Skip to content
medium Access Control SWC-100 CWE-710

Default Visibility / Function Exposed (legacy)

SAFE-0096 Access Control Checked automatically by the scanner
1

What goes wrong

Functions without an explicit visibility specifier defaulted to public in old Solidity, exposing intended-internal logic to external callers.

2

How to fix it

the pattern that is safe
function _helper() internal { sensitive(); }
◆
SWC-100. Always set explicit visibility.
3

Where this has happened

Largest recorded losses in the same failure class — related, not the same bug:

$1.43B · 2025 Bybit Access control · 2025 $624M · 2022 Ronin Network Access control · 2022 $611M · 2021 Poly Network Access control · 2021 $291M · 2026 KelpDAO rsETH Access control · 2026
4

Related vulnerabilities in Access Control

SAFE-0006Missing Access Control on Privileged Function critical · Access Control SAFE-0008Unprotected Initializer / Initialization critical · Access Control SAFE-0010Privilege Escalation via Role Misconfiguration critical · Access Control SAFE-0015Backdoor / Hidden Privileged Function critical · Access Control SAFE-0116Unprotected selfdestruct critical · Access Control SAFE-0007tx.origin Used for Authentication high · Access Control SAFE-0009Missing Initializer Disable on Implementation high · Access Control SAFE-0013Authorization Through msg.data / Signature Confusion high · Access Control
← PreviousUninitialized Storage Pointer (legacy)
Check your own contract for this

The SaferICO scanner runs 201 detectors over your Solidity source, SAFE-0096 among them. Paste an address or the source itself — a small per-scan fee, shown before you sign, or unlimited on any plan.

Run the scanner See how it is attacked Read the docs