KEY POINTS
- Harrison Leggio said CertiK's scoring was a 'malicious attack' on g8keep
- The g8keep profile has been removed from the CertiK website
- Some crypto users said CertiK was 'overhyped,' and others said the g8keep incident was 'near extortion'
Blockchain security pioneer CertiK is under fire on X after Harrison Leggio, the co-founder of Web3 token platform g8keep, accused the DeFi and blockchain ranking provider of a "malicious and targeted attack."
Leggio took to X on Thursday to call out CertiK, telling the blockchain security firm to get g8keep "off your garbage platform." Based on the screenshot posted by Leggio, who goes by Pop Funk on X, CertiK gave g8keep a security score of 47.92. The listing revealed that CertiK didn't audit g8keep, and no third party has audited the token platform's code. It also said there were no audits available.
CertiK Targeted g8keep?
"Don't give me a low security score because we didn't work with your fraudulent and malicious company. I'll hand my money directly to Kim Jong Un before I work with you," Leggio wrote. He said g8keep had been audited by "3 industry leading firms."
Hey @certik get my company off your garbage platform.
— Pop Punk (@PopPunkOnChain) September 4, 2024
We received audits with 3 industry leading firms.
Don't give me a low security score because we didn't work with your fraudulent and malicious company.
I'll hand my money directly to Kim Jong Un before I work with you. pic.twitter.com/fGb5i6cw7Y
While responding to some commenters, Leggio went on to reveal in the comments that the g8keep code was "not available yet they feel obligated to rate our protocol."
One user said CertiK doesn't owe g8keep a high score, to which Leggio insisted that the reason why CertiK doesn't owe the crypto token protocol any score is because "there's no f*****g code for them to give a score."
A few hours later, Leggio posted a screenshot that showed g8keep has been delisted from CertiK. Leggio said he "got g8keep removed" from the blockchain rating platform. CertiK supposedly "claimed data is sourced directly from CoinMarketCap." The g8keep co-founder said the token platform isn't listed on the cryptocurrency price tracker, "nor do we have a token."
I got g8keep removed from Certik's platform.
— Pop Punk (@PopPunkOnChain) September 4, 2024
They claimed data is sourced directly from CoinMarketCap. This is a lie. We are not listed there nor do we have a token.
This was a malicious and targeted attack on my company.
We had to threaten legal action. Fuck you CertiK. pic.twitter.com/46GfFM2UL1
"This was a malicious attack on my company. We had to threaten legal action," Leggio revealed.
The CertiK team told Protos that it "used public information related to g8keep's recent funding history to create a profile" and delisted the profile after receiving a request from the token platform's team.
Outrage Over Listing Incident
Cryptocurrency and blockchain users expressed disappointment over the g8keep incident, with some saying CertiK is just an "overhyped" platform.
@CertiK is overhyped and overpriced audit. Contracts were hacked many times after they did audit. So in hack society Certik means nothing but for retail this a "brand".
— Milady4488 (@Milady4488) September 5, 2024
@Vet_X0, the co-founder of XRP Ledger marketplace XRP Café, said most of Certik's metrics were "totally useless," while another user accused the company of being a "cash grab."
The Veritas Protocol's X handle also commented on the issue, saying it was "frustrating" to see some crypto and DeFi projects being "undermined" by platforms that don't provide fair or accurate evaluations.
It’s frustrating to see projects undermined by platforms that don’t provide accurate or fair evaluations. Their reputation now precedes them like a stormy cloud
— VERITAS PROTOCOL (@veritas_web3) September 4, 2024
One user noted that he is "far less likely" to use a protocol audited by CertiK due to its "track record," and another said the g8keep incident is a case of "near extortion."
CertiK did not immediately respond to International Business Times' request for comments.
