Smart Contracts Audits – how to get the most out of your security report?
You have received a security report and wonder what to do next? Here are proven ways to help you introduce a higher level of security.
Smart Contracts Audits – how to get the most out of your security report?
Projects based on smart contracts are developing at an extremely dynamic pace, which we can observe by participating in more and more interesting and innovative projects. With a large number of projects flowing in, it is obvious that they need to be kept secure. Filling such a large market need for security testing should not, however, lower the quality of the testing process.
Due to our faith in building new, decentralized and, above all, secure projects – we decided to share 5 tips to get the maximum benefit from the smart contract security audits.
Treat security report as a guidance rather than guarantee
Do not treat the audit as a guarantee of security, treat it as a source of information and an opportunity to expand knowledge for your developers. It is definitely worth taking the time to understand the report and its content. Discussions regarding the impact on risk and possible remediation are strongly encouraged, you know best what you care about. Maybe you even have a better idea how to improve something? Share it and seek advice.
Schedule an internal meeting summarizing the security audit
Organize a meeting where the vulnerabilities will be discussed by the developers. Make sure fixes are not introduced mindlessly. Understanding what causes a problem is as important as implementing fixes. If something is not clear or there are some issues to discuss, this is the best way to quickly clear up any ambiguities and grow as a team.
Expand your security concerns in different areas of the project
After understanding the vulnerabilities, consider whether they may exist elsewhere that has not been detected during the tests – you know your system best. Audits are always a balance between the time spent on checking and the cost incurred by the client, so it is not always possible to detect everything. However, if you focus on educating your team, they will find issues in the code themselves and this will significantly increase security.
Extend your unit tests to avoid making the same mistake twice
Think about the vulnerabilities for which it is worth writing tests so that they will be detected automatically when you introduce changes. Let’s learn from past mistakes and try to automate their detection whenever possible.
Take benefit from different approaches
Do not hesitate to find a second audit firm and rotate projects between them to compare different approaches and make cross-checks. Sometimes a different methodology allows detecting vulnerabilities that were previously omitted, and we really recommend doing that. In the case of sharing reports with trusted companies, you have a chance to increase their know-how and indicate a higher standard of cooperation that you expect.
Summary
I am convinced that if you follow at least one of these 5 tips, you will significantly increase the security of your project. However, this is not the only way to increase the security of your project. You can also use the Smart Contract Security Verification Standard we have prepared to support your team with the most comprehensive list of security checks and requirements.
If you need help in implementing these tips write to us at: smartcontractaudits@securing.pl . Looking for a smart contracts security audit for your project? See our offer.
Hackflix Product Lead
