Smart Contract Vulnerability Analysis via Intermediate Representation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vulnerability analysis technologies are unable to effectively analyze vulnerabilities in smart contract-based software operating on a blockchain, posing significant security risks and potential economic damage.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that extracts meta-information from smart contract source code, converts it into an intermediate representation language, and analyzes it for vulnerabilities using both code pattern and semantic information-based analysis units, generating a final vulnerability model.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional vulnerability analysis technologies are used, then existing analysis methods can be applied, but they cannot effectively analyze vulnerabilities in smart contract-based software operating on a blockchain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary representation layer that translates smart contract code from various programming languages into a standardized intermediate format. This intermediary representation serves as a universal bridge, enabling the same analysis infrastructure to handle multiple smart contract platforms and languages without requiring platform-specific analysis tools for each vulnerability detection task.
Solution Approach 2:
The vulnerability analysis system is designed with universal capability to analyze multiple smart contract platforms and programming languages through the intermediate representation layer. The system can process Ethereum Solidity, Binance Smart Chain Vyper, and other smart contract languages using the same core analysis infrastructure, making the tool multi-functional and broadly applicable across different blockchain ecosystems.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive vulnerability analysis is performed on smart contracts, then vulnerability detection accuracy improves, but analysis time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vulnerability analysis process into distinct phases: code extraction and parsing, intermediate representation conversion, and vulnerability detection. By dividing the analysis into these independent segments, the system can optimize each phase separately and parallelize operations where possible, improving overall efficiency while maintaining comprehensive vulnerability detection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary conversion of smart contract code into intermediate representation before conducting vulnerability analysis. This preliminary action standardizes the code structure and prepares it for efficient processing, enabling the vulnerability detection algorithms to operate on uniformly formatted data which reduces processing time and improves detection accuracy compared to analyzing raw code directly.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple smart contract platforms are analyzed simultaneously, then analysis coverage improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate representation layer acts as a universal mediator that abstracts the differences between multiple smart contract platforms. Instead of requiring separate analysis pipelines for each platform, the system converts all platform-specific code into this unified intermediate format, which then serves as the common input for vulnerability detection algorithms, significantly simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a universal intermediate representation that can accommodate multiple smart contract platforms and programming languages. This universal format allows a single analysis infrastructure to handle diverse platforms including Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and others, eliminating the need for platform-specific analysis tools and reducing system complexity through consolidation.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5(b)
Figure 6~8
AI summary
The present invention provides an apparatus for analyzing vulnerabilities of smart contract code, the apparatus including: a meta-information extraction unit configured to extract meta-information about input code, which is source code of a smart contract; an intermediate representation language conversion unit configured to convert the input code into an intermediate representation language based on the meta-information extracted by the meta-information extraction unit; a code analysis unit configured to detect whether there is vulnerable code or a rule violation case by analyzing the input code converted into the intermediate representation language by the intermediate representation language conversion unit; and a vulnerability detection unit configured to generate a final vulnerability model by detecting a vulnerability based on the vulnerable code or the rule violation case detected by the code analysis unit, and also provides an analysis method using the apparatus.