It's safe to say that the cryptocurrency industry is rife with cybercriminals looking to get their hands on your data and your money. Unfortunately, there are numerous ways a cybercriminal can swindle their way towards a payout, one of which is an eclipse attack.
So, what exactly is an eclipse attack?
What Is an Eclipse Attack?
On a typical cryptocurrency blockchain (or peer-to-peer network), an array of different users in different locations, known as nodes, contribute to the network by verifying transactions. Different kinds of consensus mechanisms are used here to ensure that transactions are legitimate, which makes these networks so secure.
Because every node holds some power within a network, and because one node can only connect with a limited number of other nodes at any given time (due to bandwidth limitations), it can be exploited by a malicious individual for illicit purposes.
In an eclipse attack, a singular node is targeted and surrounded by malicious nodes only. This means that all of their outgoing data will be received by malicious nodes, and the same nodes will send all their incoming data.
When a node's communications are successfully flooded by the attacker nodes, a false environment can be created (so long as the node connects with the malicious nodes upon its reconnection with the blockchain network). The unsuspecting victim node assumes that this false environment is legitimate and carries on acting as usual. However, the node's view of the network is distorted.
Continue reading: https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-an-eclipse-attack/
So, what exactly is an eclipse attack?
What Is an Eclipse Attack?
On a typical cryptocurrency blockchain (or peer-to-peer network), an array of different users in different locations, known as nodes, contribute to the network by verifying transactions. Different kinds of consensus mechanisms are used here to ensure that transactions are legitimate, which makes these networks so secure.
Because every node holds some power within a network, and because one node can only connect with a limited number of other nodes at any given time (due to bandwidth limitations), it can be exploited by a malicious individual for illicit purposes.
In an eclipse attack, a singular node is targeted and surrounded by malicious nodes only. This means that all of their outgoing data will be received by malicious nodes, and the same nodes will send all their incoming data.
When a node's communications are successfully flooded by the attacker nodes, a false environment can be created (so long as the node connects with the malicious nodes upon its reconnection with the blockchain network). The unsuspecting victim node assumes that this false environment is legitimate and carries on acting as usual. However, the node's view of the network is distorted.
Continue reading: https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-an-eclipse-attack/
