News

Law

Asset Management

Investment Banking

Wealth

Hedge Funds

People

Newsletters

Events

Lists

Fintech

Hack the block: Exchange breaches drive investment in blockchain security

Though attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges highlight the risks of the new technology, humans are the weakest link

Hack the block: Exchange breaches drive investment in blockchain security
Photo: Peter Grundy

Banks and asset managers are slowly but steadily ramping up their investment in blockchains. But even as their pilot projects bear fruit, hackers are testing the limits of the technology — by stealing millions in cryptocurrency.

According to the growing cohort of blockchain security experts, however, the problem is not the blockchains themselves. Instead, crypto hackers are finding tremendous success targeting people.

WSJ Logo