Get an Edge with ChatGPT: 10 Ways It Can Benefit Smart Contract Auditors and Bug Bounty Hunters
ChatGPT
ChatGPT was released just about a month ago (November 30, 2022) and it is already a very hot topic. It is used for many crazy things, starting from doing the homework for students or for having a virtual machine inside ChatGPT.
ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters looking to improve their knowledge, skills, and efficiency in smart contract audit.
Smart contract audit is a critical process for ensuring the security, reliability, and correctness of smart contracts. It involves reviewing and testing the code, logic, and functionality of a smart contract to identify and address any potential issues or vulnerabilities. Smart contract audit is a complex and technical process that requires specialized knowledge and expertise, as well as access to relevant tools and resources.
In this write-up, we will discuss ten ways ChatGPT can bring value to smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters, with the first five ways designed for beginners and the last five for professionals. Enjoy :)
5 Ways ChatGPT can help beginners learn smart contract auditing
1) Providing clear and concise explanations of complex smart contract code
One of the main challenges that smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters face is understanding and analyzing complex smart contract code. Smart contract code is often highly technical and can be difficult to understand, particularly for those who are new to the field. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing clear and concise explanations of complex smart contract code.
For example, if you’re working on a smart contract and want to understand a particular function or feature of the code, you can ask ChatGPT for help.
Example query:
Can you explain how transfer function in the ERC-20 token code works?
Result:
ChatGPT will respond with a detailed explanation of how the function works, including any relevant technical details and considerations. This can be a huge help in understanding and analyzing complex smart contract code, and can save you significant time and effort in trying to figure things out on your own.
Another example query:
How can I detect and prevent reentrancy attacks in a smart contract?
Result:
Try this:
How is a random number created on blockchain, provide the function and explanation?
2. Facilitating access to relevant documentation and resources for smart contract audit
Another challenge that smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters often face is access to relevant documentation and resources for smart contract audit.
There is a wealth of information available on best practices, standards, and tools related to smart contract audit, but it can be difficult to find and access the information that is most relevant to your needs. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by facilitating access to relevant documentation and resources for smart contract audit.
Example query:
Can you provide links to relevant documentation and resources for the ERC-20 standard?
Result:
When you’re working on a smart contract and want to learn more about a particular standard or best practice, you can ask ChatGPT for guidance. ChatGPT will respond with a list of relevant links to documentation and resources for the ERC-20 standard, which can be a huge help in learning and understanding best practices and standards related to smart contract audit.
> Try this:
Can you provide links to relevant documentation for creating NFT’s on Solana?
3. Providing assistance in understanding and implementing testing frameworks and tools for smart contracts
Testing is an essential part of smart contract audit, and there are a variety of testing frameworks and tools available to help with this process. However, understanding and implementing these tools can be challenging, particularly for those who are new to smart contract audit.
ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing assistance in understanding and implementing testing frameworks and tools for smart contracts. For example, if you’re working on a smart contract and want to understand how to use the Truffle framework for testing, you can ask ChatGPT for help.
Example query:
Can you provide a tutorial on how to use the Truffle framework for testing smart contracts?
Result:
This can be a huge help in understanding and implementing testing frameworks and tools for smart contracts, and can save you significant time and effort in trying to figure things out on your own.
> Try this:
Can you give me a tutorial on how to use anchor lang for solana?
4. Providing guidance on implementing security best practices for smart contracts
Security is a critical consideration in smart contract audit, and it is essential to follow best practices to ensure that your smart contracts are secure and reliable.
Understanding and implementing security best practices for smart contracts can be challenging, particularly for those who are new to the field. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing guidance on implementing security best practices for smart contracts.
Example query:
“Can you provide a list of best practices for secure contract development?”
Result:
ChatGPT will respond with a list of best practices for secure contract development, which can be a huge help in ensuring that your smart contracts are secure and reliable.
> Try this:
How can I determine the gas efficiency of a smart contract?
What are some common security vulnerabilities to look for in a smart contract?
5. Providing explanations of standard audit processes and procedures
Smart contract audit involves a variety of processes and procedures that need to be followed to ensure that the audit is thorough and comprehensive.
Understanding and following these processes and procedures can be challenging, and ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing explanations of standard audit processes and procedures.
Example query:
“Can you explain the standard process for conducting a smart contract audit?”
Result:
> Try this:
How can I ensure that a smart contract is compliant with regulations and standards?
5 Ways ChatGPT can help professionals in smart contract audits
- Providing assistance in reproducing and troubleshooting issues in smart contracts
One of the main challenges that smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters face is reproducing and troubleshooting issues in smart contracts.
It can be difficult to identify the root cause of an issue, and even more difficult to fix it. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing assistance in reproducing and troubleshooting issues in smart contracts.
Example query (try yourself!):
Can you help me troubleshoot this issue with the function in the smart contract?
ChatGPT should typically respond with suggestions for how to troubleshoot the issue, including any relevant documentation or resources. If it doesn’t, just regenerate the response!
This can be a huge help in identifying and fixing issues in smart contracts, and can save you significant time and effort in trying to figure things out on your own.
> Try this:
What are some best practices for testing the usability of a smart contract’s user interface?
How can I analyze the on-chain data of a smart contract to identify potential issues?
2. Providing guidance on scaling the audit process
As the volume of smart contracts increases, it can become increasingly challenging to audit them efficiently and effectively. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing guidance on scaling the audit process to handle large volumes of work.
Let’s say, you’re working on a large volume of smart contracts and want to know how to scale the audit process to handle the workload, you can ask ChatGPT for help.
Example query:
“Can you provide guidance on how to scale the smart contract audit process for large volumes of work?”
Result:
The more specific you are, the more concrete response ChatGPT gives you, including suggestions for how to scale the audit process to handle large volumes of work, and any relevant documentation or resources.
3. Providing guidance on automating the audit process
If you’re working on a large volume of smart contracts and want to know how to automate parts of the audit process, you can ask ChatGPT for help. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing guidance on automating the audit process.
Example query:
Can you provide guidance on how to automate the smart contract audit process?
Result:
ChatGPT will respond with suggestions for how to automate the audit process, including any relevant tools or resources. This can be a huge help in improving efficiency and reducing the workload of smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters.
Tip: You can furthermore ask on creating a quick tutorial on how to use those tools!
> Try this:
What are some tools and techniques for automating the testing of a smart contract?
4. Providing assistance in identifying and fixing issues in smart contracts
Identifying and fixing issues in smart contracts is a critical part of the audit process, and it is important to ensure that issues are addressed thoroughly and correctly.
Suppose you’re working on a smart contract and want to understand how to identify and fix a particular issue. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing assistance in identifying and fixing issues in smart contracts.
Example query (try yourself!):
Can you provide guidance on how to identify and fix this issue in the smart contract?
ChatGPT will respond with suggestions for how to identify and fix the issue, including any relevant documentation or resources. This can be a huge help in improving the quality of your work and ensuring that issues are addressed thoroughly and correctly.
> Try this:
What should I consider when evaluating the scalability of a smart contract?
How can I determine the deployability of a smart contract?
What should I consider when evaluating the governance mechanism of a smart contract?
5. Providing guidance on managing large volumes of smart contracts
Managing large volumes of smart contracts can be a significant challenge, particularly when it comes to organizing and prioritizing the work. ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing guidance on managing large volumes of smart contracts.
For example, if you’re working on a large volume of smart contracts and want to know how to organize and prioritize the work, you can ask ChatGPT for help.
> Try this:
Can you provide guidance on how to manage a large volume of smart contracts?
ChatGPT will respond with suggestions for how to organize and prioritize the work, including any relevant tools or resources. This can be a huge help in ensuring that you have the resources and capacity to complete audits efficiently and in a timely manner.
Bonus
Limited visibility into the runtime behavior of a smart contract can be a significant challenge for smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters. It can make it difficult to identify and troubleshoot issues, and can also limit the ability to verify that a smart contract is functioning as intended.
ChatGPT can help solve this problem by providing a virtual assistant with in-depth knowledge of best practices and tools for monitoring and analyzing the runtime behavior of smart contracts. With ChatGPT, you can ask questions and get clear and concise explanations of the steps and considerations involved in monitoring and analyzing the runtime behavior of smart contracts, as well as any relevant documentation or resources.
For example, if you’re working on a smart contract and want to know more about how to monitor and analyze its runtime behavior, you can ask ChatGPT for guidance. You might ask:
Example query:
Can you explain how to monitor and analyze the runtime behavior of a smart contract?
Result:
ChatGPT will respond with a detailed explanation of how to monitor and analyze the runtime behavior of a smart contract, including the steps and considerations involved, as well as any relevant documentation or resources. This can be a huge help in understanding and implementing best practices and tools for monitoring and analyzing the runtime behavior of smart contracts.
In addition to providing guidance on monitoring and analyzing the runtime behavior of smart contracts, ChatGPT can also assist in identifying and addressing any issues or concerns related to visibility and runtime behavior. For example, if you’re working on a smart contract and want to ensure that you have sufficient visibility into its runtime behavior, you can ask ChatGPT for help.
> Try this:
Can you help me ensure that I have sufficient visibility into the runtime behavior of this smart contract?
ChatGPT will respond with suggestions for how to ensure that you have sufficient visibility into the runtime behavior of a smart contract, including any relevant documentation or resources. This can be a huge help in ensuring that you have the necessary visibility and insights into the runtime behavior of a smart contract, which can help you identify and troubleshoot any issues more efficiently.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have discussed 10 + 1 ways ChatGPT can bring value to smart contract auditors and bug bounty hunters.
Whether you are a beginner looking to learn and improve your skills, or a professional looking to work more efficiently and effectively, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool to help you in your work. With its ability to provide clear and concise explanations of complex concepts and processes, facilitate access to relevant documentation and resources, assist in understanding and implementing testing frameworks and tools, provide guidance on implementing security best practices, and much more, ChatGPT can be a powerful asset for anyone working in the field of smart contract audit.
