8 Best Blockchain Audit Firms for Smart Contract Security

Smart contracts are a great innovation that allows developers to create decentralized protocols which operate trustlessly and can’t be censored by third parties. However, smart contracts also come with a unique set of risks, which make blockchain audit services invaluable.

Once a smart contract is deployed on a blockchain like Ethereum, it remains immutable. This means that any bugs or vulnerabilities in the smart contract cannot be fixed once it’s deployed. Upgrading a contract requires a new version of the contract to be deployed and the previous contract’s state needs to be migrated to the new contract.

Blockchain transactions are irreversible, which means that if an attacker successfully exploits a smart contract and steals funds, it can be very difficult to get the stolen funds back.

Another reason why security is of the utmost importance for smart contracts is that smart contracts often manage significant amounts of value. Some decentralized finance protocols (which are essentially a collection of smart contracts) like Maker and Aave manage billions of dollars worth of tokens. Therefore, any vulnerabilities can lead to devastating losses.

In this article, we will be featuring the top 8 blockchain audit firms that help blockchain projects ensure that their smart contracts don’t contain any hidden vulnerabilities and perform as expected.

The top 8 blockchain audit firms

With the growth of decentralized finance, NFT marketplaces and other blockchain-based applications, the demand for blockchain audits has grown tremendously. Without further ado, let’s get started with our list of the top 8 blockchain and crypto audit firms:

• Hacken
• Certik
• SlowMist
• Least Authority
• ConsenSys Diligence
• Runtime Verification
• Quantstamp
• Trail of Bits

1. Hacken

Hacken is a company that describes itself as a web3 security auditor. Hacken was founded in 2017, and the company has since established itself as one of the leading names in blockchain security. Their services cover a lot of ground in the crypto and blockchain space, ranging from smart contract audits to bug bounties and proof-of-reserves solutions for centralized crypto exchanges.

Hacken offers smart contract auditing services for contracts written in the Solidity, Rust and Move programming languages. This allows the company to cover a wide range of blockchain platform, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Aptos, Solana and many others.

Hacken has worked with notable projects in the crypto and blockchain space, including the likes of NEAR Protocol, Enjin and CoinGecko. The firm says it has audited more than 1,200 projects in total.

2. Certik

Certik is one of the most active blockchain security companies, as its services have been used by more than 3,000 clients. Certik provides blockchain security audits for both smart contracts and their underlying blockchain protocols. The company also offers penetration testing services for web3 projects, simulating the methods used by black hat hackers to expose potential vulnerabilities.

One of the more interesting products offered by Certik is Skynet, a service that monitors on-chain smart contract activity and alerts users when it identifies risks.

Certik provides its auditing services to projects on many different blockchain platforms, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana and several others.

The company’s success has enabled it to expand its services beyond the typical cybersecurity offering. For example, Certik now offers know your customer (KYC) services to projects that want to build stronger trust with their users.

3. SlowMist

SlowMist is a blockchain security firm founded in 2018. The company provides security audit services for both blockchains and cryptocurrency exchanges. In addition, SlowMist also audits cryptocurrency wallet software.

Notably, SlowMist also runs a platform called SlowMist Hacked, which keeps a record of exploits and hacks in the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. The platform is part of the SlowMist Zone project, which contains threat intelligence sourced from partners and community members. If you’re interested in blockchain security, the platform is definitely worth checking out.

The company has worked worked with an impressive assortment of major crypto industry players like Huobi, OKX, 1inch, PancakeSwap and others.

4. Least Authority

Least Authority is a security consulting company founded by Zooko Wilcox, who’s known in the crypto community as the founder of Zcash. Least Authority provides a variety of services to its clients, ranging from specification and white paper reviews to source code audits and penetration testing.

In addition, Least Authority provides consultation services like design consultation and incentive design. Least Authority also develops its own software products with a focus on privacy. This includes products like the PrivateStorage solution for secure cloud storage and Winden, a solution for transferring large files in real time.

Least Authority maintains a public database of published audits, where clients can see the type of work conducted by the firm. As one of the more reputable firms in the industry, Least Authority has worked with notable clients like the Ethereum Foundation, cLabs, Tezos Foundation and Protocol Labs.

5. ConsenSys Diligence

ConsenSys Diligence is the blockchain security arm of ConsenSys, a leading Ethereum development studio. The company provides comprehensive smart contract audit services, automated security analysis, smart contract testing and more.

ConsenSys Diligence maintains a repository of best practices for Ethereum smart contracts development, which helps developers avoid some of the most common pitfalls. The company has also open-sourced a variety of blockchain security tools. For example, the MythX security analysis service identifies vulnerabilities in smart contracts written in the Solidity programming language.

ConsenSys Diligence has worked with leading Ethereum-based projects including the likes of Aave, Uniswap and 0x.

6. Runtime Verification

Runtime Verification is a blockchain audit company that focuses on virtual machines and smart contract security. As the company’s name implies, Runtime Verification uses methods based on runtime verification to perform its audits. This way of performing software analysis entails observing the results of programs as they are executing, and can identify issues that other methods may miss.

Runtime Verification provides services such as smart contract verification and analysis, blockchain advisory services and “NFT Checker”, which is a service for NFT projects using ERC-721, ERC-1155 and similar standards.

Runtime Verification is one of the most reputable names in the blockchain audit industry, and the company has worked with clients like Algorand, Dapper Labs, Tezos, Input Output and many other prominent names.

7. Quantstamp

Quantstamp is a crypto audit company that specializes in providing smart contract auditing services to clients in the blockchain industry. Their services are designed to help companies ensure that their decentralized applications are secure, reliable, and free from vulnerabilities.

The company uses a combination of automated and manual testing methods to identify potential weaknesses in smart contracts and address them before they can be exploited by bad actors. Quantstamp’s suite of tools includes automated testing frameworks, static and dynamic analysis tools, and manual review and verification services.

Notably, Quantstamp says they can work on any blockchain client software and can audit smart contracts written in any programming language. Quantstamp has worked with a number of notable clients, including Prysmatic Labs, OpenSea, Solana, and NBA Top Shot.

8. Trail of Bits

Trail of Bits is a cybersecurity company founded in 2012. While most of the companies we have featured so far are focused on blockchain auditing, Trail of Bits covers a variety of areas in addition to blockchain security. The company has worked with projects like Compound, Maker, LooksRare and many others.

Trail of Bits provides blockchain security assessments that allow clients to understand potential vulnerabilities in their smart contracts. Trail of Bits has significant expertise in the Solidity programming language and the Ethereum Virtual Machine, and has developed a number of tools that help developers analyze their smart contract code. These tools include Slither, Manticore, Ethersplay and Echidna.

The bottom line—There’s plenty of choices if you are looking for a blockchain audit

Blockchain and cryptocurrency have quite a few strong options when it comes to audits. In addition to helping ensure that your smart contracts will work as expected, an audit from a reputable blockchain audit firm will allow you to build more trust with your users.

However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the top smart contract audit firms are typically handling a lot of demand, which means that it might take some time for your audit to be completed. In addition, most blockchain auditing companies adjust their pricing based on various factors, including the complexity of your code.

Hopefully, our list provides a good starting point in your search for blockchain audit services. If you’re interested in other types of services for crypto and blockchain projects, make sure to check out our list of the best crypto PR agencies.

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