Blockchain technology has been one of the notable topics of discussion in almost every industry, particularly for digital transformation. The applications of blockchain technology have spread across different sectors, with popular examples such as DeFi and NFT gaining momentum in different industries. At the same time, risks for blockchain security have also turned into major concerns for users.
Therefore, candidates who want to become blockchain security engineer can emerge as the right professionals for fighting off issues in blockchain security. How can you achieve the position of a blockchain security engineer in your career? The following post helps you find the answer with a guide to important points required for becoming a blockchain security engineer.
What Are the Security Issues in Blockchain?
Blockchain has become one of the most renowned technology trends with revolutionary use cases in different industries. Distributed ledger technology offers an exclusive approach to documenting transactions, whether they involve value or information. If you want answers to “How do you become a blockchain engineer?” you should know that blockchain is not invincible. The assurance of cryptographic security does not imply that your data is completely safe on blockchain networks. Some of the common types of attacks in blockchain include privacy concerns, malware, phishing, 51% attacks, and lapses in regulatory compliance.
The demand for blockchain security has been growing as security attacks on web3 and blockchain-based systems have been increasing. Within the first quarter of 2023, rug pull scams and web3 attacks led to losses worth $295 million. One of the biggest hacking incidents in blockchain was noted in the example of Binance, which lost more than $40 million in cryptocurrency theft.
The increasing frequency of security attacks in blockchain and web3 has also imposed a massive impact on the DeFi sector. As of now, a candidate with blockchain certification in security can find promising career development opportunities. The severity of threats in blockchain and web3 requires the intervention of blockchain security experts. Did you know that web3 security incidents led to a loss of around $3.6 billion in 2022? Learn more about the state of blockchain security with detailed insights now.
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Who Is a Blockchain Security Engineer?
A blockchain security engineer is a professional who works on ensuring the security of blockchain-based solutions. The outline of blockchain engineer skills in security roles would also emphasize the necessity of working directly with blockchain developers. Blockchain security engineers work on auditing the code crafted by developers and work on securing products, such as dApps, smart contracts, and protocols.
You would also work in collaboration with senior developers, project leads, researchers, and many others. The ultimate objective of blockchain security engineers focuses on securing high-value blockchain solutions across different ecosystems. Security engineers must also work on the introduction of new features while ensuring safeguards for on-chain as well as off-chain logic. Furthermore, blockchain security engineers must also develop internal and external tooling for secure smart contract programming.
Responsibilities of Blockchain Security Engineer
The next important piece of information in a guide to becoming a blockchain security engineer points to the responsibilities of the individual. What are the tasks you have to do as a blockchain security engineer? Here is an outline of the important responsibilities of blockchain security engineers.
- Evaluation of smart contracts used in creating cryptocurrencies, blockchain protocols, and decentralized technologies.
- Implementation of internal and external security assessments for blockchain systems.
- Engaging in routine security checks such as risk assessment and threat modeling.
- Designing, developing, and supporting open-source blockchain projects featuring security solutions.
- Supporting projects in easier scalability, management, and training of other engineers within the organization and the broader blockchain community.
- Participation in new blockchain engineer course programs on security and bug bounty programs for verifying and patching the reported vulnerabilities.
- Encouraging web3 and blockchain projects to improve their security.
- Blockchain security engineers manage the priorities in strengthening product security alongside developing a strategic approach for the same.
- Delivering accurate and concise documentation for empowering SDLC with value benefits of security.
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Skills Required for Becoming Blockchain Security Engineer
The identity of a blockchain security engineer and their responsibilities provide a clear impression of the career development prospects. You can use your blockchain engineer skills to land an average annual salary estimate of around $136,000. However, the benefits of a career as a blockchain security engineer come at a cost. You must invest your time and effort in learning the important skills that can help you do your job. Here are some of the notable skills required for a blockchain security engineer.
- Fluency in smart contract auditing for any type of programming language, including Solidity or other languages.
- In-depth knowledge of web3, cryptography, NFTs, DAOs, EVM, and DeFi protocols.
- Security engineers also need expertise in system reverse engineering.
- Experience in programming languages such as Java, Rust, Python, C++, JavaScript, and others for secure review and development of code.
- Expertise in security for container platforms and cloud environments.
- Experience in running penetration tests, bug bounty programs, and other security tests.
- Skills in data encryption, public key infrastructure, key management, tokenization, and ledgers.
Steps to Become Blockchain Security Engineer
The list of skills required for becoming a blockchain security engineer showcases that you have to invest considerable effort in achieving the final objective. However, it is important to find answers to “How do you become a blockchain engineer?” by following an organized path. You are likely to end up in confusion regarding the methods for achieving your career goals. Therefore, you should rely on the recommendations of experts for establishing your career in blockchain security. Here are some of the essential steps you must follow for a blockchain security engineer career path.
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Understand the Industry and Your Objectives
The foremost mistake of learners aspiring to become blockchain security experts is the lack of research. If you have decided to pursue a blockchain certification or training program, you must invest efforts in finding out how it can help you. Similarly, a career in blockchain security is a long-term commitment. Therefore, you must go through details regarding the existing state of blockchain security. For example, you should obtain a fundamental impression of the different types of security threats in the domain of blockchain.
In addition, you should check the different career options available for blockchain security engineers. The review of career options can help you find the ideal career objectives according to your skills and interests. What do you want from your career as a blockchain security professional? The answer can help you establish career goals, such as working for a specific company or building your own blockchain security protocols and solutions.
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Begin the Fundamental Training
The outline of career goals can help you find the best way forward for reaching your goals. What is the first step towards achieving your goals for a career in blockchain security? The answer would point to the fundamentals of blockchain security. You need to look for a blockchain engineer course that helps you learn about how blockchain works. Once you are familiar with the working of blockchain, you can uncover how blockchain security risks can have a negative impact. For example, you can find out how smart contracts work and identify the potential vulnerabilities that could affect their functionality.
On top of it, the fundamentals of blockchain technology can help you find out the existing security mechanisms and their vulnerabilities. For example, the shared responsibility model of blockchain security creates formidable setbacks. How? In a shared responsibility model, users have to take care of their own security alongside the blockchain network. The fundamental concepts help you create a strong foundation on which you can build your career in blockchain security.
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Develop Skills in Programming Languages
One of the most important recommendations for developing your skills in blockchain security would point to programming expertise. You must know that programming is one of the essential blockchain engineer skills for improving your career prospects. Skills in programming languages can help in identifying the vulnerabilities in code and empowering the prospects for blockchain security. You can become a blockchain security expert with abilities for using blockchain libraries like ethers.js and web3.js.
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Familiarize yourself with Smart Contract Development
The next important step in building your career as a blockchain security engineer deals with smart contract development. You would interact with different types of smart contract-based applications as a blockchain professional. Therefore, a blockchain training course on smart contract development can help you attain the expertise for recognizing smart contract vulnerabilities.
The journey to become blockchain security engineer also requires you to understand the different layers of security for smart contracts. Since smart contracts are everywhere in the domain of blockchain, it is important to find the resources that can help in developing your fluency in smart contracts and the underlying security risks.
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Choose Professional Training Courses
The journey of developing your blockchain security skills would also point to the necessity of professional training courses. You need to choose courses that help you familiarize yourself with the technical aspects of different concepts in blockchain. For example, you must learn about DeFi, NFTs, and metaverse fundamentals to learn how they fit within the blockchain ecosystem.
At the same time, answers to “How do you become a blockchain engineer?” would help you direct your focus toward the necessity of professional training. What is different in professional training courses? The distinctive highlight of professional blockchain training courses revolves around the insights of experts. You can find the opportunity to level up your blockchain knowledge with training materials created by expert instructors.
Another crucial reason to choose professional training courses for a career in blockchain security points for demos and real examples. 101 Blockchains offers training courses on different blockchain concepts, including security, with demos and examples from the real world. Therefore, the courses can help in finding out how blockchain applications work in real-world scenarios. On top of it, you are more likely to learn a concept faster when you see how it is implemented in a specific application or use case.
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Certify Your Skills with Credible Certifications
The best option to qualify for your desired job as a blockchain security engineer points to the need for certification. A blockchain certification for security engineers validates their abilities to take on different challenges in blockchain security. One of the most popular certifications for blockchain security, the Certified Blockchain Security Expert credential by 101 Blockchains, is a promising choice for aspiring blockchain security engineers.
The certification not only covers the fundamentals of blockchain security but also dives into the details of threat modeling and risk assessment. You can use the certification to prove your knowledge in identifying the major security vulnerabilities in the blockchain ecosystem. The Certified Blockchain Security Expert certification also helps in proving your skills for creating secure blockchain solutions.
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Practice Your Skills and Engage with the Community
The final mandatory recommendations for becoming a blockchain security engineer would point to the necessity of practicing your skills. You must develop your blockchain engineer skills by participating in real projects. For example, you can never conduct a smart contract audit successfully without participating in a few projects. Practice not only helps you refine your skills for blockchain security but also delivers an effective instrument for developing confidence.
Once you learn blockchain security skills and achieve certification in blockchain security, you need to sell your skills. Therefore, participating in blockchain communities and forums can help you interact with peers and industry experts. Communities offer a chance to showcase your skills and knowledge of blockchain concepts, thereby making it easier for potential employers to find you.
Conclusion
The guide to becoming a blockchain security engineer showed the essential pointers you need for following the career path. As the demand for blockchain security grows stronger, the career prospects for blockchain security experts will expand by huge margins. You can make the most of the opportunity and build the necessary skills for blockchain security engineers with professional course providers. Another important aspect of your career development journey points to a blockchain security expert certification. Learn more about the Certified Blockchain Security Expert certification and a career path for blockchain security right now.
*Disclaimer: The article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide any investment advice. Claims made in this article do not constitute investment advice and should not be taken as such. 101 Blockchains shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this article. Do your own research!
