Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Transaction tracing and on-chain analysis
Because every transaction on a public blockchain is recorded, it is possible to follow the money. Learn how this tracing works, why it relies on assumptions and who can use it.
Topic
Crypto security
Token & Tech articles on Crypto security: explainers, analysis and guides with verifiable sources and clearly separated facts and opinions.
Articles on this topic
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Smart contract audits: method and limits
An audit reduces the risk of a smart contract, but does not eliminate it. Learn what auditors examine, with which tools, and what lies beyond their reach.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Crypto wallets: custodial vs. non-custodial
Every crypto wallet answers one question: who controls the private key? The answer determines who can move the funds, who can lose them and whom you will have to turn to if something goes wrong.
Crypto & Web3 · Analysis
Cold wallet or hot wallet: crypto asset security
The difference between a hot wallet and a cold wallet comes down to one detail: whether the private key sits on a device connected to the internet. That detail changes which attacks work against you, but it does not eliminate all of them.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Tokenomics: how to analyze it before judging a project
Tokenomics is the set of rules that defines how many tokens exist, who gets them, when they reach the market and what they are for. Reading these rules doesn't tell you whether a project is good, but it shows who gains and who bears the risk.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Multi-party computation applied to security
Multi-party computation lets several parties compute a result together without any of them seeing the others' data. Here is how it works, where it came from and how it is used to protect cryptographic keys.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
What smart contracts are and how they work
A smart contract is a program that enforces rules by itself on a blockchain. See where the idea came from, how it works, where it tends to fail and where it fits in Brazilian law.
Tokenization & Real-World Assets · Explainer
Tokenized asset custody: who controls what
Having the token in your wallet does not mean controlling the asset. In a tokenized asset, custody is split among whoever holds the asset, whoever records ownership, whoever has the keys and whoever manages the contract.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Institutional crypto custody: how it works
When a fund, a bank or an exchange holds crypto assets on behalf of others, the job goes far beyond having a wallet. It involves protecting private keys, segregating assets, reconciling records and proving that the asset exists.
Crypto & Web3 · Analysis
Centralized versus decentralized exchanges
On a centralized exchange, a company holds your assets and matches orders. On a decentralized one, you trade directly with smart contracts. Each model trades one set of risks for another.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Crypto scams: how to spot and report them
Pyramid schemes, fake exchanges, romance scams, fake support and promises of guaranteed profit. Learn how these scams work, how to check an offer before transferring any money and where to turn in Brazil.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Decentralized identity: concepts and applications
Decentralized identity promises that you, not a platform, control your identifiers and data. See how DIDs and wallets work, where blockchain is involved and where it is not needed.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Memecoins: why they exist and what the risks are
Memecoins are born from internet jokes, characters and trends and are worth whatever the market will pay. Learn why they multiply and why the risk of loss is so high.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Blockchain oracles: architecture and risks
In decentralized finance, what decides whether a loan gets liquidated is a number: the price reported by the oracle. Understanding where that number comes from and how it can be distorted explains a large share of attacks on DeFi protocols.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Crypto wallet phishing: how to protect yourself
Scammers do not need to break a wallet's cryptography. They only need to convince you to hand over your seed phrase, sign a permission or copy the wrong address.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Blockchain bridges: how they work and where they fail
Blockchains do not talk to each other. Bridges make the connection by holding assets on one side and issuing representations on the other, and that is why they have become one of attackers' favorite targets.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Anti-money laundering on crypto platforms
Crypto exchanges and custodians have the same basic anti-money laundering duties as a bank. Learn what they are, where they come from and why a platform may ask for documents or hold a transfer.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Privacy on public blockchains: what is visible
On Bitcoin and Ethereum, anyone can see the amounts, dates and addresses of every transaction. The only thing protecting you is the distance between those addresses and your name, and that distance is usually shorter than it looks.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Smart contracts with an admin key
Many smart contracts have an owner who can pause them, change the rules or swap the code. Learn what these powers are, why they concentrate risk and what limits them.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
How to protect a wallet's seed phrase
The 12 or 24 words your wallet shows when you create it are, in practice, the wallet itself. Learn how to store them without exposing them and without risking losing them.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Zero-knowledge proofs: proving without revealing data
A zero-knowledge proof convinces someone that a statement is true without showing the information behind it. See how this is possible, what it is used for and where its limits lie.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
Ransomware and cryptocurrency: money flows and prevention
Holding data hostage for ransom has become an industry, and cryptocurrency is its preferred means of payment. Learn how the money flows, what official figures show and which prevention and response measures authorities recommend.
Crypto & Web3 · Explainer
How to investigate the security of a DeFi protocol
No check guarantees that a DeFi protocol is safe. But a few questions, almost all of which you can verify yourself, show where the risks lie before you deposit.