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Long-Range Attack Mitigation

Definition

Long-range attack mitigation refers to strategies preventing an attacker from rewriting a blockchain’s history from its origin. These security measures are specifically designed to defend Proof-of-Stake blockchain networks against attacks where an adversary attempts to construct an alternative, longer chain starting from the genesis block using compromised old validator keys. Such mitigation techniques often involve checkpointing, light client synchronization protocols, or requiring validators to retain proof of their past participation. Their purpose is to preserve the immutability of the ledger.