Premiere: 4/17 10:10 - 10:40 

Replays: 4/17 16:10 - 16:40, 4/17 22:10 - 22:40

While extensive research has been conducted on all kinds of smart contracts, analysis of the underlying

infrastructure powering blockchains remains relatively rare, despite its far greater impact. This talk

explores a RCE vulnerability in Solana's validator, discovered during its transition to a new runtime

optimization in version 1.16. We will delve into Solana’s architecture, its runtime VM, and the evolution of

its data storage model that led to this flaw. The bug enables attackers to compromise the blockchain

entirely, allowing actions like minting tokens, exfiltrating validator keys, and ultimately achieving RCE.

Attendees will gain technical insights into the vulnerability and its exploitation process, offering insights

and guidance for future researchers.