Ripple, Immunefi Launch $200K Attackathon to Boost DeFi Security
- Ripple and Immunefi launch a $200K XRPL Attackathon to test the new lending protocol.
- The initiative invites global researchers to identify vulnerabilities before validator voting.
- The program features a two-week training phase before security testing begins on October 27.
Ripple and blockchain security platform Immunefi have joined forces to launch a $200,000 “Attackathon” for the XRP Ledger (XRPL). The event invites global security researchers to test the resilience of the proposed XRPL Lending Protocol, marking a major step in Ripple’s institutional DeFi roadmap.
Global researchers to test XRPL lending code
The Attackathon begins with a two-week educational phase starting from October 13. In this phase, the participants will get technical support from Ripple engineers and access to developer environments and documentation. After the training, the active testing phase will run from October 27 to November 29.
Researchers will compete to find vulnerabilities in the XRPL Lending Protocol, including logic errors and code exploits. Ripple and Immunefi will distribute up to $200,000 in rewards to participants who discover valid security flaws.
According to the announcement, if at least one critical bug is found, the entire reward pool will be distributed. If no major bugs are discovered, a fallback pool of $30,000 will be paid to those who submitted valid insights.
The proposed XRPL Lending Protocol introduces pooled lending and underwritten credit directly on the ledger. It focuses on automating the entire lending process and links worldwide borrowers and lenders, providing transparency and compliance.
Ripple’s Head of Product for RippleX, Jasmine Cooper, said the initiative aims to ensure the protocol is fully secure before any validator vote. She explained that working with Immunefi allows Ripple to engage a global network of security researchers with proven expertise across DeFi ecosystems.
According to Mitchell Amador, the CEO and founder of Immunefi, the program educates the best cybersecurity experts to enhance crucial blockchain infrastructure. He said the initiative supports Immunefi’s broader mission of protecting Web3 ecosystems through proactive threat detection.
Strengthening Institutional DeFi security
The XRPL Lending Protocol represents the next major upgrade on the XRP Ledger. It follows Ripple’s plan to bring institutional-grade DeFi services to the network by combining transparency with regulatory alignment. The protocol will integrate directly with risk and compliance frameworks, making on-chain credit markets more accessible and efficient.
Ripple said the lending system will enable developers and financial institutions to build tools that connect borrowers with global liquidity pools. Lenders will earn yield on idle assets while all transactions remain transparent and verifiable on-chain.
The participation of Immunefi introduces its experience in DeFi security. The platform now secures over $180 billion in user funds and has also helped prevent over $25 billion in hacks in over 650 blockchain projects.
Related: Ripple Excited for Growth in Luxembourg, Eyes EU Expansion
Security remains a priority for Ripple, especially after external research rated the XRP Ledger among the lowest in blockchain safety earlier this year. Developers countered those claims by citing recent audits from firms such as CertiK, Halborn, and FYEO.
Ripple and Immunefi’s partnership aims to demonstrate that the XRPL ecosystem can meet the security standards required for institutional-scale lending. Cooper said the Attackathon adds an extra layer of assurance for developers building on the network.
As DeFi platforms expand across institutional use cases, the ability to prove protocol resilience before deployment is becoming essential. Ripple’s collaboration with Immunefi positions XRPL as one of the few major blockchains conducting structured, pre-launch attack simulations at this scale. If the upcoming validator vote approves the protocol later this year, XRPL could introduce native, fully on-ledger credit functionality, a first among major enterprise blockchains.
