Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain that exists whenever there are connected computers running software following the Ethereum protocol and adding to the Ethereum blockchain.

Ethereum Protocol Attackathon Academy

Learn about the basics of Ethereum, a decentralized platform that enables smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) to be built and run without any downtime, fraud, control, or interference.

Introduction to Ethereum

Explore what Ether (ETH) is, its role in the Ethereum network, and how it powers transactions and smart contracts within the ecosystem.

Understanding Ether

Understand the different types of accounts in Ethereum, including externally owned accounts (EOAs) and contract accounts, and how they interact with the blockchain.

Exploring Ethereum Accounts

Delve into the mechanics of transactions on the Ethereum network, including how they are created, signed, and executed.

Understanding Transactions

Discover the structure and function of blocks in the Ethereum blockchain, including how they store transaction data and help maintain network security.

What Are Ethereum Blocks?

Learn about the different components that make up an Ethereum node, the role of nodes and clients, and how they contribute to the network's operation.

Components of a Node: Nodes and Clients

Get an overview of the cryptographic techniques used in Ethereum, including digital signatures, which ensure the integrity and authenticity of transactions.

Introduction to Cryptography and Signatures

Explore the data structure known as the Merkle-Patricia Trie, which is used by Ethereum to store key-value pairs in a secure and efficient manner.

Understanding Merkle-Patricia Trie

Learn about Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), the process by which changes and upgrades to the Ethereum network are proposed, discussed, and implemented.

What is an Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)?

Understand the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, how it differs from Proof-of-Work (PoW), and its benefits for the Ethereum network.

Proof-of-Stake Consensus Mechanism

Discover how blocks are proposed and validated in a Proof-of-Stake system, including the roles of validators and attestations.

How Block Proposals Work in Proof-of-Stake

Get to know the Beacon Chain, its role in Ethereum 2.0, and how it helps manage and coordinate the Proof-of-Stake network.

An Introduction to the Beacon Chain

Explore the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), the runtime environment for smart contracts on Ethereum, and its importance in executing decentralized applications.

What is the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)?

Learn about the architecture of an Ethereum node, including its components and how they work together to maintain the blockchain.

Ethereum Node Architecture Explained

A visual guide to the Engine API, which helps developers interact with and build on the Ethereum network more efficiently.

Engine API: A Visual Guide

Delve into the networking layer of Ethereum, which ensures secure and reliable communication between nodes in the decentralized network.

Understanding Ethereum's Networking Layer

Ethereum 101

An in-depth look at the cryptographic principles and methods that underpin the security and functionality of the Ethereum blockchain.

Foundational Cryptography in Ethereum

Cryptography

A comprehensive examination of the Beacon Chain, detailing its structure, functionality, and significance in the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade.

In-Depth Look into the Beacon Chain

Understand the Gasper finality mechanism used in Ethereum's Proof-of-Stake consensus, ensuring blocks are finalized and part of the canonical chain.

Overview of the Gasper Finality Mechanism

Learn about weak subjectivity in the context of Proof-of-Stake, including its implications for network security and validator responsibilities.

Understanding Weak Subjectivity in Proof-of-Stake

Discover the concept of attestations in Ethereum, how they are used in the consensus process, and their importance in maintaining network integrity.

What Are Attestations in Ethereum?

Explore the system of rewards and penalties for validators in Ethereum's Proof-of-Stake mechanism, incentivizing honest behavior and network participation.

Rewards and Penalties in Proof-of-Stake

Learn about the various attack vectors in a Proof-of-Stake system and the defensive measures in place to protect the network.

Proof-of-Stake: Attack and Defense Mechanisms

An overview of the Ethereum consensus specification, detailing the rules and protocols that ensure the blockchain's consistency and security.

Ethereum Consensus Specification

A deep dive into the Casper finality mechanism, which helps achieve consensus in Ethereum's Proof-of-Stake network.

In-Depth Look at Casper Finality Mechanism

Consensus Layer

The first part of an in-depth exploration of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), covering its architecture and functionality.

EVM Deep Dive Part 1

The second part of the exploration of the EVM, focusing on advanced topics and deeper technical details.

EVM Deep Dive Part 2

Learn about gas and fees in Ethereum, how they work, and their role in incentivizing miners and validators to process transactions.

Understanding Gas and Fees

An in-depth look at EVM opcodes, the low-level instructions executed by the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

Exploring EVM Opcodes

Execution Layer

Understand optimistic rollups, a layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum that aims to increase transaction throughput and reduce costs.

Introduction to Optimistic Rollups

Start with an overview of the Dencun upgrade, outlining the changes and improvements in the upcoming Cancun-Deneb hard fork on Ethereum. This includes a detailed exploration of two Cancun-specific execution layer upgrades: EIP-6780 and EIP-5656.

Dencun Upgrade Part 1

Examine key upgrades focused on staking and validators, specifically EIP-7044 and EIP-7045.

Dencun Upgrade Part 2

Explore EIP-4788, an upgrade aimed at reducing trust assumptions in staking pools and restaking arrangements.

Dencun Upgrade Part 3

Understand EIP-7514, which will modify the validator churn limit, and EIP-1153, which introduces transient storage opcodes to the EVM execution layer.

Dencun Upgrade Part 4

Discover EIP-4844, also known as “proto-danksharding,” which will significantly reduce the cost of posting L2 rollup data to the Ethereum mainnet using “blobs.”

Dencun Upgrade Part 5

An introduction to Dank Sharding, a proposed scaling solution for Ethereum that aims to increase the network's capacity and efficiency.

Introduction to Dank Sharding

Frequently asked questions about Dank Sharding, providing answers and clarifications about this scaling solution.

Dank Sharding FAQ

Explore Verkle Trees, a new cryptographic data structure proposed for Ethereum to improve scalability and efficiency.

Understanding Verkle Trees

Dencun

A beginner's guide to Solidity, Ethereum's programming language for writing smart contracts, including basic concepts and examples.

Solidity 101: Introduction to Smart Contracts

Learn how to analyze the compilation output of Solidity contracts, understanding the generated bytecode and its implications.

Analyzing Compilation Output in Solidity

Understand how state variables are laid out in Ethereum's storage, affecting gas costs and contract interactions.

Layout of State Variables in Storage

Discover how state variables are organized in memory during contract execution, impacting performance and efficiency.

Layout of State Variables in Memory

Explore how state variables are managed in calldata, a data location used for function arguments in Solidity contracts.

Layout of State Variables in Calldata

Learn about the Solidity optimizer, a tool that improves the efficiency of compiled smart contract code, reducing gas costs.

Understanding the Solidity Optimizer

An overview of SMTChecker and formal verification tools in Solidity, used to ensure the correctness and security of smart contracts.

SMTChecker and Formal Verification

Solidity Compiler

Explore the official Vyper documentation, offering in-depth guides, syntax explanations, and best practices for writing secure and efficient Ethereum smart contracts using the Vyper language.

Vyper Documentation

Learn about the process by which Vyper source code is transformed into Ethereum bytecode, enabling the deployment of smart contracts to the blockchain and providing insights into the bytecode structure.

How Vyper Compiles into Bytecode

Delve into jump tables in Vyper, an advanced technique used to optimize contract execution by improving the efficiency of conditional branching, leading to reduced gas costs and streamlined logic.

A Guide to Vyper Jump Tables

Review notable vulnerabilities discovered in the Vyper compiler over time, and gain insights into how these issues have shaped the current security practices in Vyper development.

Past Compiler Vulnerabilities

Vyper Compiler

An overview of Attacknet, a tool and testing methodology for subjecting blockchain devnets to simulated network and side channel attacks.

Attacknet: Chaos Testing Blockchain Nodes

Documentation on the execution-spec-tests framework used to help uncover issues in the execution layer.

How to PoC execution layer bugs

Documentation on using PySpec to run tests for the Ethereum consensus layer.

How to PoC consensus bugs

A step-by-step guide on how to set up and install the Solidity compiler, including building from source.

Setting Up and Installing the Solidity Compiler

Instructions on how to run PoC tests for the Solidity compiler, helping to identify and fix potential issues.

How to run Solidity Compiler Tests

Instructions on how to run PoC tests for the Vyper compiler, helping to identify and fix potential issues.

How to run Vyper Compiler Tests

A compilation of instructions on how to run PoC tests for individual client software.

How to run Client Tests

Running a Proof of Concept (PoC)

Public disclosures related to the consensus layer of Ethereum, detailing identified issues and their resolutions.

Consensus Layer Public Disclosures Part 1

The second part of public disclosures for the consensus layer, providing updates on new findings and fixes.

Consensus Layer Public Disclosures Part 2

Public disclosures for the execution layer of Ethereum, covering known vulnerabilities and their mitigations.

Execution Layer Public Disclosures Part 1

The second part of public disclosures for the execution layer, discussing additional vulnerabilities and fixes.

Execution Layer Public Disclosures Part 2

A compiled list of known issues from client and language teams, providing insights into current limitations and bugs.

Further Known Issues

Audits & Known Issues

An analysis of client diversity in the Ethereum network, examining the distribution of different clients and their impact on the network's security and decentralization.

Client Diversity

A comprehensive guide to the terminology used in the Ethereum ecosystem, helping newcomers understand key concepts and jargon.

Ethereum Terminology Guide

The Ethereum white paper which outlines the vision, principles, and technical foundation of Ethereum.

The Ethereum White Paper

A detailed technical specification of Ethereum, known as the Yellow Paper, which provides an in-depth look at the protocol's mechanics and architecture.

The Ethereum Yellow Paper

All further resources will be available via the following Slite page.

Further Resources

Technical FAQ

Everything you need to know to find bugs on the Ethereum protocol. Learn how to make your hunt on the Ethereum protocol Attackathon a success.

Ethereum protocol Attackathon

Attackathons are education-based bug hunting competitions where security researchers compete over a reward pool by submitting impactful bugs in the project's code. Here’s how they work:

**Before the Attackathon**<br/> Immunefi works with the project to host a security-focused education period, providing top tier education and support to security researchers.

**During the Attackathon**<br/> Security researchers experience the optimal hunting conditions, with direct project support, responsiveness, and duplicate rewards.

**After the Attackathon**<br/> Immunefi spotlights the security accomplishments, with a custom leaderboard, Attackathon Findings Report, Bug Fix Reviews, and NFT awards.

Ultimately, Attackathons serve to secure projects, develop their security ecosystem, and create new opportunities for security researchers.

What's an Attackathon?

Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain that exists whenver there are connected computers running software following the Ethereum protocol and adding to the Ethereum Blockchain. 

Direct theft of any user funds, whether at-rest or in-motion, other than unclaimed yield

Unintended permanent chain split affecting greater than or equal to 25% of the network, requiring hard fork (network partition requiring hard fork)

Permanent freezing of funds

Direct loss of funds

Permanent freezing of funds (fix requires hardfork)

Network not being able to confirm new transactions (total network shutdown)

Shutdown of greater than or equal to 33% of network processing nodes without brute force actions, but does not shut down the network

Temporary freezing of network transactions by delaying one block by 500% or more of the average block time of the preceding 24 hours beyond standard difficulty adjustments affecting greater than or equal to 25% of the network

Temporary freezing of network transactions by delaying one block by 500% or more of the average block time of the preceding 24 hours beyond standard difficulty adjustments affecting less than 25% of the network

bug in the respective layer 0/1/2 network code that results in unintended smart contract behavior with no concrete funds at direct risk

Causing greater than or equal to 25% of network processing nodes to process transactions from the mempool beyond set parameters (e.g. prevents processing transactions from the mempool)

Increasing greater than or equal to 25% of network processing node resource consumption by at least 30% without brute force actions, compared to the preceding 24 hours

Shutdown of greater than or equal to 10% or equal to but less than 33% of network processing nodes without brute force actions, but does not shut down the network

Unintended chain split affecting greater than or equal to 25% of the network (Network partition)

Causing less than 25% of network processing nodes to process transactions from the mempool beyond set parameters (e.g. prevents processing transactions from the mempool)

Unintended chain split affecting less than 25% of the network (Network partition)

Increasing less than 25% of network processing node resource consumption by at least 30% without brute force actions, compared to the preceding 24 hours

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