Smart Contract Audit
Independent security review of smart contract code before project launch.
A smart contract audit is a comprehensive code review of a smart contract by independent security experts, aimed at finding vulnerabilities before an attacker does.
What auditors look for:
•Reentrancy attacks (cause of Ethereum DAO hack 2016)
•Integer overflow/underflow errors
•Access control issues — who can call which functions?
•Flash loan vulnerabilities
•Front-running opportunities
•Hidden backdoor mechanisms (rugpull)
Leading audit firms:
•CertiK — most popular, but criticized for P2P approach
•Trail of Bits — high quality, expensive
•OpenZeppelin — audit + security libraries
•Quantstamp, Halborn, Consensys Diligence
Audit ≠ guarantee:
•Poly Network was audited, still hacked for $611M (2021)
•Ronin Bridge, Wormhole — both passed audits
•Audit reduces risk, doesn't eliminate it
DYOR: Check if project has a current audit report on CertiK.com or their website.