How Polygon Will Seek To Strengthen DeFi With $2 Million Bug Bounty

Reynaldo Marquez

3 years ago

3 mins read

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In the face of an increase in the number of attacks on DeFi platforms, Polygon has decided to take new measures. The Ethereum scaling platform recently announced a $2 million bug bounty.

In that way, Polygon expects to “root out and eliminate potential security flaws”, according to a press release. Only a few months ago, the DeFi ecosystem experienced one of its biggest hacks when it lost over $600 million on different platforms.

Polygon recorded an $85 million loss at the time. While Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain (BSC) recorded a combined estimate of $500 million in losses.

The exploit used by the Poly Network hacker focused on a blockchain agnostic trading pool called O3 Swap. Ironically, the attacker that perpetrated this hack asked the projects for more security measures and transparency.

The Polygon network bounty program is live since September 20, 2021, on the bug bounty platform Immunefi. Focused on DeFi and smart contract security, the platform will host the program as an “open invitation to security researchers”.

In that way, the project expects to find and fixed potential security vulnerabilities in the smart contracts and dApps ecosystem power by Polygon. Thus, the platform seeks to offer its users more security and protection for their funds.

The bug bounty program will reward white hackers in relation to their findings and the severity of the potential security vulnerability discovered. The rewards will range from the $1,000 for “low-level threats”, the release clarifies”, and $2,000,000 for critical threats.

On the other hand, if a white hacker finds a vulnerability on a dApp, they could receive a reward ranging from $2,500 to $15,000. Payments will be made in the following cryptocurrencies: Polygon (MATIC), Ethereum (ETH), or a stablecoin.

How Polygon Will Operate Its Bounty Program

Polygon will leverage Immunefi Vulnerability Classification System. This mechanism will allow the team to have a threat classification system according to the potential vulnerability of the network.

In order to be eligible for a reward, white hackers must submit a report that needs to include certain details about their findings. For example, reports must have a step-by-step guide so the Polygon team can reproduce the potential threat and other evidence such as screenshots and logs.

Data from research firm Messari claims that over $284 million have been lost to DeFi hacks since 2019. Thus, why an improvement in this sector’s security has become a “matter of utmost importance”.

Sandeep Nailwal, Co-Founder of Polygon said the following on their new bounty program:

User security is at the forefront of Polygon’s ethos. This substantial bounty offering aims to solidify what we know to be an extremely secure network.

On the other hand, founder and CEO of Immunefi Mitchell Amador said:

Bug bounty programs continue to be an essential part of the security stack for protecting crypto protocols and user funds locked in their contracts. We’re proud Polygon chose us among other platforms to ensure the safety of its protocol, and look forward to our collaboration.

At the time of writing, MATIC trades at $1,21 with a 9.5% profit in the daily chart.

Reynaldo Marquez

A literature major, Reynaldo Márquez has been deeply immersed in the crypto industry since 2017. His journey began with translating articles for various crypto news outlets, a role he took on with zeal. In 2018, amidst a challenging market, he embraced his first writing assignment, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to the nascent industry and the promise of change it bears for many people worldwide.
In March 2021, he joined the prestigious crypto news outlet NewsBTC and Bitcoinist, where he not only reported on the latest crypto news but also had the privilege of interviewing some of the industry's most influential figures. A year later, his dedication and hard work were recognized, and he was promoted to Managing Editor, a position he currently holds with pride.
He believes in honesty, good communication, hard work, and the power of cryptocurrency and its potential to transform people's lives, especially those alienated by the legacy financial system. Born in 1992 in Venezuela, Reynaldo is familiar with how governments and central banks can negatively affect people, their everyday lives, and their futures by creating inflation and erasing their hopes for a better future. Thus, like many Venezuelans, he embraced this new technology to help him and his family navigate difficult times.
In another life, Reynaldo would have pursued a career as an investigator, most likely tracking down the origins of the Cyberpunk movement with the publication of William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer.’ The intersection between fiction and reality, with the materialization of Bitcoin in 2009, would have allowed him to dive deep into the crypto sphere as something more than a financial phenomenon but also a cultural shift in society that was brewing since the XX century, and maybe even sooner, in the XIX century with the publication of Henry David Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience.’
But that’s for another life. In this one, Reynaldo has been trading to improve his trading skills. Since 2023, he has been trying to learn Python to create successful strategies and find ways to execute them. It is a difficult task, which continues to keep him busy today and will most likely continue to keep him busy in the near and long term.
In his free time, he enjoys lifting heavy objects, reading, watching movies, and listening to his favorite music. Some of his favorite authors are Walt Whitman, William Faulkner, Allen Ginsberg, James Baldwin, Raymond Carver, Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Mario Vargas Llosa, Reinaldo Arenas, Rafael Cadenas, and many others. Lately, he has been primarily interested in reading about dystopic societies, a topic that deeply resonates with the crypto industry.
Since 2023, he has lived in Spain with his wife. He loves the weather, the food, and the people and their culture. They both expect to travel much more within the country they now call home and beyond its border. He hopes to retire with his wife, maybe in a quiet place near a beach, but most likely in a city close to a library and a university with his kids and, hopefully, grandkids.

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