Lawrence JENGAR
February 27, 2025 07:33
A complete analysis of blockchain resilience against contradictory control, exploring the limits of security and liveliness in various customer and network models.
In the evolutionary landscape of blockchain technology, the resilience of blockchain systems against contradictory control remains an essential concern. A recent exploration of A16Z Crypto plunges into the critical question of the number of malicious validators that a blockchain can endure while maintaining its central properties of liveliness and security. The study examines whether the threshold is 50%, 33%or even 99%, as the co-founder Ethereum Vitalik Buterin suggests.
Explore the resilience of the blockchain
Research highlights the meaning of how blockchain customers are modeled, examining dimensions such as if customers and validators are always active or sometimes dormant, and the nature of network synchronization. The study, conducted in collaboration with Dionyse Zindros and David TSE, systematically categorizes consensus models through these dimensions to delimit the safety and resilience of realable liveliness.
State replication and consensus protocols
The state replication consensus protocols (SMR) are essential for the blockchain functionality, ensuring that transactions are carried out in a coherent order on the network. These protocols must be tolerant by Byzantine fault (BFT), maintaining security even if a fraction of validators acts maliciously. The study examines the maximum opponent fraction that can be tolerated, exploring both classic synchronous and partially synchronous networks.
Determine control of the tolerable validator
Research questions the higher limits of security and awareness of liveliness that any blockchain protocol can reach. He stresses that the network’s ability to transmit messages reliably between validators influences these limits. In synchronous networks, higher resilience is possible compared to partially synchronous networks, where network delays can disrupt communication.
Customer modeling and network synchronization
The characteristics of customers, such as their ability to communicate and their activity levels, have a significant impact on resilience thresholds. The study offers SMR BFT consensus models according to these customer and network characteristics, offering a complete analysis of the resilience feasible in various scenarios.
For a deeper dive into the results, including detailed models and theoretical evidence, full paper is available on the IACR EPRINT archives. The study does not only consolidate existing knowledge, but also introduces new protocols and impossibility theorems, contributing significantly to the understanding of blockchain security.
For more information, please consult the original article by Crypto A16Z.
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