The Sandbox Onboards Security Firm OpenZeppelin to Protect Its Platform from Attacks

Web3 gaming platform The Sandbox is hiring leading blockchain infrastructure security provider OpenZeppelin to prevent attacks within the metaverse, the companies said Thursday.

OpenZeppelin, the firm behind the Forta network, will audit smart contracts, monitor vulnerabilities and alert for potential threats to the metaverse.

Stephen Lloyd Webber, developer advocate at OpenZeppelin, told CoinDesk that proactively observing and identifying vulnerabilities is key to enforcing security within a decentralized ecosystem. He noted that waiting to catch threats will only lead to their discovery after the damage has already been done.

“The pieces that make up a metaverse puzzle are intricate and extensive and there is a lot to keep an eye on,” said Webber. “The practice of auditing has proven essential in deploying existing Web3 services.”

The conversation around security in the metaverse grew more urgent this year following a $625 million exploit of metaverse game Axie Infinity’s Ronin network in March. According to data from blockchain security company Peckshield, about $760 million in crypto was stolen by hackers in October alone.

Sebastien Borget, chief operating officer and co-founder of The Sandbox, told CoinDesk that onboarding OpenZeppelin will not only increase the security of the smart contracts within the game, but will continue to pinpoint vulnerabilities to ensure its safety as it continues to build.

“With over 4.3 million registered wallets, The Sandbox is a major actor in Web3 democratization,” said Borget. “OpenZeppelin’s security services help build a reliable framework and reinforce trust in our ecosystem, a key factor in onboarding more newcomers to our platform and to Web3 as a whole.”