ESBMC-Solidity: An SMT-Based Model Checker for Solidity Smart Contracts

Abstract

Smart contracts written in Solidity are programs used in blockchain networks, such as Etherium, for performing transactions. However, as with any piece of software, they are prone to errors and may present vulnerabilities, which malicious attackers could then use. This paper proposes a solidity frontend for the efficient SMT-based context-bounded model checker (ESBMC), named ESBMC-Solidity, which provides a way of verifying such contracts with its framework. A benchmark suite with vulnerable smart contracts was also developed for evaluation and comparison with other verification tools. The experiments performed here showed that ESBMC-Solidity detected all vulnerabilities, was the fastest tool, and provided a counterexample for each benchmark. A demonstration is available at https://youtu.be/3UH8_1QAVN0. CCS Concepts:• Software and its engineering → Model checking; Software verification.