Sharded Blockchain Security

Definition ∞ Sharded blockchain security addresses the challenge of maintaining the overall integrity and attack resistance of a blockchain network that has been divided into smaller, interconnected segments called shards. Each shard processes a subset of transactions, improving scalability, but this introduces new security considerations regarding cross-shard communication and data availability. Robust sharding security ensures that no single shard can be compromised without affecting the entire network. It aims to provide high throughput without sacrificing decentralization or safety.
Context ∞ The implementation of sharding, particularly in major blockchain upgrades, is a prominent news item, with ongoing research focusing on cryptographic methods to secure these distributed environments. The prevention of “shard takeovers” and data validity across shards remains a primary concern.