Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO

Qin Wang; Jiangshan Yu; Zhiniang Peng; Van Cuong Bui; Shiping Chen; Yong Ding; Yang Xiang

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_2

Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO

Qin Wang, Jiangshan Yu, Zhiniang Peng, Van Cuong Bui, Shiping Chen, Yong Ding, Yang Xiang

Department of Software Systems & Cybersecurity

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research › peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

NEO is ranked as one of the top blockchains by market capitalization. We provide a security analysis on its backbone consensus protocol, called delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT). The dBFT protocol has been employed by NEO and other blockchains like ONT. dBFT claims to guarantee safety when no more than nodes are Byzantine, where n is the total number of consensus participants. However, we identify attacks to break the safety with no more than f Byzantine nodes. This paper provides the following contributions. First, we evaluate NEO’s source code and present the procedures of dBFT. Then, we present two attacks to break the safety of dBFT protocol with no more than f nodes. Therefore, the system cannot guarantee the claimed safety. We also provide recommendations on how to fix the system against the identified attacks.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Financial Cryptography and Data Security
Subtitle of host publication	24th International Conference, FC 2020 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, February 10–14, 2020 Revised Selected Papers
Editors	Joseph Bonneau, Nadia Heninger
Place of Publication	Cham Switzerland
Publisher	Springer
Pages	20-31
Number of pages	12
ISBN (Electronic)	9783030512804
ISBN (Print)	9783030512798
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_2
Publication status	Published - 2020
Event	Financial Cryptography and Data Security Conference 2020 - Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Duration: 10 Feb 2020 → 14 Feb 2020 Conference number: 24th https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4 (Proceedings) https://fc20.ifca.ai (Website)

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Computer Science
Publisher	Springer
Volume	12059
ISSN (Print)	0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)	1611-3349

Conference

Conference	Financial Cryptography and Data Security Conference 2020
Abbreviated title	FC 2020
Country/Territory	Malaysia
City	Kota Kinabalu
Period	10/02/20 → 14/02/20
Internet address	https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4 (Proceedings) https://fc20.ifca.ai (Website)

Keywords

Blockchain
dBFT
NEO
Safety

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_2

Cite this

Wang, Q., Yu, J., Peng, Z., Bui, V. C., Chen, S., Ding, Y., & Xiang, Y. (2020). Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO. In J. Bonneau, & N. Heninger (Eds.), Financial Cryptography and Data Security : 24th International Conference, FC 2020 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, February 10–14, 2020 Revised Selected Papers (pp. 20-31). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science ; Vol. 12059 ). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_2

Wang, Qin ; Yu, Jiangshan ; Peng, Zhiniang et al. / Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO. Financial Cryptography and Data Security : 24th International Conference, FC 2020 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, February 10–14, 2020 Revised Selected Papers. editor / Joseph Bonneau ; Nadia Heninger. Cham Switzerland : Springer, 2020. pp. 20-31 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science ).

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title = "Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO",

abstract = "NEO is ranked as one of the top blockchains by market capitalization. We provide a security analysis on its backbone consensus protocol, called delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT). The dBFT protocol has been employed by NEO and other blockchains like ONT. dBFT claims to guarantee safety when no more than nodes are Byzantine, where n is the total number of consensus participants. However, we identify attacks to break the safety with no more than f Byzantine nodes. This paper provides the following contributions. First, we evaluate NEO{\textquoteright}s source code and present the procedures of dBFT. Then, we present two attacks to break the safety of dBFT protocol with no more than f nodes. Therefore, the system cannot guarantee the claimed safety. We also provide recommendations on how to fix the system against the identified attacks.",

keywords = "Blockchain, dBFT, NEO, Safety",

author = "Qin Wang and Jiangshan Yu and Zhiniang Peng and Bui, {Van Cuong} and Shiping Chen and Yong Ding and Yang Xiang",

year = "2020",

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booktitle = "Financial Cryptography and Data Security",

note = "Financial Cryptography and Data Security Conference 2020, FC 2020 ; Conference date: 10-02-2020 Through 14-02-2020",

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Wang, Q, Yu, J, Peng, Z, Bui, VC, Chen, S, Ding, Y & Xiang, Y 2020, Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO. in J Bonneau & N Heninger (eds), Financial Cryptography and Data Security : 24th International Conference, FC 2020 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, February 10–14, 2020 Revised Selected Papers. Lecture Notes in Computer Science , vol. 12059 , Springer, Cham Switzerland, pp. 20-31, Financial Cryptography and Data Security Conference 2020, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, 10/02/20. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_2

Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO. / Wang, Qin; Yu, Jiangshan; Peng, Zhiniang et al.
Financial Cryptography and Data Security : 24th International Conference, FC 2020 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, February 10–14, 2020 Revised Selected Papers. ed. / Joseph Bonneau; Nadia Heninger. Cham Switzerland: Springer, 2020. p. 20-31 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science ; Vol. 12059 ).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research › peer-review

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AU - Wang, Qin

AU - Yu, Jiangshan

AU - Peng, Zhiniang

AU - Bui, Van Cuong

AU - Chen, Shiping

AU - Ding, Yong

AU - Xiang, Yang

N1 - Conference code: 24th

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - NEO is ranked as one of the top blockchains by market capitalization. We provide a security analysis on its backbone consensus protocol, called delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT). The dBFT protocol has been employed by NEO and other blockchains like ONT. dBFT claims to guarantee safety when no more than nodes are Byzantine, where n is the total number of consensus participants. However, we identify attacks to break the safety with no more than f Byzantine nodes. This paper provides the following contributions. First, we evaluate NEO’s source code and present the procedures of dBFT. Then, we present two attacks to break the safety of dBFT protocol with no more than f nodes. Therefore, the system cannot guarantee the claimed safety. We also provide recommendations on how to fix the system against the identified attacks.

AB - NEO is ranked as one of the top blockchains by market capitalization. We provide a security analysis on its backbone consensus protocol, called delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT). The dBFT protocol has been employed by NEO and other blockchains like ONT. dBFT claims to guarantee safety when no more than nodes are Byzantine, where n is the total number of consensus participants. However, we identify attacks to break the safety with no more than f Byzantine nodes. This paper provides the following contributions. First, we evaluate NEO’s source code and present the procedures of dBFT. Then, we present two attacks to break the safety of dBFT protocol with no more than f nodes. Therefore, the system cannot guarantee the claimed safety. We also provide recommendations on how to fix the system against the identified attacks.

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Wang Q, Yu J, Peng Z, Bui VC, Chen S, Ding Y et al. Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO. In Bonneau J, Heninger N, editors, Financial Cryptography and Data Security : 24th International Conference, FC 2020 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, February 10–14, 2020 Revised Selected Papers. Cham Switzerland: Springer. 2020. p. 20-31. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science ). doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-51280-4_2

Security analysis on dBFT protocol of NEO

Abstract

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Keywords

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