Security of a blockchain project is one of the key elements for its success. An important aspect for ensuring security of a project is smart contract audit. An accurate and detailed analysis of smart contract sets in an application helps detect and eliminate vulnerabilities. The audit also checks upon the reliability of the contract’s interactions.
As for the process of auditing smart contracts, it quite resembles any kind of code testing. The steps involve testing of smart contract state changes, event testing, error testing, and scrutinizing sender of messages.
What to look for when choosing tools
Smart contracts, however, are simply too large and dynamic to be explored and monitored manually. You require tools to thoroughly go through the code and yet, avoid any sort of data breach. In some cases, even after a project goes live, you need a system to continually monitor the transactions and inform the participants immediately if something fishy is discovered.
A fundamental requirement regarding a tool is to have an ecosystem that facilitates working with the smart contract through its complete life cycle. It enables you to create customized contracts, that refers to computer code developed in line with your needs. You are able to perform auditing of contracts with efficiency and deploy contracts in the live environment.
After a smart contract is deployed, it needs to be monitored to ensure security. The tool monitors a given set of contracts in real time and creates customized alerts in case set parameters are violated.
SWC registry is one of the best sources to get familiar with various smart contract vulnerabilities.
Let us take a dive into five popular tools for smart contract audit:
1. Truffle
A popular framework for blockchain application development, Truffle serves as a reliable development environment, testing framework and asset pipeline for blockchains. Whether developers are looking to build on Ethereum, Hyperledger, Quorum, or any other supported platforms, the framework can be relied upon. Truffle brings in the functionality needed to be an end-to-end dApp development platform.
At its core, Truffle is a Node.js platform for compiling, linking, and deploying smart contracts. It gives developers access to features like scriptable deployment, custom deployment support, access to external packages, binary management, and many more.
Along with built-in smart contract compilation, linking, deployment and binary management, Truffle can be used for
- Scriptable, extensible deployment & migrations framework
- Automated contract testing
- Network management
- Package management with EthPM & NPM, using the ERC190 standard
- Interactive console for direct contract communication
- Configurable build pipeline backed by integration
Truffle enables developers to easily deploy smart contracts and communicate with their underlying state without getting into plenty of client side programming. The framework has a useful library for the auditing and iteration of smart contracts.
2. MythX
A powerful cloud-based service, MythX discovers Solidity vulnerabilities in Ethereum contract code. The service uses input fuzzing and symbolic analysis to pick common security bugs. Client requires an API key to use the service.
MythX rolls out a complete array of analysis services, that include static analysis, dynamic analysis and symbolic execution. Depending on the level of subscription, the service offers options like quick scan, standard scan, and deep scan. You can use the Truffle MythX plugin for analyzing smart contracts to the Truffle framework.
3. Rattle
An EVM binary static analysis framework sets aside up to 60% of the instructions recovered from the bytecode, shortens things and explores vulnerabilities.
It gets the byte strings and implements a flow-sensitive analysis to reclaim the original control flow graph. It drives the control flow graph into an SSA/infinite register form, and enhances the SSA – discarding DUPs, SWAPs, PUSHs, and POPs. This turns the stack machine into a much simpler interface, making it easier for the human readers of smart contracts.
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4. Securify
A web-based scanner of smart code, Securify allows you to copy-paste code. Click ‘scan now’ and the tool will report the issues, if any, with warnings.
The tool reports issues right on the potentially vulnerable line of code. If you click the ‘info’ button, further elaboration and examples are provided. It will display issues such as Transaction Order Affects Ether Amount, Unrestricted write to storage, Missing Input Validation, Unrestricted Ether Flow, Unsafe Call to Untrusted Contract, etc. The web tool cannot be used offline though.
5. Mythril
Using taint analysis, concolic analysis, and control flow checking to detect an array of security vulnerabilities in smart contracts.
A security analysis tool for EVM bytecode, it is built for picking vulnerabilities in smart contracts developed for Ethereum, Quorum, Hedera, Vechain, Roostock, Tron and other EVM-compatible blockchains. In the MythX security analysis platform, Mythril is used along with other tools and techniques.
Wrapping up
A smart contract audit is a key enabler for running secure DeFi applications that thrive in the capital market later. Tools play a massive role in agile auditing, allowing teams to get through thousands of lines of code with speed. Choice of the right tool has a bearing on the efficacy of the audit as well.
