Since the beginning of 2021, non-fungible tokens have been in the spotlight. One of the most eye-catching pieces of news was a $69 million NFT sale, which drew everyone’s attention to NFTs. People, on the other hand, are wary about NFTs and are questioning, “Are NFTs safe?” before forming an opinion about them. NFTs, being a new type of digital token, bring a slew of advantages, including better control and ownership of digital assets.
For the uninitiated, NFTs stands for Non-Fungible Tokens, a category of crypto assets that refers to a collection of one-of-a-kind assets. They are not to be confused with “fungible” tokens or tokens of equal value. Fungible tokens are also indistinguishable from one another.
Understanding the notion of non-fungible tokens can assist in laying the groundwork for learning about NFT security concerns and vulnerabilities. The best example of a fungible token may be found in Bitcoin. You could exchange one Bitcoin for another and retain ownership of the first. NFTs, on the other hand, are an entirely different game.
The value of NFTs is determined by a variety of criteria, including total supply and minting number, as well as other unique features and community support. You’d never discover two identical Crypto Kitties with the same value, for example. The value of CryptoKitties is determined by the minting number, time of creation, and special features, as well as demand. So, in a nutshell, NFTs are one-of-a-kind digital tokens that can aid you in gaining complete control over your assets.
Vulnerability and Security Issues with NFT
Despite the fact that the popularity of NFTs is growing by the day, recent hacking incidents highlight the importance of understanding NFT security concerns. Let us learn more about the specific issues, vulnerabilities, and security threats that NFTs face today.
Asset Ownership Challenges
The emergence of NFTs opened up new possibilities for changing traditional asset ownership norms. However, one of the most serious NFT flaws calls into question the concept of actual ownership in NFTs. The most pressing issue at the time of NFT development was the lack of storage capacity. As a result, storing photos in the blockchain was impossible.
On the contrary, the image’s identification would be stored in the blockchain, which may be the image’s hash or its web URL. If you want to view the NFT on a third-party platform, you’ll need to utilise the identification. As a result, when someone buys an NFT, they aren’t buying the actual image. They are, on the contrary, acquiring the identify that directs them to a URM on the internet. It’s also possible that the identification will go to the Interplanetary File System (IPFS).
When considering IPFS, keep in mind that the IPFS node will be run by the company from which you purchased the NFT. In instances when the platform minting the NFTs goes out of business, you can clearly see one of the most serious NFT weaknesses. In such instances, you may lose access to the NFT, or the NFT’s value may depreciate.
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Threats to Market Security
Despite the fact that NFTs are built on blockchain technology, they rely on centralised platforms to allow users to engage with digital assets. For purchasing and selling NFTs, many centralised platforms such as Nifty Gateway and Open Sea are acceptable gateways. However, because of these centralised platforms, one of the most serious NFT vulnerabilities and security issues emerges.
The private keys connected with all assets on the platforms are stored in centralised systems like Nifty Gateway and Open Sea. As a result, any platform compromise would automatically result in the loss of NFTs. The attack against Nifty Gateway in March is an example of how attackers were able to take advantage of this flaw. Despite recovering the victims’ money, they were unable to recover the NFTs, posing a significant risk.
On the other side, stringent security measures on NFT exchanges can also be argued in favour of. However, the marketplace’s high security procedures may not be enough to overcome NFT security vulnerabilities when using centralised marketplaces. Platform users may be to blame for uncovering a slew of other security flaws in NFT marketplaces. Users can lose their precious
NFTs for a variety of reasons, including weak passwords or a lack of two-factor authentication.Top Cyber Security Companies and best Cyber Security Companies can be hired to implement the security associated with NFTs. Cyber Security Services can onboard right strategy for penetration testing and security testing of NFTs and NFT marketplace.
Identity Theft and Cyber Security
Cyber security risks and the potential for identity fraud are the next tough entry among NFT security concerns. Cryptocurrency scams are one of the most common cyber security risks with NFTs. A fraud employing high-volume email provided an illustration of such a threat.
Apparently, the large number of emails appear to be from Coinbase, informing users of suspicious behaviour in their Coinbase accounts. Users are instructed to open an attachment in the email in order to provide their password for login and account verification. Such frauds have the potential to compromise a user’s credentials on an NFT platform. Malicious actors could take use of NFT flaws to infect users’ computers with malware like remote access Trojans.
Risks of Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are the most essential component of the design of NFTs, and they are the source of many of the security vulnerabilities that plague them. In reality, smart contract risks and NFT maintenance issues are two prominent factors in the current NFT market.
The impact of smart contracts risks on NFT security can be seen in a recent instance involving an attack on Poly Network, a well-known DeFi protocol. Due to flaws in smart contract security, hackers were able to steal nearly $600 million in the attack. Poly Network isn’t the only example that clearly demonstrates NFT vulnerabilities and security problems.
In 2017, the most popular NFT project, CryptoPunks, had to deal with the consequences of smart contract flaws. In 2017, a problem on CryptoPunks prohibited ETH from being sent to the seller’s wallet. Attackers could use the flaw to buy CryptoPunks NFTs and then withdraw the money from the contract. As a result, CryptoPunks had to relaunch with a completely new and up-to-date smart contract.
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Conclusion
In this blog post, we’ve briefly explained Cyber Risks associated with NFT in 2022? We hope you enjoyed it! Stay safe from cyber-attacks!