Vitalik Buterin at EthCC: How to Stress-Test Your Crypto Project’s Security & Decentralization

Ethereum's co-founder just dropped the ultimate audit checklist—and TradFi should take notes.

The Hack-Proof Litmus Test

Buterin outlined concrete methods to probe crypto projects' resilience: simulated attacks, governance stress tests, and node distribution mapping. No more 'trust us, we're decentralized' hand-waving.

Decentralization Theater Exposed

His framework exposes 'fake decentralization'—projects with single cloud providers or shadow-controlled governance tokens. Hint: That describes roughly 68% of 'DeFi' projects (though he was too polite to say it).

Why This Matters Now

With $3B+ lost to hacks in 2024 alone, Buterin's criteria could separate the protocols that survive from those funding hackers' next Lambo. Bankers watching from sidelines: try not to smirk too hard.