Author: Anthony Towns 2021-10-12 04:48:56
Published on: 2021-10-12T04:48:56+00:00
In a recent discussion on the Lightning-dev mailing list, user ZmnSCPxj brought up concerns about the game theory behind eltoo, a protocol that enables costless theft attempts. The concern is that if eltoo becomes widespread, attempting to steal funds would become costless due to the lack of penalties. However, there is a "max" part in the protocol that prevents this from happening. If someone tries to claim an old state with a balance higher than their current balance, they will only receive 90% of the difference, with the remaining 10% going to the other party. The proposal was further refined by adding P (pending funds) to the equation and limiting the penalty to 10% of the minimum between P' + B' - B or B'. This refinement takes into account the possibility that all the funds being stolen were in the pending state rather than the current balance. Despite these potential issues, the implementation of eltoo is still considered worthwhile, especially for multiparty channels/factories. It is important to address any game theory concerns beforehand to ensure the success of the protocol.
Updated on: 2023-05-23T16:16:51.400001+00:00