Author: Alex Mizrahi 2015-05-13 10:31:47
Published on: 2015-05-13T10:31:47+00:00
The proof-of-work (PoW) consensus protocol allows new nodes to determine the strongest chain by knowing only the genesis block and network rules. However, this does not ensure strong security guarantees since if an attacker can block connections to legitimate nodes, a new node will accept the attacker's chain. This issue is fundamental but often avoided in discussions. Bitcoin already incorporates "weak subjectivity" through checkpoints in its source code, making it difficult to take PoW purists seriously.
Updated on: 2023-06-09T20:40:35.074629+00:00