DApps Ecosystems: Mapping the Network Structure of Smart Contract Interactions

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Aufiero, Sabrina, Ibba, Giacomo, Bartolucci, Silvia, Destefanis, Giuseppe, Neykova, Rumyana, Ortu, Marco
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Aufiero, Sabrina
Ibba, Giacomo
Bartolucci, Silvia
Destefanis, Giuseppe
Neykova, Rumyana
Ortu, Marco
author_facet Aufiero, Sabrina
Ibba, Giacomo
Bartolucci, Silvia
Destefanis, Giuseppe
Neykova, Rumyana
Ortu, Marco
contents In recent years, decentralized applications (dApps) built on blockchain platforms such as Ethereum and coded in languages such as Solidity, have gained attention for their potential to disrupt traditional centralized systems. Despite their rapid adoption, limited research has been conducted to understand the underlying code structure of these applications. In particular, each dApp is composed of multiple smart contracts, each containing a number of functions that can be called to trigger a specific event, e.g., a token transfer. In this paper, we reconstruct and analyse the network of contracts and functions calls within the dApp, which is helpful to unveil vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious attackers. We show how decentralization is architecturally implemented, identifying common development patterns and anomalies that could influence the system's robustness and efficiency. We find a consistent network structure characterized by modular, self-sufficient contracts and a complex web of function interactions, indicating common coding practices across the blockchain community. Critically, a small number of key functions within each dApp play a pivotal role in maintaining network connectivity, making them potential targets for cyber attacks and highlighting the need for robust security measures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_01991
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle DApps Ecosystems: Mapping the Network Structure of Smart Contract Interactions
Aufiero, Sabrina
Ibba, Giacomo
Bartolucci, Silvia
Destefanis, Giuseppe
Neykova, Rumyana
Ortu, Marco
Computers and Society
Cryptography and Security
Information Theory
Software Engineering
In recent years, decentralized applications (dApps) built on blockchain platforms such as Ethereum and coded in languages such as Solidity, have gained attention for their potential to disrupt traditional centralized systems. Despite their rapid adoption, limited research has been conducted to understand the underlying code structure of these applications. In particular, each dApp is composed of multiple smart contracts, each containing a number of functions that can be called to trigger a specific event, e.g., a token transfer. In this paper, we reconstruct and analyse the network of contracts and functions calls within the dApp, which is helpful to unveil vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious attackers. We show how decentralization is architecturally implemented, identifying common development patterns and anomalies that could influence the system's robustness and efficiency. We find a consistent network structure characterized by modular, self-sufficient contracts and a complex web of function interactions, indicating common coding practices across the blockchain community. Critically, a small number of key functions within each dApp play a pivotal role in maintaining network connectivity, making them potential targets for cyber attacks and highlighting the need for robust security measures.
title DApps Ecosystems: Mapping the Network Structure of Smart Contract Interactions
topic Computers and Society
Cryptography and Security
Information Theory
Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.01991