External Call Manipulation

Definition ∞ External Call Manipulation refers to a security vulnerability in smart contracts where an attacker can exploit unintended interactions with other external contracts. This exploit allows the attacker to control or influence the execution flow of a targeted contract through specially crafted external function calls. Such manipulation can lead to unauthorized asset transfers, state changes, or other detrimental outcomes. It represents a significant risk for interconnected decentralized applications.
Context ∞ The situation surrounding External Call Manipulation remains a critical security concern in the smart contract development landscape. A key debate involves the best practices for secure inter-contract communication and the limitations of current static analysis tools in detecting such complex vulnerabilities. A critical future development entails the creation of more sophisticated formal verification methods and runtime monitoring systems to identify and prevent these attacks. News reports frequently detail exploits that leverage external call manipulation, highlighting the ongoing need for rigorous security audits and careful contract design.