The Security Paradox of Smart Contracts: Blind Spots and Prospects of Current Detection Strategies

Abstract

Ethereum, a foundational blockchain platform enabling decentralized applications, has catalyzed the development of myriad applications through smart contracts. However, vulnerabilities within these contracts have precipitated notable financial losses, garnering keen interest from both industry and academia. While existing vulnerability detection research has progressed in addressing traditional challenges, it increasingly falls short of comprehensively securing smart contracts against evolving attack patterns and new vulnerabilities. Distinguishing itself from prior surveys, this review conducts an in-depth analysis of actual attack incidents, delving into the characteristics of recent vulnerabilities and thoroughly exploring the present research difficulties and challenges. The paper aims to offer a holistic view on smart contract security research, advance the depth of vulnerability detection technologies, and suggest directions for future inquiries.