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Audit Question Formulation Strategies.md

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Audit Question Formulation Strategies

Here are some strategies for coming up with questions and considerations to thoroughly audit the security of a smart contract:

  1. Code Review and Structure:

    • What is the purpose of this smart contract?
    • Are there any unnecessary functions or variables?
    • Are there any unused variables or functions?
    • Is the code well-documented and easy to understand?
    • Are external dependencies properly vetted and secure?
    • Does the contract adhere to established coding standards (e.g., Solidity best practices)?
    • What are some assumptions in the system?
    • What are some of the mechanism common to more than one user and depended on by all users?
    • What parts of the system have standards? e.g. token standards, upgradability standards, services provided standards
    • How well are the listed standards followed?

  2. Access Control:

    • Who has access to privileged functions or data?
    • Are access control mechanisms properly implemented?
    • Are there any potential vulnerabilities related to access control (e.g., missing onlyOwner modifiers)?
    • Are default visibility settings used effectively?

  3. Input Validation and Safety:

    • Are input parameters validated properly?
    • What are some assumptions in the system?
    • Are there any potential integer overflow or underflow vulnerabilities?
    • Are input values checked for overflows, underflows, or unexpected edge cases?
    • Are external calls or delegate calls properly validated and handled?

  4. State Management and Reentrancy:

    • How is the state managed and updated within the contract?
    • Are there any reentrancy vulnerabilities?
    • Are state transitions and storage operations performed safely?
    • Are there any potential race conditions?

  5. Gas Costs and Limits:

    • Are gas costs properly estimated?
    • Could gas limits be exceeded under certain conditions?
    • Are gas refunds handled correctly?
    • Are loops and iterations within acceptable gas limits?

  6. External Dependencies and Contracts:

    • Are external contracts and libraries secure and up to date?
    • Are there potential risks associated with interacting with external contracts?
    • Have potential reentrancy issues with external calls been addressed?

  7. Token and Asset Handling:

    • How can a malicious or untrusted token affect this contract?
    • How does the contract handle unexpected or malicious input from tokens?
    • Are there safeguards in place to prevent malicious tokens from interacting with the contract?
    • What are the potential risks associated with accepting tokens from untrusted sources?
    • Does the contract rely on token approvals and allowances from external addresses?
    • Are there vulnerabilities related to unauthorized token allowances?
    • How does the contract handle changes in token approval status or token balances?
    • Can the contract be exploited through front-running attacks when interacting with tokens?
    • Are there measures in place to mitigate the risks of front-running when processing token transactions?
    • Are there potential reentrancy vulnerabilities when interacting with tokens?
    • How does the contract prevent reentrancy attacks from malicious tokens?
    • Are withdrawal patterns and interactions with tokens secure?
    • Is the contract compatible with common token standards (e.g., ERC-20, ERC-721)?
    • Are there potential compatibility issues or vulnerabilities when interacting with different token standards?
    • Are there any functions within the contract triggered by token transfers?
    • How does the contract ensure that token-triggered functions are secure and cannot be abused?
    • Can malicious tokens manipulate their value or behavior in a way that negatively impacts the contract?
    • Are there checks in place to detect and handle tokens with unexpected behaviors?
    • How does the contract handle token upgrades or migrations to a new token contract?
    • Are there security measures to prevent disruptions during token transitions?
    • Does the contract follow best practices for interacting with tokens, such as checking return values and handling edge cases?
    • Are token interactions well-documented and reviewed for security concerns?

  8. Monitoring, Alerts, and Incident Handling:

    • Is there a monitoring system in place to detect suspicious token-related activities?
    • Are there mechanisms for alerting and responding to potential token-related security incidents?

  9. User Education and Compliance:

    • Are users informed about the risks associated with interacting with the contract using tokens?
    • Is there educational material or guidance on safely using tokens with the contract?
    • Does the smart contract comply with relevant legal and regulatory requirements?
    • Are there any issues related to data privacy and user consent?

  10. Community and Peer Review:

    • Have you sought feedback from the blockchain community and peers?
    • Are there any known security concerns raised by the community?

  11. Future Considerations:

    • Is the contract designed to be upgradeable, and if so, is the upgrade process secure?
    • How will the contract handle future changes to the blockchain protocol or dependencies?

  12. Documentation and User Education:

    • Are users of the contract provided with clear documentation on its functionality and security considerations?

This comprehensive list covers a wide range of security considerations for auditing a smart contract, including both general contract security and specific aspects related to token interactions.