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Stale Price Risk

What it detects​

This detector tracks how long oracle prices remain unchanged and whether functions guard against stale values. Using old prices can trigger wrong collateral calls or unprofitable trades.

Typical symptoms​

  • No expiry time on stored prices
  • Large gap between oracle updates

Solidity snippet (v0.8.25)​

pragma solidity ^0.8.25;

contract PriceGuard {
    uint256 public lastUpdate;
    uint256 public price;

    function setPrice(uint256 newPrice) external {
        price = newPrice;
        lastUpdate = block.timestamp;
    }

    function usePrice() external view returns (uint256) {
        // Doesn't check if price is too old
        return price;
    }
}

Why it matters on EVM​

Stale prices can cause insolvency or arbitrage losses when market conditions change rapidly.