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Overview

IBC-Go v8 includes several major features that have undergone comprehensive security audits by leading blockchain security firms. These audits ensure the security and reliability of critical IBC functionality including channel upgrades, enhanced token transfers, WASM light clients, and interchain accounts.

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Feature Audit Reports

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Channel Upgrades (ICS-04)

Auditor: Atredis Partners Completion Date: March 2024 Version: Report v1.1 Pages: 38 Channel upgrades allow existing IBC channels to modify their parameters without closing and reopening connections. This audit covers the complete upgrade handshake mechanism, state transitions, and security considerations.

Channel Upgrades Audit Report

Security assessment of channel upgrade functionality (38 pages)

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ICS-20 Token Transfer v2

Auditor: Atredis Partners Completion Date: February 2024 Pages: 41 The ICS-20 v2 token transfer module introduces multi-denomination support, enhanced memo fields, forwarding middleware, and path unwinding capabilities. This audit evaluates all new features and their security implications.

ICS-20 v2 Audit Report

Assessment of enhanced token transfer features (41 pages)

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08-WASM Light Client

The WASM light client module enables custom light client implementations via WebAssembly, providing flexibility for supporting diverse blockchain consensus mechanisms.

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Halborn Security Audit

Auditor: Halborn Completion Date: February 2023 Pages: 55

WASM Client Halborn Audit

Comprehensive security assessment of WASM light client (55 pages)

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Technical Review

Reviewer: Ethan Frey Type: Architecture and Implementation Review

WASM Client Technical Review

Expert review of WASM client design and implementation

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Interchain Accounts (ICS-27)

Auditor: Trail of Bits Pages: 42 Interchain Accounts enable cross-chain account control, allowing chains to securely control accounts on other IBC-enabled chains. This audit covers both controller and host implementations.

Interchain Accounts Audit

Trail of Bits security assessment (42 pages)

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Audit Coverage

These audits comprehensively evaluate:

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Security Architecture

  • Threat modeling and attack vectors
  • Trust boundaries and assumptions
  • Cryptographic implementations
  • State machine correctness

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Code Quality

  • Memory safety and resource management
  • Error handling and edge cases
  • Input validation and sanitization
  • Concurrency and race conditions

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Protocol Compliance

  • IBC specification adherence
  • Backwards compatibility
  • Upgrade path safety
  • Interoperability guarantees

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Key Findings and Mitigations

All critical and high-severity findings identified in these audits have been addressed in v8.5.x. The audit reports include:
  • Detailed vulnerability descriptions
  • Risk assessments and impact analysis
  • Recommended mitigations
  • Implementation responses

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Best Practices for Developers

When working with IBC-Go v8.5.x:
  1. Review Feature Audits: Consult relevant audit reports before implementing features
  2. Follow Security Guidelines: Implement the security patterns recommended in audits
  3. Validate Inputs: Always validate cross-chain messages and parameters
  4. Handle Errors Gracefully: Implement robust error handling for IBC operations
  5. Test Edge Cases: Include security test cases based on audit findings

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Ongoing Security Efforts

The IBC-Go team continuously improves security through:
  • Regular security audits for new features
  • Bug bounty programs
  • Security advisory system
  • Collaboration with security researchers
  • Rapid patching of vulnerabilities

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Reporting Security Issues

To report security vulnerabilities, please follow the IBC-Go Security Policy for responsible disclosure.

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Additional Resources