Blockchain is inherently secure because of its immutability and decentralized nature. However, it still requires a layer of security to ensure that all transactions, including smart contracts, are safe and well protected. Unlike centralized information systems that have their own security provided by the company, smart contracts place their trust on codes rather than centralized institutions; codes that can handle billions worth of transactions.

As the total value locked asset in DeFi increases--now up to US$79 billion--we can see an increased demand for security for assets stored on-chain.  A security vulnerability or a single bug can create a significant threat in a contract compromising the funds and giving malicious actors a chance to exploit it. Thankfully, a blockchain security is available in the market to further secure smart contracts.

What is CertiK?

CertiK is a pioneer in blockchain security that offers end-to-end solutions, providing all-inclusive audits and smart contract monitoring. It utilizes best-in-class artificial intelligence to secure and monitor blockchain protocols and smart contracts. The company is founded in 2018 by professors of Yale University and Columbia University.

As one of the most popular security auditing companies, CertiK has worked with hundreds of blockchain projects ensuring that every protocol and smart contract is secure and free from any threats. Apart from its end-to-end security solutions, the company also offers manual and automated code reviews, ensuring that every stage of a blockchain project’s life cycle is secure. The company also provides real-time insights into the security of various DeFi applications through its Skynet platform.

Skynet: The Security Leaderboard

Skynet is an intelligence engine that provides the security scores found on the Security leaderboard. This engine works around the clock to verify the security of a project and smart contracts.

“We have a Skynet, which is like an oracle integrated security practice that we offer to provide on the security dashboard, which is on our website as well, Certik.io. It's pretty cool because it allows people to see all seven hundred of our clients on a security dashboard that shows a live score, offers 24/7 monitoring, but it also allows them to see different metrics outside of just smart contracts perspective,” explains Ken Trueba, business Development Manager of CertiK.

“So social sentiment, a general engagement that the coin is having with wallet users, it's such an awesome tool. And like, I have so much documentation on it, sometimes it just gets overwhelming, just thinking about, like, wow, I like this little feature that we offer that's so simple to integrate on our side, but it provides so much insight for these projects as a whole,” adds Trueba.

Better security in the DeFi space

Better security for blockchain projects means better demand. Thankfully, it’s now easier for them to check how secure a project is, thanks to CertiK’s Skynet. As CertiK raises the bar for blockchain security, we can expect more secured projects in the future.

As retail investors and DeFi enthusiasts, it is crucial to always check the security of a project. “I highly advise if somebody who is interested in looking into a project,  check out on our leaderboard, play around with that a little bit, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about because it's the most hands-on tool I've ever seen from a consumer level, retail-focused perspective in this industry, in my opinion,” shares Trueba.

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About Human and Machine

Looking for different ways to make complex knowledge available to the average person, Hikaru AKA The Very Boring Machine and Tlahui AKA The Very Average Human have joined forces to develop a podcast that simplifies various new DeFi Projects.

Hikaru and Tlahui take advantage of their massively different personalities to try injecting a human touch and sense of humor to what is otherwise technical and challenging to understand. Through this 30 minute podcast,  they interview CEOs or co-founders of DeFi projects and try to get simplistic answers. So simple that even Tlahui understands—sometimes :P.  While the podcast is in English, it will always be subtitled in Chinese to be posted on Bilibili.  The Human and The Machine is a part of different content channel creation to put more “flesh” into the Cyber Finance ecosystem.