Chapter 3: Blockchain white hat hackers

The previous chapters have traced the historical, ideological and contextual foundations of blockchain security, from the early visions of hackers, cryptographers and Cypherpunks to the emergence of decentralised protocols and the burgeoning security landscape. This chapter introduces a new protagonist in the security landscape: the blockchain white hat hacker. Far from operating in the shadows, these actors play a vital role in the moral, political and economic landscape of blockchains by helping to safeguard decentralised systems. This chapter examines the practices, motivations and incentives – financial, moral, and reputational – that drive white hat activity, highlighting how these individuals contribute to vulnerability disclosure, incident response and the overall resilience of the blockchain ecosystem. In doing so, it situates white hats as key stakeholders in the decentralised security landscape.