Zombie Coin Attack And It's Mode Of Operation

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Hello friends

INTRODUCTION

A Zombie Coin Attack is another lesser known type of attack , that has the ability to cause large damage to the blockchain network. It particularly affects it functionality and security. In this type of attack , attackers create disruptions to the transaction process by taking advantage of inactive or unused coin. These unused coins belongs to users that have stopped participating in the network.

In blockchain network, coins are usually used to participate in staking and also used to influence the validation of transactions. Therefore the more coins a users owns the more influence he would have. An attacker takes advantage of this by reviving dormant coins in other to have more influence.

The attack name is derived from the concept of “zombie“, meaning that they appear dead, but later come back to life, when exploited by attackers. This act has the ability to destabilize the network and undermine its reliability.

• REVIVING DORMANT COINS TO MANIPULATE CONSENSUS:

One of the mode of operation of Zombie Coin Attack is the act of reviving dormant coins in other to manipulate the network consensus mechanism. An attackers revives this dormant coin so they can stake them as the more coin they stake in the PoS blockchain the higher chance they have of becoming a validator.

The attacker will first identify a wallet with large number of zombie coins. Then they will try to obtain the private key through hacking . If they succeed, they then revive the coins by staking them. This act gives the attacker disproportionate control over the network’s validation process, allowing them to manipulate transactions for their benefit.

This manipulation undermines the fairness and decentralization of the blockchain network. When the attacker uses this zombie coin in staking, it gives him more power and control than he would normally have. This power allows them to approve fraudulent transactions.

• TRANSACTION SPAMMING WITH ZOMBIE COIN:

This is another mode of operation for the zombie coin attack. Here the attacker uses the inactive coins to spam the network with transactions. As a result the network’s transaction processing capability is overwhelmed. This attack is very effective especially in networks that have limited throughput.

When the attacker spams the network with transactions, their aim is to slow down and delay the confirmation of transactions in the affected network. Another aim is to increase the transaction fee due to congestion in the network.

Transaction spamming with zombie coins also causes confusion among the network participants. They might become unsure on which transactions is legitimate and which is not. As a result of this the confidence they had in the network will be reduced. This will make them to ditch the network for an alternative network.

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• DOUBLE SPENDING EXPLOITATION USING ZOMBIE COINS:

The third mode of operation for the zombie coin attack is the use of the zombie coin to initiate double spending in the blockchain network.
Double spending takes place when an attacker spends the same coin for two different transactions. This defrauds the network, as they get value for a coin twice.

In carrying out this attack the attacker sends a transaction using a zombie coin to another user. Immediately the attacker has gotten his goods, he will now send another transaction using the same zombie coin. This act causes financial losses for the users involved

Double spending undermines the integrity of the blockchain system. It also leads to financial losses for merchants that are victims of the attack. As a result the reputation of the network is damaged and the lose the trust of their users.

• NETWORK DISRUPTION THROUGH CHAIN REORGANIZATION:

This is the final mode of operation of the zombie coin attack. Chain reorganization can occur naturally when two validators create blocks almost at the same time . But an attacker can trigger this by reviving zombie coins and using them to influence block creation.

Here the attacker uses the zombie coin to create blocks parallel to the existing block. When this happens the network reorganizes it self by taking the attacker’s chain as the main one. This causes already confirmed transactions to be reversed resulting in confusion for the users in the blockchain network .

When this reorganization happens overtime, the trust the users have in the network will be eroded. As a result participants will ditch the network

CONCLUSION

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The zombie coin attack is a subtle attack, but it can cause great damage to the blockchain network. This attacker manipulates the network’s consensus mechanism, spam transactions, attempts double spending and if causes chain reorganization. This potentially leads to reduced trust among participants.