Modeling the Performance-Security Trade-Off of Gasper's Block Proposal Mechanism Under Latency-Driven Attacks

doi:10.1109/TIFS.2026.3651978

CSpace

	Modeling the Performance-Security Trade-Off of Gasper's Block Proposal Mechanism Under Latency-Driven Attacks
	Qi, Shuhan 1; Zhao, Qinglin 1; Liu, Zijie 1; Zhou, MengChu 2; Shen, Meng 3; Zhang, Peiyun 4,5; Sun, Yi 6
	2026
发表期刊	IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION FORENSICS AND SECURITY
ISSN	1556-6013
卷号	21 页码:1213-1227
摘要	Ethereum 2.0 (ETH2) marks a pivotal shift in blockchain technology, transitioning from a Proof-of-Work (PoW) to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, with Gasper at its core. While this evolution promises enhanced scalability and energy efficiency, the performance of its block proposal stage is highly sensitive to network latency and system parameters, such as slot length. This sensitivity introduces a critical trade-off between throughput and security, measured by the probability of blockchain forking. This paper reveals that network latency is not just a passive risk but an exploitable attack surface. We introduce the "adaptive latency-driven equivocation attack", a novel adversarial strategy where an attacker deliberately creates forks while mimicking the behavior of a high-latency node, thus achieving plausible deniability. To formally analyze and quantify the impact of this threat, we develop a comprehensive theoretical model by using Markov chains to analyze the fork probability and throughput of the Gasper's block proposal mechanism under both honest and adversarial conditions. Through extensive simulations, we validate the accuracy of our model in both normal and bursty traffic conditions. Our findings provide a systematic methodology for optimizing system parameters to achieve a robust balance between performance and security, offering a foundational guide for configuring ETH2 networks against sophisticated, latency-based threats.
关键词	Throughput Proposals Blockchains Adaptation models Security Protocols Safety Electronic mail Consensus protocol System performance Block proposing mechanism ETH2 Web3 gasper
DOI	10.1109/TIFS.2026.3651978
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
WOS研究方向	Computer Science ; Engineering
WOS类目	Computer Science, Theory & Methods ; Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
WOS记录号	WOS:001673815900011
出版者	IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.204/handle/2XEOYT63/42860
专题	中国科学院计算技术研究所
通讯作者	Zhao, Qinglin; Zhou, MengChu; Zhang, Peiyun
作者单位	1.Macau Univ Sci & Technol, Fac Innovat Engn, Sch Comp Sci & Engn, Taipa, Macao, Peoples R China 2.Zhejiang Gongshang Univ, Sch Informat & Elect Engn, Hangzhou 310018, Peoples R China 3.Beijing Inst Technol, Sch Cyberspace Sci & Technol, Beijing 100081, Peoples R China 4.Nanjing Univ Informat Sci & Technol, Minist Educ, Engn Res Ctr Digital Forens, Nanjing 210044, Peoples R China 5.Nanjing Univ Informat Sci & Technol, Sch Comp Sci, Nanjing 210044, Peoples R China 6.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Comp Technol, Beijing 100190, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Qi, Shuhan,Zhao, Qinglin,Liu, Zijie,et al. Modeling the Performance-Security Trade-Off of Gasper's Block Proposal Mechanism Under Latency-Driven Attacks[J]. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION FORENSICS AND SECURITY,2026,21:1213-1227.
APA	Qi, Shuhan.,Zhao, Qinglin.,Liu, Zijie.,Zhou, MengChu.,Shen, Meng.,...&Sun, Yi.(2026).Modeling the Performance-Security Trade-Off of Gasper's Block Proposal Mechanism Under Latency-Driven Attacks.IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION FORENSICS AND SECURITY,21,1213-1227.
MLA	Qi, Shuhan,et al."Modeling the Performance-Security Trade-Off of Gasper's Block Proposal Mechanism Under Latency-Driven Attacks".IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION FORENSICS AND SECURITY 21(2026):1213-1227.