Share this article
Smart Contracts Startup Hires Cryptographer Lisa Yin
Smart contracts startup Symbiont has hired cryptographer Lisa Yin as its new chief security officer.
By Stan Higgins
Updated Sep 11, 2021, 12:43 p.m. Published Dec 2, 2016, 4:47 p.m.
Smart contracts startup Symbiont has hired a cryptographer best known for her work in detailing how to break the SHA-1 hashing algorithm as its new chief security officer.
Dr. Lisa Yin, who will also serve as chief cryptographer, was one of three academics to publish a 2005 paper outlining an attack on SHA-1. In the eleven years since, further research has been published highlighting attacks on the hashing algorithm, and in recent years tech firms have called for its retirement.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Yin also served as chief editor of the IEEE P1363 project, which develops and publishes standards for public-key cryptography.
According to the startup, Yin will focus primarily on privacy and security issues related to its blockchain projects. Symbiont unveiled its flagship blockchain initiative, dubbed Assembly, in October.
Yin said in a statement:
"I am very excited to join the team, and I look forward to keeping Symbiont ahead of the curve on developments in cryptography, which is a critical building block for distributed ledger technology."
Yin's appointment represents the second high-profile talent grab the startup has made in the past month. In November, Symbiont tapped former SEC commissioner Dan Gallagher for its board of directors. At the time, Symbiont also added former T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services CEO and president Todd Ruppert to the board.
Image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Japan’s Higher Rates Puts Bitcoin in the Crosshairs of a Yen Carry Unwind
A stronger yen typically coincides with de-risking across macro portfolios, and that dynamic could tighten liquidity conditions that recently helped bitcoin rebound from November’s lows.
What to know:
- The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates to 0.75% at its December meeting, the highest since 1995, affecting global markets including cryptocurrencies.
- A stronger yen could lead to de-risking in macro portfolios, impacting liquidity conditions that have supported bitcoin's recent recovery.
- Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated a high probability of a rate hike, with officials prepared for further tightening if their economic outlook supports it.
Top Stories
