3.3.2 Delay Attacks

Delay Attacks

• Mechanism: A Delay Attack targets the time-sensitive nature of blockchain consensus. In this type of attack, an adversary deliberately delays the propagation of blocks or transactions within the network. By holding back information, they prevent the network from coming to a consensus about the correct state of the blockchain.

• Impact: The attack can cause delays in block confirmations and disrupt the transaction flow, leading to uncertainty in the blockchain state. In Proof of Stake (PoS) systems, this could lead to a forking of the blockchain or disrupt consensus by delaying block validation.

Prevention: This vulnerability can be reduced through increased node redundancy, faster block propagation protocols, and time synchronization across all nodes in the network.