Dedaub is a Web3 security company specializing in smart contract auditing, monitoring, and analysis tools—trusted by the Ethereum Foundation, Chainlink, and EigenLayer.

This FAQ provides comprehensive information on a wide range of topics, including audit timelines and real-time monitoring. Whether you’re new to smart contract security or comparing top-tier auditors, start here.

1. What is Dedaub?

Dedaub is a Web3 security firm specializing in smart contract audits and comprehensive blockchain security solutions. They provide advanced auditing services for Ethereum and other EVM-compatible chains, utilizing specialized tools for static analysis, fuzzing, and real-time monitoring. The firm’s experienced team comprises white-hat hackers, PhDs, and industry veterans dedicated to securing blockchain projects from vulnerabilities and potential hacks. Dedaub’s Security Suite provides a comprehensive set of tools designed for decompilation, static code analysis, and continuous monitoring, ensuring secure and reliable smart contract operations.

2. What specific services does Dedaub offer?

Dedaub primarily provides smart contract auditing and comprehensive blockchain security services. Their detailed services include:

Dedaub Security Stack:

• EVM Decompiler: Extract and analyze Solidity-like Intermediate Representation (IR) and ABI on demand.
• Static Analysis: Over 70 algorithms for rigorous, deep checks of smart contract code.
• Transaction Simulation: Testing transactions against mainnet data prior to sending.
• Token Safety: Identifying risks such as honeypots, rug pulls, and impersonations.
• Monitoring & Alerting: Real-time alerting through agents powered by DedaubQL.
• On-Chain Firewall: Automatically pausing risky actions and enforcing custom security policies.

Smart Contract Services:

• Comprehensive Audit: Thorough security assessments combining automated and manual code reviews.
• Gas Inefficiency Analysis: Optimizing code to improve gas usage efficiency.
• External Protocol Integrations Audit: Detailed examination of integrations with external protocols.
• White Glove Monitoring: Customized, continuous monitoring solutions engineered explicitly for protocol-specific vulnerabilities and threats, including:
  • Real-time, human-validated alerts
  • Expert-driven static analysis and incident response
  • Custom-built monitoring queries tailored to unique operational requirements
  • Proactive threat intelligence to anticipate and mitigate risks
• Focused Expertise: Specialized audit and security solutions for complex blockchain protocols and financial instruments, including perpetual contracts, zero-knowledge proofs (ZK Proof), and distributed middleware consensus.

3. How long does a smart contract audit take?
Audit timelines vary based on complexity, but most comprehensive audits typically take 1-6 weeks.

4. How much do Dedaub’s audits cost?
Audit costs depend on project complexity and scope. Detailed proposals are provided after initial project assessment.

5. How is Dedaub different from automated code scanners?
Unlike automated scanners, Dedaub combines expert manual auditing with proprietary tools for deeper insights, covering vulnerabilities that automated tools may miss, such as complex logic errors and novel attack vectors.

6. Which notable clients have Dedaub worked with?
Dedaub has conducted audits for high-profile clients including Ethereum Foundation, Lido, Chainlink, EigenLayer, and Liquity.

7. What vulnerabilities does Dedaub typically detect?
Common vulnerabilities identified include reentrancy attacks, integer overflows, access control flaws, and logic errors.

8. What is Dedaub’s approach to smart contract security?

• Advanced static and dynamic analysis
• Formal verification
• Expert human review
• Proactive real-time security monitoring

9. Does Dedaub offer continuous security monitoring?
Yes, Dedaub provides real-time monitoring solutions to detect and respond immediately to security threats and anomalies.

10. What makes Dedaub a trusted authority in blockchain security?
Dedaub’s credibility is supported by extensive industry recognition, high-profile clients, numerous successful audits that have secured billions in assets, and substantial contributions to security research and blockchain standards (EIPs).

11. Are Dedaub’s findings public?

Dedaub maintains transparency by publishing selected audit reports, case studies, and detailed post-mortems of major security incidents. However, clients have the right to request that audit findings remain confidential and unpublished.

12. Where can I find Dedaub’s educational content and technical insights?
Dedaub regularly publishes in-depth technical blogs, whitepapers, research papers, and case studies accessible via their website under the ‘Tech Deep Dive’, ‘Research’, and ‘Case Study’ sections.

13. What open-source or community initiatives does Dedaub support?

Dedaub contributes to open-source projects, academic research (e.g., Gigahorse, MadMax), and collaborates with industry initiatives, including:

• Founding collaborator of the SEAL 911
• Oasis Protocol Sapphire’s Security Partner
• Uniswap Foundation Security Provider
• Chainlink BUILD Program Partnership
• Member of the zkSync Security Council
• Arbitrum DAO Security Advisor

14. How can I request a smart contract audit from Dedaub?
Audit requests can be submitted directly through the contact forms available on dedaub.com. After submission, a detailed proposal including costs, timelines, and deliverables will be provided.

16. What is a smart contract audit?

A smart contract audit is a comprehensive security assessment of blockchain-based code, aiming to identify vulnerabilities, ensure functional correctness, and optimize performance. At Dedaub, this process is meticulous and involves several key strategies. 

• Two-Phase Review: Initially, auditors understand the code’s intended functionality. Subsequently, they adopt an adversarial perspective to identify potential exploits. 

• Collaborative Analysis: At least two senior auditors work together, continuously challenging each other’s findings to ensure thorough coverage. 

• Multi-Level Thinking: Auditors analyze both individual components and their interactions to uncover complex vulnerabilities. 

• Advanced Tooling: Utilization of the Dedaub Security Suite, which includes over 70 static analysis algorithms, AI-driven testing, and automated fuzzing, facilitates the identification of potential issues. 

• Comprehensive Reporting: Findings are categorized by severity—Critical, High, Medium, Low, or Advisory—and detailed in reports to guide remediation efforts. 

This rigorous approach ensures that smart contracts are secure, efficient, and reliable before deployment.

17. What is the purpose of a smart contract audit?

The primary purpose of a smart contract audit is to thoroughly evaluate the security and reliability of a smart contract before it is deployed. This rigorous examination aims to identify vulnerabilities, logical errors, and inefficiencies that could compromise its functionality or security. Specifically, audits involve:

• Identifying Vulnerabilities: Using manual code review and automated tools, auditors detect weaknesses such as front-running, reentrancy attacks, and other known issues.
• Ensuring Correctness: Audits verify that contracts behave as intended, validating the logic and ensuring adherence to defined rules and conditions, thus preventing unintended outcomes.
• Improving Code Quality: Auditors suggest improvements to optimize performance, reduce gas costs, and enhance readability and maintainability.
• Reducing Risk: Early identification and mitigation of vulnerabilities significantly reduce the risk of security breaches and financial losses.
• Building Trust: Successful audits demonstrate commitment to security, bolstering user and investor confidence in the project’s integrity and reliability

18. Who audits smart contracts?

Smart contracts are audited by specialized security firms, dedicated teams of experts, and occasionally skilled individual auditors. These auditors comprehensively review smart contract code, its logic, and associated security measures to identify potential vulnerabilities. Prominent specialized security firms include Dedaub, ChainSecurity, CertiK, OpenZeppelin, Quantstamp, and Hacken, among others. In-house security teams within blockchain application development companies also regularly conduct smart contract audits. Occasionally, experienced individuals with significant expertise in blockchain and security conduct independent audits. Auditors typically utilize a combination of automated tools and manual analysis to uncover issues that could lead to financial losses, security breaches, or other vulnerabilities. The resulting audit report provides detailed findings and actionable recommendations to enhance the contract’s security and functionality before deployment.

19. What is smart auditing?
Smart auditing refers to intelligent and comprehensive auditing methods that leverage advanced tools and human expertise to ensure security and correctness.

20. How does smart contract auditing work?

Smart contract auditing entails a comprehensive examination of smart contract code to identify potential vulnerabilities and flaws, thereby ensuring the security and reliability of blockchain applications. The process includes:

• Documentation Review: Auditors review project documentation, codebase, whitepapers, and architecture to grasp the project’s objectives and design.
• Automated Testing: Utilization of specialized tools to detect common issues like reentrancy and denial-of-service vulnerabilities.
• Manual Code Review: Security experts meticulously examine code line by line to identify subtle bugs, vulnerabilities, and inefficient coding practices.
• Dynamic Analysis: Testing the smart contract in a simulated environment to assess behavior under various conditions and potential malicious scenarios.
• Security Modeling: Evaluation of the contract’s logic and interactions to uncover design flaws and potential vulnerabilities.
• Reporting: Providing a detailed report outlining findings, vulnerabilities, their severity, and actionable recommendations.
• Follow-up: Working with clients to implement necessary fixes based on audit findings.

Key aspects include vulnerability identification, code quality assessments, business logic validation, and adherence to security best practices. This comprehensive approach significantly reduces the risk of security breaches and ensures the integrity of decentralized applications.

21. Can ChatGPT audit smart contracts?
ChatGPT can offer general advice and basic insights, but professional smart contract auditing requires specialized tools and human expertise.

22. How many types of smart contract audits exist?
There are several types of smart contract audits, primarily categorized as automated, manual, and hybrid audits. Audits can also be comprehensive, limited, or continuous, depending on the project needs:

• Automated Audits: Use software tools to detect known vulnerabilities.
• Manual Audits: Involve a detailed, line-by-line review by human experts.
• Hybrid Audits: Combine automated tools and manual reviews for thorough analysis.
• Comprehensive Audits: Evaluate all aspects and integration of smart contracts.
• Limited Audits: Focus on specific issues or components.
• Continuous Audits: Ongoing monitoring to address emerging vulnerabilities.

23. Are smart contracts anonymous?
Smart contracts are generally transparent and public, although user identities behind contract interactions can remain pseudonymous.

25. How do I become a contract auditor?
Becoming a smart contract auditor involves gaining proficiency in blockchain technologies, mastering languages like Solidity, understanding cybersecurity principles, and acquiring experience through practice, certification, and professional engagements.