Why Backpack Switched to Blockaid to Support Solana Growth

Introduction

Backpack is an all-in-one crypto app that combines a self-custodial wallet and centralized exchange.

The Backpack Wallet, available as both an app and desktop extension, supports multiple chains including Solana, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, and Polygon.

Users can store, send, and collect tokens and NFTs, as well as buy, sell, swap, and bridge thousands of tokens through an integrated swapper. Backpack prioritizes security, offering continual audits, NFT locking, scam detection alerts, and hardware wallet support.

The challenge

Backpack users heavily transact on Solana. As Solana's popularity surged, so did the number of scams targeting users in its ecosystem.

To address this, Backpack needed to move fast and integrate Solana-specific security components for its wallet.

The solution

Backpack chose Blockaid for its speed, scalability, and proactive security approach that prevents the loss of user funds and has put notable wallet drainers out of business.

By continuously scanning the internet for new domains and dApps, Blockaid identifies malicious dApps as early as 24 hours before they are first used in an attack.

For Backpack, this means that malicious apps created with wallet-draining kits from groups like Endless and Riddance are detected before users lose funds, not added to a blocklist only after losses are reported.

Beyond showing transaction details, Backpack’s integration with Blockaid also tells users whether transactions are dangerous or safe before they sign.

And because Blockaid can simulate transactions with less than 300ms of latency, the team was able to increase security while improving the responsiveness of its app.

“At Backpack, we prioritize security as the foundation for storing and managing cryptocurrencies. Our partnership with Blockaid enhances our commitment to safety, enabling users to interact with on-chain apps with confidence.” - Armani Ferrante

Results

• Total Transactions Scanned: ~180 million
• Malicious Transactions Identified: ~71,000
• User Impact: 5.6% of active users experienced a drain attempt
• Domain Analysis: 1,300 domains analyzed, 250 (19.2%) were sources of malicious transactions
• Predominant Threat: Transfer farming (75% of all malicious activities)
• Estimated losses prevented: $26.6M

Recap

Backpack, a web3 wallet and exchange platform, has always prioritized user security. The rapid growth of the Solana ecosystem, while beneficial, also increased risks for users.

To maintain its commitment to security and protect against both existing and emerging threats, Backpack made the strategic decision to switch to Blockaid, ensuring the best possible protection for its user base.

It is now able to proactively detect malicious dApps before a user is scammed and determine the safety of every transaction without slowing down the user experience.