Crypto Long & Short: What Happens When an AI Agent Pays for the Wrong Thing?
Key Highlights The x402 payment protocol, published by Coinbase in May 2025, bypasses traditional dispute mechanisms to facilitate ultra-fast, sub-cent micropayments designed for automated software transactions. A joint security study by researchers at EPFL and Zhejiang University revealed that all 15 analyzed live x402 payment facilitators violated at least one of eight foundational safety rules. ...