Long-range attacks are a specific class of security threats targeting proof-of-stake blockchain networks. These attacks involve an attacker acquiring private keys from early network participants and then forging an alternative, longer transaction history from the chain’s genesis block. The attacker uses old keys to create a new, valid chain that appears to have more accumulated stake or work, potentially tricking nodes into accepting the fraudulent history. This type of attack is particularly challenging in proof-of-stake systems because old keys retain their validity indefinitely, unlike proof-of-work where re-mining old blocks is computationally infeasible.
Context
Discussions surrounding long-range attacks are prominent in the development of proof-of-stake protocols, focusing on mitigation strategies such as checkpointing and weak subjectivity. News reports may cover research into new defense mechanisms or theoretical analyses of their feasibility against specific networks. Ensuring protocol resilience against these sophisticated attacks is vital for the security and trustworthiness of next-generation blockchains.
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