IntelliGuard

Why IntelliGuard Exists In the fast-evolving world of Web3, security remains a critical challenge. The Bybit hack of February 21, 2025, where hackers stole $1.5 billion by manipulating transaction signing interfaces and exploiting social engineering, exposed a glaring vulnerability: even sophisticated platforms can’t fully protect users from advanced threats. Current wallet solutions like MetaMask, Rainbow, Ledger, and WalletConnect secure private keys but leave users blind to the risks hidden in transaction data—whether it’s a phishing scam, a malicious smart contract, or a spoofed UI. IntelliGuard was born to bridge this gap, empowering users with an intelligent, proactive defense against crypto hacks. By leveraging AI to analyze transactions in real-time, IntelliGuard aims to prevent losses, build trust in DeFi, and make Web3 safer for everyone—from casual traders to seasoned degens. The need for IntelliGuard is urgent. With billions lost annually to hacks and scams, and incidents like Bybit showing how even cold wallets can fall, users deserve a tool that doesn’t just react to threats but anticipates them. IntelliGuard isn’t just a shield—it’s a smart sentinel, designed to outthink attackers and give control back to the user. What IntelliGuard Does IntelliGuard is an AI-powered transaction guarding tool that integrates seamlessly with popular crypto wallets to protect users from risky blockchain interactions. Here’s what it does: Real-Time Transaction Analysis: When a user initiates a transaction (e.g., sending ETH, approving a contract), IntelliGuard instantly decodes the raw transaction data—such as the to address, data field, and gas parameters—and assesses its risk level using an AI model trained on historical hack patterns, including the Bybit incident.

Risk Assessment Pop-Up: Before the user signs, IntelliGuard displays a clear, intuitive pop-up with a risk report: “Low Risk,” “Moderate Risk,” or “High Risk,” accompanied by a brief explanation (e.g., “This contract was created 2 hours ago—potential rug pull” or “Address linked to Bybit hack phishing”).

Hack Prevention: By flagging anomalies like manipulated contract logic, suspicious recipient addresses, or phishing signatures—key tactics in the Bybit hack—IntelliGuard empowers users to cancel dangerous transactions, preventing losses before they occur.

User Empowerment: Beyond detection, IntelliGuard educates users with actionable insights, turning complex blockchain data into simple decisions, making it ideal for both novices and experts.

In the context of the Bybit hack, IntelliGuard could have detected the manipulated signing interface by cross-referencing transaction details against expected behavior, alerting users to discrepancies and halting the exploit in its tracks. It’s a proactive layer of intelligence that transforms wallets into active defenders.

IntelliGuard is designed as a lightweight, scalable extension that integrates with existing wallet ecosystems and leverages modern blockchain and AI technologies. Here’s how it’s built and deployed: Wallet Integration: Target Wallets: Compatible with MetaMask, Rainbow, Ledger, and WalletConnect, covering a wide range of software and hardware wallets.

Implementation: Built as a browser extension (for MetaMask/Rainbow) and a middleware layer (for WalletConnect/Ledger), IntelliGuard hooks into wallet APIs (e.g., MetaMask’s web3.js or WalletConnect’s protocol) to intercept transaction requests. For hardware wallets like Ledger, it interfaces via USB/Bluetooth APIs to monitor outgoing transactions.

Transaction Decoding: Process: When a transaction is initiated, IntelliGuard captures the raw data (e.g., to, value, data) and uses a library like ethers.js to decode smart contract calls and parameters.

Data Sources: It cross-references this data with blockchain analytics (via APIs like Alchemy or Infura) and a curated database of known malicious addresses, phishing patterns, and hack signatures (e.g., Bybit’s exploited contracts).

AI Risk Analysis: Model: Powered by a machine learning model (e.g., a lightweight neural network or decision tree), trained on datasets of past hacks (Bybit, Poly Network, etc.), blacklisted addresses, and normal transaction patterns. Features include contract age, address history, and unusual gas usage.

Execution: The model runs locally in the extension for speed (sub-second latency), with periodic updates from a cloud server to refine its accuracy against emerging threats.

Output: Produces a risk score (0-100) mapped to categories: Low (0-30), Moderate (31-70), High (71-100), with explanations derived from the model’s decision logic.

Pop-Up Interface: Design: A non-intrusive, React-based UI injected into the wallet’s transaction flow, triggered by events like eth_sendTransaction. It displays the risk level, a one-sentence rationale, and buttons to “Proceed” or “Cancel.”

Example: For a Bybit-like scenario, the pop-up might read: “High Risk: This address matches a known phishing pattern from the Bybit hack—proceed with caution.”

Scalability and Deployment: Blockchain Support: Initially targets Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains (e.g., Polygon, Arbitrum), with plans to expand to multi-chain via tools like Nodit APIs.

Hackathon Prototype: For ETHGlobal Taipei, IntelliGuard will be deployed on an L2 like Zircuit or Base, leveraging their low-cost, high-speed environments to demonstrate real-time functionality.

Open Source: The codebase will be hosted on GitHub with a README, demo video, and testnet transactions to meet hackathon submission standards.

Technical Feasibility and Challenges Feasibility: The implementation is practical using existing tools (ethers.js, wallet APIs, lightweight ML models), with integrations already supported by wallet ecosystems.

Challenges: Ensuring sub-second analysis speed requires optimizing the AI model for local execution.

Building a robust training dataset demands access to hack data, which can be supplemented with public sources (e.g., Chainalysis, Etherscan).

Multi-wallet compatibility needs careful testing to avoid API conflicts.

Mitigation: Start with MetaMask for the prototype, use rule-based heuristics (e.g., “new contract = risky”) as a fallback, and refine the AI post-hackathon.

Why “IntelliGuard”? The name combines “Intelli” (intelligence, reflecting the AI core) and “Guard” (protection, emphasizing its role as a defender), evoking a smart, vigilant presence in the crypto space. It’s sleek, professional, and crypto-friendly, fitting the Web3 ethos while signaling advanced tech—perfect for ETHGlobal judges and users alike.