Network Attacks and Defenses

12 min readarticleIncludes quiz · 5 questions

Learn about potential attacks on the Bitcoin network and how the protocol defends against them.

Attack Vectors:

  • 51% Attack: Control majority hashrate
  • Double Spend: Spend same coins twice
  • Sybil Attack: Create many fake nodes
  • Eclipse Attack: Isolate nodes
  • Selfish Mining: Withhold blocks
  • Time Warp Attack: Manipulate timestamps

Defense Mechanisms:

  • Proof of Work: Makes attacks expensive
  • Decentralization: No single point of failure
  • Checkpoints: Prevent deep reorganizations
  • Peer Diversity: Multiple node connections
  • Economic Incentives: Honesty more profitable
  • Time Limits: Timestamp validation rules

Test Your Knowledge

This lesson includes a 5-question quiz (passing score: 80%).

Quiz functionality available in the mobile app.