Definition ∞ Cost asymmetry describes a situation where the expense incurred for a specific action differs significantly between distinct parties within a system. In blockchain contexts, this often refers to the disproportionate cost for an attacker to compromise a network compared to the cost for honest participants to secure it. This economic imbalance is a fundamental design principle for many decentralized systems. It aims to deter malicious behavior by making attacks prohibitively expensive.
Context ∞ The concept of cost asymmetry is central to the security models of various blockchain consensus mechanisms, especially proof-of-work and proof-of-stake. News articles frequently highlight how changes in network economics or hardware costs can affect this balance. A critical discussion revolves around maintaining sufficient cost asymmetry to withstand increasingly sophisticated attacks. Monitoring advancements in cryptographic techniques and hardware efficiency will be important for understanding future implications for network security.
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