XRP gets AI-driven security boost as threat from hackers using the technology grows

Ripple is turning to artificial intelligence to keep the XRP Ledger safe just as hackers increasingly weaponise the technology to search for vulnerabilities in the code behind blockchains.

In a new initiative announced Thursday, the firm outlined plans to use AI tools to monitor for bugs in existing XRPL blockchain software, and to detect issues in new code before it goes live.

“Advances in AI are rapidly and fundamentally changing how blockchain protocols are analysed and tested,” Ayo Akinyele, senior director of engineering at Ripple, said in a blog post announcing the initiative.

“Modern tools can now systematically explore complex codebases, uncovering edge cases and hidden failure modes that traditional approaches often miss.”

The development comes as crypto security experts warn that the threat from AI-armed bad actors is growing.

“AI has made legacy-contract hunting cheaper, faster, and more scalable,” Gabi Urrutia, field chief information security officer at Halborn, a blockchain security firm, previously told DL News.

While evidence suggests attackers are using AI to speed up and scale their attacks, crypto security firms and auditors are only just starting to incorporate the technology into their defences.

Shoring up XRP security

Ripple says it will use AI to shore up XRP Ledger security in several ways.

It will incorporate AI across the XRPL development lifecycle, using it to scan for vulnerabilities in new code, changes to existing code, and to model potential threats from new and existing feature interactions.

“We are also using AI to simulate edge cases and stress scenarios that would be difficult to generate manually,” Akinyele said.

Additionally, Ripple will establish a dedicated, AI-assisted team focused on continuously analysing the XRPL codebase and how features interact in real-world scenarios.

The team has already uncovered and disclosed over 10 low-severity bugs, which have all been fixed.

In addition to incorporating AI, Ripple says it will also strengthen security in more conventional ways. These include modernising the XRPL codebase, and introducing new security procedures. It will also collaborate with independent security researchers, validator operators, and external security firms.

Crypto security experts warn that old best practices won’t be enough to keep blockchain code safe anymore as AI enhances the capabilities of bad actors.

Instead of protocols getting audited before their code goes live, they must invest in constant screening using the latest AI models to ensure any potential exploits are discovered by developers first.

“Resilience must be continuous: not a one-time validation, but an ongoing process of hardening, testing and improving as XRPL evolves,” Akinyele said.

“The stakes have never been higher.”

Tim Craig is DL News’ Edinburgh-based DeFi Correspondent. Reach out with tips at tim@dlnews.com.