Smart Contracts in the Real World: A Statistical Exploration of External Data Dependencies

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Wang, Yishun, Li, Xiaoqi, Ye, Shipeng, Xie, Lei, Xing, Ju
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Wang, Yishun
Li, Xiaoqi
Ye, Shipeng
Xie, Lei
Xing, Ju
author_facet Wang, Yishun
Li, Xiaoqi
Ye, Shipeng
Xie, Lei
Xing, Ju
contents Smart contracts with external data are crucial for functionality but pose security and reliability concerns. Statistical and quantitative studies on this interaction are scarce. To address this gap, we analyzed 10,500 smart contracts, retaining 9,356 valid ones after excluding outdated or erroneous ones. We employed code parsing to transform contract code into abstract syntax trees and identified keywords associated with external data dependencies. We conducted a quantitative analysis by comparing these keywords to a reference list. We manually classified the 9,356 valid smart contracts to ascertain their application domains and typical interaction methods with external data. Additionally, we created a database with this data to facilitate research on smart contract dependencies. Moreover, we reviewed over 3,600 security audit reports, manually identifying 249 (approximately 9%) related to external data interactions and categorized their dependencies. We explored the correlation between smart contract complexity and external data dependency to provide insights for their design and auditing processes. These studies aim to enhance the security and reliability of smart contracts and offer practical guidance to developers and auditors.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_13253
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Smart Contracts in the Real World: A Statistical Exploration of External Data Dependencies
Wang, Yishun
Li, Xiaoqi
Ye, Shipeng
Xie, Lei
Xing, Ju
Cryptography and Security
Smart contracts with external data are crucial for functionality but pose security and reliability concerns. Statistical and quantitative studies on this interaction are scarce. To address this gap, we analyzed 10,500 smart contracts, retaining 9,356 valid ones after excluding outdated or erroneous ones. We employed code parsing to transform contract code into abstract syntax trees and identified keywords associated with external data dependencies. We conducted a quantitative analysis by comparing these keywords to a reference list. We manually classified the 9,356 valid smart contracts to ascertain their application domains and typical interaction methods with external data. Additionally, we created a database with this data to facilitate research on smart contract dependencies. Moreover, we reviewed over 3,600 security audit reports, manually identifying 249 (approximately 9%) related to external data interactions and categorized their dependencies. We explored the correlation between smart contract complexity and external data dependency to provide insights for their design and auditing processes. These studies aim to enhance the security and reliability of smart contracts and offer practical guidance to developers and auditors.
title Smart Contracts in the Real World: A Statistical Exploration of External Data Dependencies
topic Cryptography and Security
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.13253