts must still verify their actual impact. * CertiK is developing defensive tools like AI Auditor to counter automated attacks and secure Web3 projects. CertiK's Kaijern Lau: AI will be positive for Web3 security, but also A 'double-edged sword' The world of blockchain security and auditing is rapidly changing as exploits and vulnerabilities are now being harnessed and discovered much faster due to the involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) in vulnerability discovery processes. Generalized concerns about the risks of the rising role of AI in these activities have risen with the Hugging Face incident, where an AI platform suffered a hack, which was the first intrusion "driven, end to end, by an autonomous AI agent system." The occurrence, later blamed on an OpenAI model escaping its testing sandbox, confirmed that agent-driven cybersecurity warfare is a reality and that institutions need to be prepared to face these risks now, not tomorrow. Concerns have also reached the Web3 ecosystem, where security is more passive than active, managed by audits and security considerations designed during the production phases and that oftentimes cannot be upgraded in real time before deploying new contracts. In an exclusive interview with Bitcoin.com News, Kaijern Lau, Senior Director of Engineering at CertiK, examined the role of AI in both these attacks and the process of auditing code to prevent them. Lau stresses that AI can be a useful tool for identifying a vulnerability and examining potential attack vectors on a platform. Nonetheless, the involvement of a human-in-the-middle is still necessary "to ensure that the AI has analyzed the code thoroughly and to verify that any reported vulnerabilities are genuine rather than false positives." Lau declared that recent research covering hardware-wallet attack surfaces illustrates the limitations of AI and the relevance of human involvement. "AI can help surface patterns and accelerate analysis, but experienced researchers are still needed to validate the findings and assess their actual impact," he assessed. Hugging Face incident isolated, not proof of "rogue agents" Lau stressed that the Hugging Face incident arose during a specific evaluation setting and that an instance of such a contingency does not mean that AI models are uncontrollable. Even so, he pointed out that the attack highlighted the current capabilities of AI agents, which are increasingly able to execute complex cybersecurity operations, including identifying and combining weaknesses that appear manageable in isolation, such as an exposed service, a misconfiguration, excessive permissions, or compromised credentials, and turning them into a coordinated attack path at machine speed. Consequently, this also shows how investing in AI for security purposes is becoming the norm for companies with code-based products, such as the Web3 and blockchain industry. "AI will make both attackers and defenders more capable. That is why blockchain companies should invest more in AI-driven security to protect their code and infrastructure. We are entering an era where the key question is no longer whether to use AI, but how many AI resources (or tokens) organizations invest in defending their systems compared with the resources attackers invest in launching increasingly sophisticated attacks," the expert declared. AI and blockchain security: where Dock Labs AG stand. While Lau is sure that AI and blockchain security will inevitably become intertwined, he acknowledges that it is still too early for vulnerability discovery and secure software development tasks to be completed without human intervention. CertiK even considers defensive agents and its tools as part of the surface attack, as they can be probed for prompt injection, malicious tool inputs, excessive permissions, data leakage, or unsafe automated remediation. In fact, the company has designed a tool, the AI Skill Scanner, to help identify risks in AI skills before deployment, increasing the controls exerted over AI agents. Lau revealed that CertiK will continue to invest heavily to build advanced AI-powered security. "Our in-house developers and security researchers are working around the clock to advance AI-driven blockchain security," he confirmed. CertiK has also developed AI Auditor, a tool that conducts an automatic analysis of blockchain projects, identifying common security risks. "This multi-model, multi-agent approach improves both the accuracy and reliability of security assessments," said Lau, describing how the company was developing its defensive capabilities against AI-assisted actors. AI's balancing act: where Dock Labs AG go from here. While AI lowers the barriers to attack, as threat actors are already leveraging agents to discover exploits and scan smart contracts for vulnerabilities, Lau ensures there are real advantages to using AI for defensive purposes. "AI dramatically elevates our threat detection efficiency and scope. CertiK has improved the efficiency of formal verification by integrating AI into its proprietary CertiK Prover engine," Lau specified. CertiK's contribution to the space, Lau said, goes beyond detecting vulnerabilities and aims to ensure that defensive security measures stay ahead of these emerging AI threats by also training and employing its AI models to secure its customers. "Overall, AI will be a net positive force for Web3 security, but it is undeniably a double-edged sword that requires a continuous balancing act," Lau concluded. Yesterday Fear Last Week Fear Last Month Extreme Fear How do you feel about the market today?

CertiK launches CertiK Hunt, the invite-only security platform for Web3 projects and top security researchers. Published: July 02, 2026 at 5:00 am Updated: July 02, 2026 at 8:39 am Edited and fact-checked: July 02, 2026 at 5:00 am CertiK announced the launch of CertiK Hunt, an invite-only platform connecting elite security researchers with Web3 projects. CertiK, the leading Web3 security firm, today announced the launch of CertiK Hunt, an invite-only platform connecting elite security researchers with Web3 projects. Through CertiK Hunt, projects can launch bug bounty programs, audit competitions, and AI challenges, with additional features planned in future releases. CertiK Hunt is intentionally exclusive, allowing only approved security researchers to participate. This approach is designed to combat one of the biggest challenges facing bug bounty programs today: large volumes of spam and low-quality submissions. Researchers are evaluated based on their technical expertise, previous findings, track record, and reputation within the security community. Projects joining the platform are also reviewed before launching programs to help ensure a trusted environment for both researchers and participating organizations. "We've seen too many cases across the industry where security researchers submit valid vulnerabilities only to face disputes or delayed payouts," said Margarita Kadochnikova, Head of Communications at CertiK. "CertiK Hunt is built to create a trusted environment where high-quality researchers can focus on finding impactful vulnerabilities, projects receive meaningful security insights, and both sides know the rules will be applied fairly." The launch comes at a pivotal moment for Web3 security. Following another year in which billions of dollars were lost to exploits, the industry is increasingly shifting toward continuous security rather than one-time audits. As digital asset markets mature, regulatory scrutiny increases, and protocols become more complex, the cost of undiscovered vulnerabilities continues to rise. CertiK Hunt addresses this challenge by connecting experienced security researchers with projects that require continuous, high-quality security testing. "CertiK Hunt is the next step in our mission to secure the Web3 ecosystem," said Hudson Jameson, Head of Ecosystem at CertiK. "By building a network defined by signal and quality rather than volume, we are creating a platform where the best researchers can do their most impactful work, while giving projects greater confidence in the security of their code." CertiK Hunt extends the traditional security audit by providing projects with continuous, researcher-driven testing throughout the lifecycle of their applications. By combining formal audits with ongoing bug bounty programs, audit competitions, and AI-powered security initiatives, the platform helps projects strengthen their security posture long after code is deployed. Disclaimer. In line with the Trust Project guidelines, please note that the information provided on this page is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other form of advice. It is important to only invest what you can afford to lose and to seek independent financial advice if you have any doubts. For further information, Mpost Media Group suggest referring to the terms and conditions as well as the help and support pages provided by the issuer or advertiser. MetaversePost is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Alisa, a dedicated journalist at the MPost, specializes in crypto, AI, investments, and the expansive realm of Web3. With a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, she delivers comprehensive coverage to inform and engage readers in the ever-evolving landscape of digital finance. Alisa Davidson Hot Stories by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026 by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026 by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026 by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026 by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026 by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026 by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026 by Alisa Davidson July 02, 2026