Author: Dave Scotese 2018-05-21 20:03:37
Published on: 2018-05-21T20:03:37+00:00
Human memory can be faulty when it comes to details, but a rendering that provides features at which it isn't faulty makes it a decent backup in situations where technology has been used to hide important differences. In the case of the blockchain, the entire history is stored to prevent any illicit alteration of the UTXO Set. Even if an attacker has the computing power to execute a 51% attack and make subsequent block headers follow all the rules, altering the history before it goes up poses a risk. To improve recall and rejection of changed SSH host keys, an experimental SSH Fingerprint ASCII Visualisation technique could be used. An algorithm could also be used with the Bip39 word list to create a memorable rendering of SHA256 hash, which becomes a form of protection against any possible rewriting of the blockchain prior to that UTXO Set. When enough people recognize this protection, it relieves the need to retain the full blockchain to validate the UTXO Set at that point. However, there is still the possibility that an attacker could create a more favorable UTXO Set with a similar enough rendering to fool people or one with exactly the same SHA256-hash. The writer is a webmaster for The Voluntaryist, which accepts Bitcoin as payment and codes for The Dollar Vigilante. They offer free work to demonstrate their skills and own Litmocracy and Meme Racing (in alpha). The context includes the quote "He ought to find it more profitable to play by the rules" by Satoshi Nakamoto.
Updated on: 2023-06-13T02:47:10.075726+00:00