Since its inception, blockchain technology has shown promise across various fields, particularly in the FinTech (Financial Technology) industry. Smart contracts, integral to the blockchain 2.0 era, expand the capabilities of blockchain systems. Take the Ethereum as an example, which is a leading platform, handling around one million transactions per day. However, security concerns remain significant due to recent reported vulnerabilities. For instance, the 2016 DAO incident, where criminals exploited a recursive calling vulnerability, highlighted the risks associated with insecure smart contracts, leading to significant financial losses. In this speech, we conduct a systematic examination of security risks in popular blockchain systems, in which case surveying real attacks, analyzing exploited vulnerabilities, and summarizing academic achievements aimed at enhancing security.

Simon is an associate professor at Hainan University. Previously, he was a researcher at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Xiapu Luo and Prof. Ting Chen. He received his PhD in Computer Science from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, MSc in Information Security from Chinese Academy of Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Yuqing Zhang, and BSc in Information Security from Central South University under the supervision of Prof. Guojun Wang. His current research interests include Blockchain/Software/System Security and Privacy, Ethereum/Smart Contract, Software Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence. He received best paper awards from INFOCOM'18, ISPEC'17, CCF'18, and outstanding reviewer award from FGCS'17. He also serves as associate editor for Frontiers in Blockchain and received grants from OSDI'20 and USENIX SEC'20.