The Vulnerability of the Blockchain Network From the Consensus Perspective

Abstract

The blockchain is a registry shared among different participants intending to eliminate the need for a central authority to maintain information. The first proposal of this technology was to eliminate financial authorities in transactions of value. However, the application of the same technique for the transaction of information could facilitate trades and offer traceability and diamond tracking around the world. The consensus is at the core of the network because it orchestrates nodes to accept new information, but it operates over a data structure in an open network, consequently leading to many complex behaviours that introduce different vulnerabilities. This work aims to highlight the vulnerability within the blockchain network based on the different participant behaviours that dominate the shared registry. Moreover, different malicious behaviour can appear on the networking layer by taking advantage of the network topology.