CrossLink: A Decentralized Framework for Secure Cross-Chain Smart Contract Execution
Tahrim Hossain, Faisal Haque Bappy, Tarannum Shaila Zaman, Tariqul Islam
TL;DR
The paper addresses the lack of fully decentralized, secure cross-chain smart contract execution beyond asset transfers. CrossLink introduces a Compact Chain that stores only selectively authorized contract states and a cryptographically secure inter-chain messaging system to achieve atomic cross-chain interactions. It adds a deposit/collateral mechanism with $F_{ ext{base}}$ to prevent DoS and a Chain State Synchronizer for bidirectional state propagation, plus an XChain Mempool and Collateral Accounts to manage cross-chain gas. A formal security analysis demonstrates resilience to unauthorized modifications and DoS attacks, and the authors implement a Go-Ethereum extension with a Solidity Router and an enode locator to validate practicality. The framework promises decentralized multi-chain dApps with reduced reliance on bridges and relays, enabling scalable cross-chain interoperability.
Abstract
This paper introduces CrossLink, a decentralized framework for secure cross-chain smart contract execution that effectively addresses the inherent limitations of contemporary solutions, which primarily focus on asset transfers and rely on potentially vulnerable centralized intermediaries. Recognizing the escalating demand for seamless interoperability among decentralized applications, CrossLink provides a trustless mechanism for smart contracts across disparate blockchain networks to communicate and interact. At its core, CrossLink utilizes a compact chain for selectively storing authorized contract states and employs a secure inter-chain messaging mechanism to ensure atomic execution and data consistency. By implementing a deposit/collateral fee system and efficient state synchronization, CrossLink enhances security and mitigates vulnerabilities, offering a novel approach to seamless, secure, and decentralized cross-chain interoperability. A formal security analysis further validates CrossLink's robustness against unauthorized modifications and denial-of-service attacks.