The sleuths who protect cryptocurrencies from hackers are raking in money

At a time when many crypto companies have seen their fortunes plummet, one corner of the industry is thriving.

With criminals, including North Korean hackers, increasingly targeting the sprawling software infrastructure underpinning the cryptosphere, firms that sift through code for weaknesses and run bug-hunting sites are finding themselves with more business than they can handle. As mass firings become the norm elsewhere in crypto, they’re boosting hiring, raising prices and taking in fresh funding.

Their rising fortunes underscore how the industry is waking up to the threat of sophisticated hackers who have stolen roughly $2 billion from digital-asset protocols this