How Does Crypto Remain Secure in a World of Always On AI Hacks? - Uneasy Money
How Does Crypto Remain Secure in a World of Always On AI Hacks? - Uneasy Money
29 days agoUnchainedLaura Shin
Podcast1 hr 10 min
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

Investors should prioritize Nvidia (NVDA) and Amazon (AMZN/AWS) as they gain early, exclusive access to Anthropic’s high-intelligence Mythos model, which is poised to revolutionize cybersecurity and autonomous hacking. In the crypto sector, favor Uniswap (UNI) over complex competitors like Balancer (BAL), as its simpler, non-upgradable architecture offers the best defense against AI-driven smart contract exploits. Monitor the Base ecosystem for increased liquidity inflows as autonomous AI agents begin utilizing "skill files" to automate high-frequency yield farming and bridging. For developers and startups, utilize RunPod to host cheaper, local AI models for routine tasks while reserving expensive frontier models like Mythos or Opus strictly for high-level auditing. To mitigate operational risk, always require AI agents to simulate a full "round trip" transaction (entry and exit) before committing capital to any on-chain protocol.

Detailed Analysis

Anthropic Mythos (AI Model)

The discussion centers on Mythos, a new, highly advanced AI model from Anthropic. The speakers describe it as a significant "leap" in intelligence compared to previous models like Opus.

  • Security Capabilities: Mythos has reportedly identified 20 zero-day vulnerabilities in decades-old software (e.g., OpenBSD).
  • Restricted Release: Unlike previous models, Anthropic is reportedly "petrified" of its capabilities, limiting access to approximately 12 partners, including AWS, Apple, Nvidia, and the Linux Foundation.
  • Autonomous Hacking: The model is described as capable of "one-shotting" complex tasks, such as auditing or exploiting smart contracts, without human assistance.
  • High Cost: Usage is expected to be extremely expensive, potentially $100–$200 per million tokens, though Anthropic has reportedly provided $100 million in credits to early partners for security testing.

Takeaways

  • Web2 vs. Web3 Risk: While Web3 has "money behind every line of code," the speakers suggest Web2 infrastructure (Linux servers, load balancers) may be more vulnerable because it is not designed to be immutable and lacks the massive bug bounties common in crypto.
  • The "Bandaid" Effect: Investors should expect a spike in hacks as AI gets better at finding exploits, followed by a period of increased security as the same AI is used to patch vulnerabilities.
  • Efficiency Gains: For developers and startups, the release of a new "frontier" model typically pushes the price of older, still-capable models (like Sonnet or Haiku) down, making high-level automation more affordable.

Ethereum (ETH) & Smart Contract Security

The conversation highlights a shift in the security landscape for the Ethereum ecosystem due to AI-driven exploitation.

  • Immutability Risk: The "immutability" of smart contracts, once seen as a core strength, is now viewed as a potential liability if AI can find "zero-day" flaws in code that has been live for years.
  • Balancer V2 & Uniswap: The Balancer hack is cited as a turning point, proving that code audited and live for years is still at risk. While Uniswap (UNI) is praised for its simple, non-upgradable architecture, speakers admit their confidence in its "unhackability" has decreased.
  • MEV (Maximal Extractable Value): There is concern that models like Mythos could be used to optimize MEV strategies, front-running transactions with superhuman speed and precision.

Takeaways

  • Protocol Selection: Investors should favor protocols with simple, battle-tested, and non-upgradable code (like Uniswap V2) over highly complex, multi-contract suites which offer a larger "attack surface" for AI.
  • Audit Quality: Standard audits may no longer be sufficient. Look for projects that actively use AI-driven auditing tools or offer massive, ongoing bug bounties.

Investment Theme: AI Agents & "Skill Files"

A major trend discussed is the move toward autonomous AI agents that perform on-chain tasks (yield farming, deployment, auditing).

  • Eth Skills (.md files): A new standard for "programming" agents. These are text files (e.g., skill.md) that provide agents with the "delta" between their training data and current market reality.
  • Cost Optimization: Professional "builders" are moving away from using expensive models (Opus) for simple tasks, instead using them to build "harnesses" for cheaper, local models (like Minimax M2.7).
  • Agentic Yield Farming: The speakers discuss agents that can autonomously bridge assets (e.g., from Ethereum Mainnet to Base), swap tokens, and enter liquidity pools.

Takeaways

  • The "Skill File" Business: Providing high-quality, open-source skill files is becoming a "secret sauce" for crypto companies. Projects that make their protocols "agent-friendly" (by hosting a skill.md file) may see higher adoption.
  • Operational Risk: AI agents still "hallucinate" and can be "lazy." Actionable insight for users: Always require agents to simulate the "round trip" (entering and exiting a position) before committing real capital.
  • Infrastructure Opportunities: There is a growing need for "model routers" that automatically switch between expensive and cheap AI models based on the complexity of the task.

Mentioned Assets & Platforms

  • Uniswap (UNI): Viewed as the gold standard for secure, simple DeFi architecture, though not immune to future AI exploits.
  • Balancer (BAL): Cited as a cautionary tale of how "old" code can still be vulnerable.
  • Base: Mentioned as a destination for AI-driven DeFi activity (yield farming).
  • Nvidia (NVDA): Mentioned as a key partner receiving early access to Anthropic's Mythos model.
  • RunPod: Highlighted as a useful infrastructure tool for developers to rent GPU power for running local AI models.
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Episode Description
Anthropic's new model is too dangerous to release publicly. It's already found 20 zero-days. Kain, Taylor, and Austin want to know when it finds the first one in a smart contract. Thank you to our sponsors!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ MultiChain Advisors is an emerging technology growth firm that has helped create over $50 billion in enterprise value for more than 80 clients, like Pyth, Moonpay Commerce, and Wormhole.  They’re the partner you want when you’re navigating markets and trying to break out from the noise. They help navigate TGEs, go‑to‑market, BD and partnerships, capital markets advisory, PR, media placements, KOL activations and more, driving execution from launch to scale. Visit multichainadv.com. Bitcoin’s application layer, Citrea, launched its mainnet, expanding Bitcoin’s utility to privacy, lending, BTC yields, and more. Citrea enables: cBTC: The first trust-minimized Bitcoin on a fully programmable platform. ctUSD: A native stablecoin for Bitcoin, allowing for unified liquidity. Bitcoin Capital Markets bringing demand, and utility to the Bitcoin Network. Explore the Citrea Ecosystem. Ether.fi is giving Unchained listeners 15% cashback on food and ride apps — and that's on top of the 3% you get on everything else.  Your bank is charging you to use your own money. Laura switched and loves her card! Go to ether.fi/unchained to claim your offer. Anthropic's Mythos model is so capable that the company restricted access to 12 partners and a $100 million compute budget rather than releasing it publicly. It has already identified 20 zero-day vulnerabilities in decades-old software.  Now the question over DeFi: if Mythos turns its attention to smart contracts, what survives? The Balancer V2 hack rattled assumptions about immutability as a security guarantee.  Kain Warwick, Taylor Monahan, and Austin Griffith of the Ethereum Foundation work through what autonomous AI hacking means for protocols built to be unhackable, why skill files are the sleeper development in the agent stack, how a degen farming bot locked funds in an Aerodrome gauge through a single wrong NFT transfer, and what Anthropic's 89% uptime tells you about the infrastructure running the most powerful AI on earth. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kain Warwick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Taylor Monahan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Security Expert Guest: Austin Griffith, Ethereum Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About Unchained
Unchained

Unchained

By Laura Shin

Crypto assets and blockchain technology are about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity to the Internet of Things. In this podcast, host Laura Shin, an independent journalist covering all things crypto, talks with industry pioneers about how crypto assets and blockchains will change the way we earn, spend and invest our money. Tune in to find out how Web 3.0, the decentralized web, will revolutionize our world. Disclosure: I'm a nocoiner.