{"id":466437,"date":"2022-06-22T07:09:16","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T04:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/blockchain-isnt-as-decentralized-as-you-think-defense-agency-report\/"},"modified":"2022-06-22T07:09:16","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T04:09:16","slug":"blockchain-isnt-as-decentralized-as-you-think-defense-agency-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/blockchain-isnt-as-decentralized-as-you-think-defense-agency-report\/","title":{"rendered":"# Blockchain isn\u2019t as decentralized as you think: Defense agency report"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37c5a25c604\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37c5a25c604\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/blockchain-isnt-as-decentralized-as-you-think-defense-agency-report\/#%E2%80%9D_Blockchain_isnt_as_decentralized_as_you_think_Defense_agency_report_%E2%80%9C\" >&#8221; Blockchain isn\u2019t as decentralized as you think: Defense agency report &#8220;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/blockchain-isnt-as-decentralized-as-you-think-defense-agency-report\/#Bitcoin_nodes\" >Bitcoin nodes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/blockchain-isnt-as-decentralized-as-you-think-defense-agency-report\/#Funneling_through_ISPs\" >Funneling through ISPs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9D_Blockchain_isnt_as_decentralized_as_you_think_Defense_agency_report_%E2%80%9C\"><\/span>&#8221; Blockchain isn\u2019t as decentralized as you think: Defense agency report &#8220;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjItMDYvNjA4ODI4ODgtNDU3ZS00MjU2LTkwOTktYmNhNGQxNDhlNzRlLmpwZw==.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-2a0745c6>Distributed ledger <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> (DLT) and blockchains including Bitcoin and Ethereum may be more vulnerable to centralization risks than initially thought, according to Trail of Bits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The security firm on Tuesday <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/assets-global.website-files.com\/5fd11235b3950c2c1a3b6df4\/62af6c641a672b3329b9a480_Unintended_Centralities_in_Distributed_Ledgers.pdf\">released<\/a> its report titled \u201cAre Blockchains Decentralized?\u201d, which was commissioned by the U.S. Government\u2019s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).<\/p>\n<p>The report aims to investigate whether blockchains including Bitcoin and Ethereum are truly decentralized, though the report <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eared to focus largely on Bitcoin. <\/p>\n<p>Among its key findings, the security firm found that outdated Bitcoin nodes, unencrypted blockchain mining pools and a majority of unencrypted Bitcoin network traffic traversing over only a limited number of ISPs could leave room for various actors to garner excessive, centralized control over the network.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bitcoin_nodes\"><\/span>Bitcoin nodes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The report stated that a subnetwork of Bitcoin nodes is largely responsible for reaching consensus and communicating with miners and that a \u201cvast majority of nodes do not meaningfully contribute to the health of the network.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It also found that 21% of Bitcoin nodes are running an older version of the Bitcoin Core client, which is known to have vulnerability concerns such as consensus errors. It states that \u201cit is vital that all DLT nodes operate on the same latest version of software, otherwise, consensus errors can occur and lead to a blockchain fork.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>A Bitcoin node is any computer that stores and verifies blocks in the blockchain. Nodes are used to monitor the health and security of the Bitcoin blockchain and validate the accuracy of transactions. The current version all nodes should run is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bitcoin.org\/en\/version-history\">Bitcoin Core 22.0<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Another takeaway from the report found that Bitcoin\u2019s mining pool protocol Stratum is unencrypted and essentially unauthenticated. <\/p>\n<p>This means that malicious attacks can be made to \u201cestimate the hashrate and payouts of a miner in the pool\u201d and \u201cmanipulate Stratum messages to steal CPU cycles and payouts from mining pool participants.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Funneling_through_ISPs\"><\/span>Funneling through ISPs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The authors also found vulnerabilities in the infrastructure, based on the fact that Bitcoin protocol traffic is unencrypted and 60% of the network traffic traverses only three ISPs. <\/p>\n<p>This is a problem because \u201cISPs and hosting providers have the ability to arbitrarily degrade or deny service to any node.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-six pages of detailed information, data, and infographics are contained within the report. DARPA started in 1958, and is responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the agency of the United States Department of Defense and the US military. Trail of Bits is a cybersecurity research and consulting firm that was engaged by DARPA to develop the report. <\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Centralized vs. decentralized digital networks: Key differences<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The report comes at interesting timing, after centralization concerns were highlighted on Solana.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, Solana-based decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Solend put together a spur-of-the-moment governance proposal aimed at taking over a whale\u2019s wallet that was facing liquidation which was threatening to put a strain on Solend and its users. <\/p>\n<p>The proposal which was passed by one whale, saw immediate kickback from <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, and the creation of another governance vote to invalidate the previously approved proposal. Observers arguing the move could cause damage to the overall image of DeFi as taking control of one of Solend\u2019s wallets means the fundamental principles of DeFi fall into question and reversing a vote wasn&#8217;t much better.<\/p>\n<p><template data-name=\"subscription_form\" data-type=\"defi_newsletter\"><\/template><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/blockchain-isn-t-as-decentralized-as-you-think-defense-agency-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8221; Blockchain isn\u2019t as decentralized as you think: Defense agency report &#8220; Distributed ledger technology (DLT) and blockchains including Bitcoin and Ethereum may be more vulnerable to centralization risks than initially thought, according to Trail of Bits.\u00a0 The security firm on Tuesday released its report titled \u201cAre Blockchains Decentralized?\u201d, which was commissioned by the U.S&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":466438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/1200_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjItMDYvNjA4ODI4ODgtNDU3ZS00MjU2LTkwOTktYmNhNGQxNDhlNzRlLmpwZw==.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[74862,74894,130590,74983,74891],"class_list":["post-466437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-bitcoin","tag-blockchain","tag-darpa","tag-decentralization","tag-ethereum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}