Online Courses
Blockchain Security
Online Courses
Blockchain Security
  • Blockchain Security
  • Fundamentals of Blockchain Security
    • Introduction to blockchain
    • The promises of blockchain
    • Inside the blockchain hype
    • Blockchain structures
    • What is public-key cryptography?
      • How does public-key cryptography work?
      • Public-key cryptography in the blockchain
    • Security assumptions of public-key cryptography
      • Quantum computing
    • Hash function in blockchain
      • Properties of hash functions
      • Hash functions in the blockchain
      • Blockchain security hash key functions
    • Quiz
  • Consensus Algorithm Security
    • Introduction
      • The Byzantine generals problem
      • Security via scarcity
      • Common blockchain consensus algorithms
      • The longest chain rule
    • Proof of work
      • Inside PoW mining
    • Attacking proof of work
      • The 51% attack
      • Denial of service: Artificial difficulty increases
    • Proof of stake
      • Choosing the block creator
    • Attacking PoS consensus
      • XX% attack and the PoS "timebomb"
      • Fake stake attacks
      • Long-range attack
      • Nothing at stake problem
      • Sour milk attack
    • Quiz
  • Blockchain in Action
    • Nodes and network
      • Inside the node
      • How blocks are created
    • Attacking block creation
      • Denial-of-service
      • Frontrunning
      • Selfish mining
      • SPV mining
    • Attacking blockchain nodes
      • Blockchain software misconfiguration
      • Denial of service
      • Malicious transactions
    • Attacking the blockchain network
      • Eclipse attack
      • Routing attack
      • Sybil attack
    • Quiz
  • Smart Contract Security
    • What are smart contracts?
      • Smart contracts
    • General programming vulnerabilities
      • Arithmetic vulnerabilities
      • Right-to-left control character
    • Blockchain vulnerabilities
    • Ethereum vulnerabilities
    • Quiz
  • Beyond the Basics
    • Alternative distributed ledger architectures
      • Introduction to DAGs
      • Introduction to block lattices
      • Introduction to sidechains
    • Second-level blockchain protocols
      • How a state channel works
    • Advanced cryptography in blockchain
      • Multisignatures
      • Zero-knowledge proofs
      • Stealth addresses
      • Ring signatures
      • Commitment schemes
    • Quiz
  • Cumulative Quiz
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  1. Consensus Algorithm Security
  2. Attacking PoS consensus

Fake stake attacks

Fake stake attacks are Denial-of-Service attack on blockchain nodes. An attacker can cause a node to devote memory and CPU resources to a fake chain

The longest chain rule means that any chain can suddenly become the accepted version of the ledger. Validation of a proof of stake blockchain can be complex.

  • Requires access to both block headers and block contents

  • Forcing nodes to download and validate fake blocks consumes resources

Key points

  1. Fake stake attacks target blockchain nodes and force them to devote valuable memory and CPU resources to a fake chain.

  2. The longest chain rule in proof of stake systems means that any divergent blockchain could suddenly become the accepted version of the ledger.

  3. Validating a proof of stake blockchain is more complex than in proof of work because it requires access to both the block headers and the block contents.

  4. In proof of stake, stake is tracked over time through transactions in the contents of a block.

  5. An attacker can generate a fake chain, but validating it consumes a great deal of resources, potentially slowing down the network.

  6. Fake stake attacks can perform a denial of service attack against the blockchain by eating up resources and causing confusion.

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Last updated 9 months ago