Generative Large Language Model usage in Smart Contract Vulnerability Detection

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ince, Peter, Yu, Jiangshan, Liu, Joseph K., Du, Xiaoning
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ince, Peter
Yu, Jiangshan
Liu, Joseph K.
Du, Xiaoning
author_facet Ince, Peter
Yu, Jiangshan
Liu, Joseph K.
Du, Xiaoning
contents Recent years have seen an explosion of activity in Generative AI, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), revolutionising applications across various fields. Smart contract vulnerability detection is no exception; as smart contracts exist on public chains and can have billions of dollars transacted daily, continuous improvement in vulnerability detection is crucial. This has led to many researchers investigating the usage of generative large language models (LLMs) to aid in detecting vulnerabilities in smart contracts. This paper presents a systematic review of the current LLM-based smart contract vulnerability detection tools, comparing them against traditional static and dynamic analysis tools Slither and Mythril. Our analysis highlights key areas where each performs better and shows that while these tools show promise, the LLM-based tools available for testing are not ready to replace more traditional tools. We conclude with recommendations on how LLMs are best used in the vulnerability detection process and offer insights for improving on the state-of-the-art via hybrid approaches and targeted pre-training of much smaller models.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_04685
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Generative Large Language Model usage in Smart Contract Vulnerability Detection
Ince, Peter
Yu, Jiangshan
Liu, Joseph K.
Du, Xiaoning
Cryptography and Security
Recent years have seen an explosion of activity in Generative AI, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), revolutionising applications across various fields. Smart contract vulnerability detection is no exception; as smart contracts exist on public chains and can have billions of dollars transacted daily, continuous improvement in vulnerability detection is crucial. This has led to many researchers investigating the usage of generative large language models (LLMs) to aid in detecting vulnerabilities in smart contracts. This paper presents a systematic review of the current LLM-based smart contract vulnerability detection tools, comparing them against traditional static and dynamic analysis tools Slither and Mythril. Our analysis highlights key areas where each performs better and shows that while these tools show promise, the LLM-based tools available for testing are not ready to replace more traditional tools. We conclude with recommendations on how LLMs are best used in the vulnerability detection process and offer insights for improving on the state-of-the-art via hybrid approaches and targeted pre-training of much smaller models.
title Generative Large Language Model usage in Smart Contract Vulnerability Detection
topic Cryptography and Security
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.04685