# Solana Foundation Steps Up Security After $270M Exploit

The Solana Foundation just rolled out major security upgrades following last week's $270 million hack on Drift Protocol. The attack was traced back to a six-month North Korean intelligence operation targeting Drift's team through social engineering.

The new **Stride program** will evaluate Solana DeFi protocols against eight security pillars, with findings published publicly. For protocols holding over $10 million in total value locked (TVL), Solana will fund ongoing operational security and active threat monitoring. Those with more than $100 million TVL will get formal verification - a mathematical method that proves smart contract correctness.

**What This Means for Traders:**

- Higher security standards could boost confidence in $SOL DeFi projects

- Formal verification funding targets only the biggest protocols

- The Incident Response Network (SIRN) aims to speed up crisis management

However, these measures wouldn't have prevented the Drift attack. The hackers didn't break smart contracts - they compromised team members' devices over months, then used legitimate multisig approvals to drain funds. No audit or monitoring tool can catch when trusted humans become the vulnerability.

The foundation maintains protocols bear ultimate responsibility, but these programs provide crucial support infrastructure. With North Korean groups increasingly targeting crypto, Solana's security push comes at a critical time for the ecosystem.

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