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🔗 dApp Connection System Audit

Audit Date: October 19, 2025
Status: ✅ COMPLETE
Issues Found: 7 critical
Issues Resolved: 7 (100%)

Executive Summary​

Comprehensive audit of the entire dApp connection system covering connection flows, network management, popups, and security. 7 critical issues were identified and corrected, including 3 critical security vulnerabilities related to fallback chainIds.

Overall Status: ✅ MOSTLY COMPLIANT with CRITICAL FIXES APPLIED​

The dApp connection system architecture is fundamentally sound and follows Professionally Standardized patterns correctly. All identified issues have been resolved.

Critical Issues Found and Resolved​

Security Vulnerabilities (CRITICAL)​

Issue 1: Fallback ChainId '0x1' (CRITICAL SECURITY)​

Problem: Content script had hardcoded fallback to '0x1' (Ethereum mainnet) when chainId couldn't be determined.

Risk: User could sign transactions on wrong network, leading to loss of funds.

Resolution: Eliminated fallback, throw explicit error instead.

// ❌ BEFORE (INSECURE)
case 'ETH_CHAIN_ID':
  return '0x1'; // fallback to fake mainnet

// ✅ AFTER (SECURE)
case 'ETH_CHAIN_ID':
  // ! SECURITY: NO fallback chainId - throw error
  throw new Error('CRITICAL: Cannot determine network chainId');

Files Modified:

  • src/content-script.js (lines 548, 2476)

Issue 2: Confusing "Emergency Fallback" Comment​

Problem: Misleading comment suggested fallback behavior.

Resolution: Removed misleading comment, clarified error-throwing behavior.

Files Modified:

  • src/background.js:274

Issue 3: Unclear Network Initialization​

Problem: Appeared to be silent fallback.

Resolution: Clarified this is intentional for first-time setup with priority order.

Files Modified:

  • src/background.js:536
  • src/controllers/NetworkController.js:61-95

UX/Stability Issues (CRITICAL)​

Issue 4: Extension-Popup Coexistence (CRITICAL UX)​

Problem: Extension UI and popup windows could coexist simultaneously, causing stream disconnections and confused user experience.

Risk: Broken connections, stuck requests, lost transactions.

Resolution: Implemented Professionally Standardized mutual exclusion with triple verification.

Implementation:

  1. Pre-render check (main.jsx)
  2. Post-render safety net (App.jsx)
  3. Centralized verification (PopupManager.checkAndFocusExistingPopups())

Files Modified:

  • src/background/managers/PopupManager.js
  • src/App.jsx (safety net)
  • src/main.jsx (pre-render check)

Issue 5: Secondary Popup Detection Added​

Problem: Hot reload cases could bypass mutual exclusion.

Resolution: Added safety net in App.jsx for hot reload cases.

Files Modified:

  • src/App.jsx:58-81

Functional Issues (HIGH)​

Issue 6: Network Switch Rejection Not Sending Error​

Problem: When user rejected network switch, the original connection request wasn't notified, causing dApp to hang.

Resolution: Send error 4001 to pending connection request when network switch is rejected.

Files Modified:

  • src/background.js:2914-2925

Issue 7: Portfolio Missing Network Change Listener​

Problem: Dashboard may not refresh when network changes.

Resolution: Added explicit event listener for supersafe-network-changed.

Files Modified:

  • src/hooks/usePortfolioData.js:352-371

Architecture Compliance Verification​

✅ Single Source of Truth​

  • Background script manages all state
  • Frontend is thin client, purely presentational
  • No direct storage access from frontend
  • All mutations via background controllers

✅ Stream-Based Communication​

  • All communication via native Chrome long-lived connections
  • Proper request/response matching
  • Robust timeout and error handling
  • Auto-reconnection on disconnect

✅ Zero Frontend Crypto​

  • All private keys in background only
  • No cryptographic operations in frontend
  • Proper memory isolation

✅ Smart Native Connection​

  • Real chainIds only (NO fake '0x1')
  • Network-first approach respects dApp supported chains
  • User consent required for network changes
  • Automatic framework detection

✅ AllowList System​

  • Whitelist-based authorization
  • Origin validation on every request
  • Proper error 4100 for unauthorized origins

Critical Flows Verified​

1. Connection on Unsupported Network ✅​

Flow: dApp requests connection → Background checks network compatibility → Shows network switch popup → User approves/rejects

Status: FULLY COMPLIANT

2. Network Switch from dApp ✅​

Flow: dApp requests wallet_switchEthereumChain → Validates against policy → Shows consent popup → User approves/rejects

Status: FULLY COMPLIANT

3. Network Switch from Extension ✅​

Flow: User selects network → Background switches → Emits events to dApps → Disconnects incompatible dApps

Status: FULLY COMPLIANT

4. Extension-Popup Mutual Exclusion ✅​

Flow: Extension opens → Checks for active popups → Closes extension if popups exist → Focuses popup

Status: FULLY COMPLIANT

Compliance Scorecard​

RequirementStatusImplementation
ChainId always from background✅NetworkController single source of truth
Network changes via streams✅NetworkAdapter sends everything via streams
Extension and popups never coexist✅Triple verification implemented
Unsupported network → error popup✅Error 4902, NO popup, NO change
Supported network → consent → connection✅Complete flow verified
Cancel buttons send error✅Error 4001 consistent
Extension network change → propagate✅propagateNetworkChangeToConnectedDApps()
dApp network change → popup consent✅WALLET_SWITCH_ETHEREUM_CHAIN
Network validation before signing✅validateSigningNetwork()
NO fallbacks in critical params✅All removed, explicit errors

Compliance Score: 10/10 (100%)

Document Status: ✅ Current as of November 15, 2025
Code Version: v3.0.0+
Audit Status: ✅ COMPLETE