Cryptocurrency
Bug bounties can help secure blockchain networks, but have mixed results

Bug bounties are programs organizations offer to incentivize security researchers or ethical or white hat hackers to find and report vulnerabilities in their software, websites or systems. Bug bounties aim to improve overall security by identifying and fixing potential weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them.
Organizations that implement bug bounty programs typically establish guidelines and rules outlining the scope of the program, eligible targets, and the types of vulnerabilities they are interested in. Depending on the severity and impact of the discovered vulnerability, they may also define the rewards offered for valid bug submissions, ranging from small amounts of money to significant cash prizes.
Security researchers participate in bug bounty programs by searching for vulnerabilities in designated systems or applications. They analyze the software, conduct penetration testing, and employ various techniques to identify potential weaknesses. Once a vulnerability is discovered, it is documented and reported to the organization running the program, usually through a secure reporting channel provided by the bug bounty platform.
Upon receiving a vulnerability report, the organization’s security team verifies and validates the submission. The researcher is rewarded according to the program’s guidelines if the vulnerability is confirmed. The organization then proceeds to fix the reported vulnerability, improving the security of its software or system.
Bug bounties have gained popularity because they provide a mutually beneficial relationship. Organizations benefit from the expertise and diverse perspectives of security researchers who act as an additional layer of defense, helping identify vulnerabilities that may have been overlooked. On the other hand, researchers can showcase their skills, earn financial rewards and contribute to the overall security of digital ecosystems.
Discovering vulnerabilities within a platform’s code is crucial when it comes to protecting users. According to a report by Chainalysis, around $1.3 billion worth of crypto was stolen from exchanges, platforms and private entities.

Bug bounties can help to encourage responsible and coordinated vulnerability disclosure, encouraging researchers to report vulnerabilities to the organization first rather than exploiting them for personal gain or causing harm. They have become integral to many organizations’ security strategies, fostering a collaborative environment between security researchers and the organizations they help protect.
Getting involved
Communities can play a crucial role in bug hunting by leveraging their diverse perspectives and skill sets. When organizations engage the community, they tap into a vast pool of security researchers with varying backgrounds and experiences.
Troy Le, head of business at blockchain auditing firm Verichains, told Cointelegraph, “Bug bounty programs harness the power of the community to enhance the security of blockchain networks by engaging a wide range of skilled individuals, known as security researchers or ethical hackers.”
Le continued, “These programs incentivize participants to search for vulnerabilities and report them to the bounty organization. Organizations can leverage a diverse talent pool with varying expertise and perspectives by involving the community. Ultimately, bug bounty programs promote transparency, facilitate continuous improvement, and bolster the overall security posture of blockchain networks.”
In addition to diverse perspectives, engaging the community in bug hunting offers scalability and speed in the discovery process.
Organizations often face resource constraints, such as limited time and manpower, which can hinder their ability to thoroughly assess their systems for vulnerabilities. However, by involving the community, organizations can tap into a large pool of researchers who can work simultaneously to identify bugs.
This scalability allows for a more efficient bug discovery process, as multiple individuals can review different aspects of the system concurrently.
Another advantage of engaging the community in bug hunting is the cost-effectiveness compared to traditional security audits. Traditional audits can be expensive, involving hiring external security consultants or conducting in-house assessments. On the other hand, bug bounty programs provide a cost-effective alternative.
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This pay-for-results model ensures that organizations only pay for actual bugs found, making it a more cost-efficient approach. Bug bounties can be tailored to fit an organization’s budget, and the rewards can be adjusted based on the severity and impact of the reported vulnerabilities.
Pablo Castillo, chef technology officer of Chain4Travel — the facilitator of the Camino blockchain — told Cointelegraph, “Engaging the community in bug hunting has many benefits for both organizations and security researchers. For one, it expands access to talent and expertise, allowing them to tap into a diverse set of skills and perspectives.”
Castillo continued, “This increases the chances of discovering and effectively addressing vulnerabilities, thereby improving the overall security of blockchain networks. It also fosters a positive relationship with the community, building trust and reputation within the industry.”
“For security researchers, participating in bug bounty programs is an opportunity to showcase their skills in a real-world scenario, gain recognition and potentially earn financial rewards.”
This collaboration not only strengthens the organization’s security posture but also provides recognition and rewards to the researchers for their valuable contributions. The community benefits by gaining access to real-world systems and the opportunity to sharpen their skills while making a positive impact.
Crypto projects launching without auditing
Many crypto projects launch without conducting proper security audits and instead rely on white hat hackers to uncover vulnerabilities. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon.
Firstly, the crypto industry operates in a fast-paced and highly competitive environment. Being the first to market can provide a significant advantage. Comprehensive security audits can be time-consuming, involving extensive code review, vulnerability testing and analysis. By skipping or delaying these audits, projects can expedite their launch and gain an early foothold in the market.
Secondly, crypto projects, especially startups and smaller initiatives, often face resource constraints. Conducting thorough security audits by reputable auditing firms can be expensive.
These costs include hiring external auditors, allocating time and resources for testing, and addressing the identified vulnerabilities. Projects may prioritize other aspects, such as development or marketing due to limited budgets or prioritization decisions.
Another reason is blockchains’ decentralized nature and the crypto space’s strong community-driven ethos. Many projects embrace the philosophy of decentralization, which includes distributing responsibilities and decision-making.

However, there are significant downsides to launching crypto projects without proper audits and relying solely on white hat hackers. One major downside is the increased risk of exploitation. Without a thorough codebase assessment, potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses may remain undetected.
Malicious actors can exploit these vulnerabilities to compromise the project’s security, leading to theft of funds, unauthorized access or system manipulation. This can result in significant financial losses and reputational damage.
Another downside is the incomplete or biased nature of security assessments. While white hat hackers play a crucial role in identifying vulnerabilities, they do not provide the same level of assurance as comprehensive audits conducted by professional security firms.
White hat hackers may have biases, areas of expertise or limitations regarding time and resources. They may focus on specific aspects or vulnerabilities, potentially overlooking other critical security issues. The overall security assessment may be incomplete without a holistic view provided by a thorough audit.
Castillo said, “While white hat hackers play a critical role in identifying vulnerabilities, relying solely on them may not provide comprehensive coverage. Without proper security audits with established providers, there is a greater chance of missing critical vulnerabilities or design flaws that malicious actors could exploit.”
Castillo continued, “Inadequate security measures can lead to various risks, including potential breaches, loss of user funds, reputational damage and more. To sum up: Launching without an audit could put the project at risk of non-compliance, leading to legal issues and financial penalties.”
Furthermore, relying solely on white hat hackers may lack the accountability and quality control measures typically associated with professional audits. Auditing firms follow established methodologies, standards and best practices in security testing.
They also adhere to industry regulations and guidelines, ensuring a consistent and rigorous evaluation of the project’s security posture. In contrast, relying on ad hoc assessments by individual white hat hackers may result in inconsistent methodologies, varying levels of rigor and potential gaps in the security assessment process.
Moreover, the legal aspects surrounding the actions of white hat hackers can be ambiguous. While many projects appreciate and reward responsible disclosure, the legal implications can vary depending on the jurisdiction and project policies.
White hat hackers may face challenges in claiming rewards, receiving proper recognition, or even encountering legal repercussions in some cases. Without clear legal protection and well-defined frameworks, there can be a lack of trust and transparency between the project and the hackers.
Lastly, relying solely on white hat hackers may result in a narrower range of expertise and perspectives than a comprehensive audit. Auditing firms bring specialized knowledge, experience and a systematic approach to security testing.
They can identify complex vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors that individual hackers may miss. By skipping audits, projects risk not uncovering critical vulnerabilities that could undermine the system’s security.
Le said, “Launching crypto projects without proper security audits and relying solely on white hat hackers carries significant risks and downsides.”
Le stressed that proper security audits conducted by experienced professionals “provide a systematic and thorough evaluation of a project’s security posture.” These audits help identify vulnerabilities, design flaws and other potential risks that might go unnoticed.
“Neglecting these audits can result in serious consequences, including loss of user funds, reputational damage, regulatory issues and even project failure,” Le said. “It is essential to adopt a balanced approach that includes both bug bounty programs and professional security audits to ensure comprehensive security coverage and mitigate potential risks.”
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While involving white hat hackers and the community in security testing can provide valuable insights and contributions, relying solely on them without proper audits presents significant downsides.
It increases the risk of exploitation, can result in incomplete or biased security assessments, lacks accountability and quality control, offers limited legal protection, and may lead to the oversight of critical vulnerabilities.
To mitigate these downsides, crypto projects could prioritize comprehensive security audits conducted by reputable professional auditors while still leveraging the skills and enthusiasm of the community through bug bounty programs and responsible disclosure initiatives.
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Cryptocurrency
Gate Launches xStocks Trading Section, Bridging Crypto Finance and Global Capital Markets

[PRESS RELEASE – Panama City, Panama, July 3rd, 2025]
In July 2025, Gate, a global leading digital asset trading platform, officially launched its xStocks trading section, covering both spot and futures markets. The initial listings include 8 popular tokenized stocks, such as COINX, NVDAX, CRCLX, AAPLX, METAX, HOODX, TSLAX, and GOOGLX, enabling global users to trade tokenized stocks directly with crypto assets like USDT. Gate Alpha has also rolled out support for xStocks, listing MSTRx, CRCLx, SPYx, NVDAx, TSLAx, and AAPLx, further expanding users’ access to on-chain assets and strategic trading options.
This initiative not only diversifies investment channels for crypto users but also marks a new phase in the convergence of crypto finance and traditional markets. Gate is now the first platform to launch a futures market for tokenized stocks, establishing a fully closed-loop trading infrastructure at the intersection of digital and traditional finance.
Removing Barriers: Connecting Global Users to Wall Street
Gate’s xStocks trading section adopts a compliant, asset-backed tokenization model. All tokens are fully collateralized and represent publicly traded U.S. stocks. These tokens are freely transferable and compatible across multiple blockchains and ecosystems.
Unlike traditional brokers that require regional accounts, complex KYC, and fiat settlement, Gate’s tokenized stocks services are globally accessible and require no KYC, allowing users to invest using USDT and other crypto assets. This borderless trading model significantly lowers entry barriers for global participants, offering a seamless path for cross-border capital movement and global portfolio allocation.
The platform also supports 24/7 trading, fractional investment, and on-chain liquidity, breaking down traditional time and regulatory constraints, and delivering a highly flexible, decentralized investment experience that links TradFi and DeFi.
World-First Futures Market for Tokenized Stocks, Redefining Derivatives Boundaries
As the first platform globally to launch the futures market for tokenized stocks, Gate enables users to apply leverage and execute two-way strategies on U.S. stocks, all under a USDT pricing system, empowering more dynamic risk and return management.
The trading infrastructure has been fully optimized for this launch, with upgrades to matching engines, pricing models, and risk control systems. Tailored to the liquidity profiles of U.S. stocks and the behavioral patterns of crypto-native traders, the system delivers high responsiveness, strong compatibility, and robust user experience across both spot and futures markets.
A Strategic Leap Toward the Next-Generation Crypto Exchange
Gate’s expansion into tokenized stocks represents a key milestone in its long-term strategy of bridging traditional and future finance. By building crypto-native infrastructure for traditional assets, Gate is redefining how users access and interact with global capital markets.
Dr. Han, Founder and CEO of Gate, stated: “Our mission isn’t just to add a new asset class, but to transform the relationship between users and assets. We aim to create a truly global, borderless investment platform that empowers everyone to access financial opportunities worldwide.”
In 2025, Gate completed a major brand upgrade and transitioned to the unified domain Gate.com, marking a new chapter in its global strategy. The platform currently ranks Top 2 globally in spot trading volume, with continued strength in derivatives, liquidity depth, and user activity, reinforcing its position as a leader in global crypto financial infrastructure.
As the digital transformation of global finance accelerates, Gate’s launch of tokenized stocks offers a model for the industry and demonstrates a pioneering approach to integrating decentralized infrastructure with traditional capital markets, propelling the platform toward its vision as the next-generation crypto exchange.
About Gate
Gate, founded in 2013 by Dr. Han, is one of the world’s earliest cryptocurrency exchanges. The platform serves over 30 million users with 3,600+ digital assets and pioneered the industry’s first 100% proof-of-reserves. Beyond core trading services, Gate’s ecosystem includes Gate Wallet, Gate Ventures, and other innovative solutions, while its global partnerships extend to top-tier sports brands like Oracle Red Bull Racing in F1 and Inter.
For more information, users can visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
Disclaimer:
This content does not constitute an offer, solicitation, or recommendation. You should always seek independent professional advice before making investment decisions. Gate may restrict or prohibit certain services in specific jurisdictions. For more information, users can read the User Agreement via https://www.gate.com/user-agreement.
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Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin Price Shoots Toward $110K while Fartcoin and BONK Lead Meme Coin Gains: Market Watch

Bitcoin’s price is starting to heat up again, pushing towards the important $110,000 level and recording an increase of around 1.6% in the past 24 hours. This comes amid an even more impressive rally from certain meme coins such as Fartcoin and Bonk.
The total crypto market capitalization added around $50 billion during the day and is inching closer to $3.5 trillion. All of this happens as important regulatory changes are likely to take effect in the United States.
Bitcoin Price En Route to New All-Time Highs
At the time of this writing, BTC trades at around $109,500 which is around 2% below its all-time high achieved on May 22nd – about a month a go. And while we’re on the topic of statistics – the all-time low recorded on CoinGecko took place on July 6th 12 years ago. Since then, the cryptocurrency has returned the staggering 161,270% increase.
Anyways, back to the day-to-day news. BTC looks eager to take on its former highs and this is happening as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” proposed by Donald Trump’s administration passed both Senate and the House votes in the past 24 hours.
It doesn’t include any direct crypto regulations, but it does intend to alleviate taxes on retail users and also introduce (or re-introduce, to be more precise) the so-called 100% bonus depreciation rule, which will allow Bitcoin mining companies to write off their equipment immediately, potentially allowing them to ramp up operations and increase the network’s hash rate, which has historically been bullish for the price.
In other BTC-related news, the BlackRock IBIT ETF, which tracks Bitcoin’s price, is now generating more fees than their legendary S&P 500 fund – a clear indication of the pent up demand and the fact that investors are willing to pay premium fees for exposure.
Fartcoin, Bonk Lead Meme Coin Gains
As you can see in the heatmap below, it’s a sea of green in the altcoins market today. Most of them are charting notable increases. Even the large-caps are up a lot – ETH gains 5.8%, DOGE – 7.7%, ADA – 8.5%, HYPE – 5.5%, SUI – 11.6%, and so forth.
But the most impressive gains for the day come from two of the more polarizing meme coins – Fartcoin and Bonk. The latter is today’s best performer, gaining about 20%, while the latter is up by 17%. Right behind them is Celestia (TIA), which gained 16%.
It’s one of those days where the worst-performing cryptocurrencies are stablecoins (ironically, of course), with just Fasttoken (FTN) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) struggling to gain and trade flat.
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Cryptocurrency
Watch These 3 Ripple (XRP) Price Predictions in July

TL;DR
- Analysts see potential for further gains for XRP, with targets ranging from $2.80 to over $3.50 – while some even speculate on a parabolic rally similar to 2017.
- Despite the bullish outlook, XRP’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) nears 70, signaling potential overbought conditions and raising the chance of a short-term correction before any continued breakout.
What’s Next for XRP?
XRP has followed the overall resurgence of the cryptocurrency market in the last 24 hours, soaring to almost $2.30. Another factor that may have positively impacted its recent price performance is Ripple’s application for a license with the US national bank regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
According to multiple analysts, its ascent has yet to reach new dimensions. The X user CRYPTOWZRD noted that XRP closed the day “bullish,” setting $2.80 as the next resistance target.
“The intraday chart was highly volatile and bullish. It is now testing the $2.2550 resistance target. A successful breakout and a close above this level will offer the next long opportunity,” the trader added.
World of Charts believes an XRP breakout and retest has already been confirmed. The analyst expects a move towards $3 in the coming days, followed by a pump beyond $3.50 sometime this month.
The X user Maxi is even more optimistic. The crypto enthusiast believes XRP could replicate its performance in 2017 when it experienced a staggering 1,200% surge in a matter of days. Nowadays, a spike of that magnitude would drive the token’s valuation to a new all-time high of $30.
At the moment, such a rally seems quite unrealistic, considering that XRP’s market cap needs to skyrocket above $1.6 trillion. Currently, Bitcoin (BTC) is the only cryptocurrency whose capitalization exceeds that mark, while Ethereum (ETH) is far below with $313 billion.
Observing Some Indicators
Despite the bullish predictions, there are some red flags popping up suggesting the asset could head in the opposite direction in the short term.
The Relative Strength Index, which measures the speed and magnitude of recent price changes, has climbed to almost 70. Such readings generally mean that the valuation has increased too rapidly over a short period of time, signaling that it might be time for a correction.
If you’re curious about more indicators that could hint at XRP’s next move, check out our in-depth article here.
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