Vitalik Buterin considers cross-chain bridges vulnerable to hacker attacks

According to the founder of Ethereum, criminals can carry out a 51% attack on bridges

10.01.2022 - 07:50

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What’s new? Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by capitalization, has published a tweet detailing the possible vulnerabilities of cross-chain bridges. According to him, they are more susceptible to attacks of a 51% attack type than the classic blockchain networks.

My argument for why the future will be *multi-chain*, but it will not be *cross-chain*: there are fundamental limits to the security of bridges that hop across multiple "zones of sovereignty". From https://t.co/3g1GUvuA3A: pic.twitter.com/tEYz8vb59b— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 7, 2022

“My argument for why the future will be multi-chain, but it will not be cross-chain: there are fundamental limits to the security of bridges that hop across multiple “zones of sovereignty,” Buterin said.

What are the threats? The Ethereum founder notes that he treats cross-chain bridges with pessimism because they are vulnerable to a 51% attack. While in the classic blockchain networks of large cryptocurrencies, an outcome in which the user loses all the money is virtually impossible, in the case of bridges, there will be no security guarantees.

Buterin also stressed that conducting a 51% attack at present will cost the attackers significant time and money. However, the more new bridges that are created, the greater the likelihood of a future system attack that will affect multiple cross-chain bridges.

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