A Stealthier Partitioning Attack Against Bitcoin Peer-to-Peer Network
Explore a stealthier partitioning attack against the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network in this 16-minute IEEE conference talk. Delve into the EREBUS attack, which allows network adversaries to partition the Bitcoin network without routing manipulations, making it undetectable to control-plane and data-plane detectors. Learn how the attack exploits the topological advantage of being a network adversary, influencing targeted nodes' peering decisions over time. Understand the attack's feasibility for large autonomous systems (ASes) against public Bitcoin nodes, its potential impact on cryptocurrencies, and the challenges in developing effective countermeasures. Examine proposed modifications to the Bitcoin core and their potential implications for the network's operation. Gain insights into the vulnerabilities of cryptocurrency networks and the sophisticated strategies that nation-state adversaries might employ to compromise them.