sandmark.com
The Solana Foundation has launched STRIDE, a tiered security programme offering continuous threat monitoring and evaluations for decentralized finance protocols on the Solana network.
The Swiss-based non-profit, which stewards the Solana ecosystem, introduced Solana Trust, Resilience and Infrastructure for DeFi Enterprises (STRIDE) in response to evolving threats from sophisticated adversaries. The programme is led by security firm Asymmetric Research and includes independent evaluations based on eight security pillars, with findings published publicly.
Protocols that pass evaluation and hold more than $10mn in total value locked (TVL) will receive foundation-funded 24/7 active threat monitoring. Those with over $100mn TVL will also qualify for formal verification — a mathematical method that exhaustively checks every possible state and execution path of a smart contract to guarantee correctness.
The initiative comes days after Solana-based perpetuals exchange Drift suffered one of the largest DeFi hacks on record, losing approximately $280mn in an attack suspected to involve North Korean-linked actors.
Tiered by TVL
The tiered security programme will provide 24/7 active threat monitoring for all qualified protocols with more than $10mn of total value locked (TVL), funded by Solana Foundation grants. For protocols with TVL of over $100mn, the foundation will also fund formal verification, which it described as "a mathematical, proof-based method that guarantees smart contract correctness by exhaustively checking every possible state and execution path."
TVL represents the combined value of tokens kept on a DeFi protocol, either as collateral or for yield generation.
The foundation also announced the launch of the Solana Incident Response Network (SIRN), a dedicated network of security firms that will provide real-time crisis response for network participants.
Meeting eight requirements
Solana Foundation, which oversees one of the leading blockchain ecosystems, said the programme is led by Asymmetric Research, which has outlined a framework across eight security pillars. In a 6 Apr statement, the foundation said the security firm "will conduct independent evaluations of ecosystem protocols to ensure they meet the framework’s requirements," adding that the findings would be published publicly to promote transparency to users and investors.
SIRN is a dedicated, membership-based network of security firms and researchers focused on protecting the Solana ecosystem and is available to all Solana protocols, but prioritised based on TVL, the statement said.
Founding participants of SIRN include Asymmetric Research, OtterSec, Neodyme, Squads and ZeroShadow. Members will share threat intelligence, coordinate response to active incidents, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the STRIDE framework.