Research

Solana security, written by the researchers doing the work.

Field notes from active audits, deep-dives into bug classes we keep finding, and the occasional polemic. New posts roughly every other week.

9 posts·Updated Aug 6, 2026
Malicious Solana IDLs: When depositFunds Calls withdrawFunds
securitysolanaanchor

Malicious Solana IDLs: When depositFunds Calls withdrawFunds

A malicious IDL can make a trusted Solana program look like it exposes safe instructions while the client signs something else entirely. Here's how the attack works, and why IDLs need to become verifiable build artifacts.

Robert Reith·Jul 29, 2026·10 min
How We Hacked Solana Verified Builds
securitysolanaverified builds

How We Hacked Solana Verified Builds

How we managed to make the solana explorer display a program verified badge with our repository for a program we didn't control or have the source code for

Robert Reith·May 5, 2026·16 min
How Much Does a Solana Audit Cost in 2026? (From an Actual Solana Audit Firm)
securitysolanaaudit

How Much Does a Solana Audit Cost in 2026? (From an Actual Solana Audit Firm)

Real price ranges, what drives cost, and how to reduce your bill — from a firm that scopes and prices Solana audits daily.

Robert Reith·Apr 14, 2026·15 min
Designing Better In-Protocol Authority Structures
securitysolanaopsec

Designing Better In-Protocol Authority Structures

How to dramatically reduce administration risk of your Solana protocols.

Robert Reith·Apr 7, 2026·12 min
The Cost of Security in Solana Programs
securitysolanacu

The Cost of Security in Solana Programs

How many security checks can you afford in a Solana program when your compute budget is limited? We benchmark common security patterns to give you concrete numbers and optimization strategies.

Niklas Brymko·Aug 25, 2025·15 min
Compressed NFTs on Solana
securitysolanadev

Compressed NFTs on Solana

A deep dive into Compressed NFTs (cNFTs) on Solana, exploring the account-compression and mpl-bubblegum programs. Learn how cNFTs revolutionize NFT scalability by using Merkle trees to store data off-chain, drastically reducing costs and complexity.

Mahdi Rostami·Aug 1, 2025·30 min
r0bre's 100 daily Solana tips
securitysolanadev

r0bre's 100 daily Solana tips

100 pieces of Solana tips to improve your Solana dev and auditor skills

Robert Reith·Jun 10, 2025·88 min
Hidden IDL Instructions and How To Abuse Them
securitysolanaanchor

Hidden IDL Instructions and How To Abuse Them

We describe how Solana Anchor bundles IDL instructions with your program, and what security implications this has

Robert Reith·Dec 10, 2024·9 min