Hyperledger Fabric Smart Contract Security: Risks and Vulnerabilities

Abstract

Smart contracts, self-executing programs deployed on blockchain networks, offer significant benefits in terms of transparency, efficiency, and trustless operations. However, their widespread adoption is hindered by security vulnerabilities that can lead to financial losses and operational failures. These vulnerabilities often stem from coding errors and logical flaws, such as input validation issues, race conditions, and value propagation problems. In this work, we propose a systematic analysis of common security risks in smart contracts, based on an in-depth literature review and the examination of several case studies. The results identify the most critical vulnerabilities and suggest best practices to mitigate these risks. For instance, the study highlights the importance of rigorous input validation and the use of formal models to verify contract logic. In short, this study provides valuable guidelines for smart contract developers and contributes to strengthening the security of blockchain applications. As a perspective for future work, avenues for research on the formalization of smart contracts and the automation of security testing will be explored.