Determine the security notion checked by heuristic TOD-based tools

Determine which precise security notion the heuristic analyses implemented by the Nyx and Sailfish tools check when identifying exploitable transaction-order-dependence vulnerabilities in smart contracts.

Background

The paper explains that Nyx and Sailfish use heuristics to refine the broad notion of transaction-order dependence (TOD) into candidate frontrunning vulnerabilities. Because these heuristics are not formally defined, the security property actually being assessed by the resulting tools is not characterized. Establishing the precise security notion would clarify the meaning and scope of the tools’ vulnerability reports and enable principled comparisons with formal notions such as Deckstacking Resistance.