Although blockchain technology demonstrates great potential in decentralization, security, and trust mechanisms, its ecosystem still harbors various security risks. From various vulnerabilities in L1/L2 cross-chain communication (such as not considering block rollbacks, improper handling of transaction failures, and lightweight client validation flaws) to the hidden dangers in Cosmos application chains regarding module order, random number usage, and transaction rollbacks, as well as risks arising from script construction, UTXO handling, and rollbacks in the Bitcoin expansion ecosystem, all pose severe challenges to blockchain applications. Meanwhile, common errors in smart contracts or general programming languages, such as integer overflow, infinite loops, race conditions, and abnormal crashes, also pose significant threats to the system's availability and security.
In addition, the vulnerabilities of P2P network architecture (such as Sybil attacks and Eclipse attacks) and DoS attacks will also hinder the efficiency and reliability of blockchain systems. Moreover, cryptographic vulnerabilities (insecure hashing algorithms, weak signature algorithms, insecure random number generation, etc.) pose further threats to data confidentiality and integrity. Improper handling of transaction memory pools, orphan blocks, and Merkle trees at the ledger level could lead to inconsistencies in on-chain data or asset risks. Finally, if the design of economic models and governance mechanisms lacks thoroughness, it may lead to imbalances or even fragmentation in network incentives, allowing attackers to exploit this imbalance to affect system stability.
In light of the aforementioned risks, only by deeply understanding and implementing stringent preventive measures can we ensure the security and sustainable development of the ever-evolving blockchain ecosystem. At the end of 2024, ScaleBit's parent brand BitsLab released the '2024 Emerging Ecological Public Chain Panorama Observation and Security Research Report'. This report provides a detailed analysis of various existing security vulnerabilities and attack surfaces, offering rich and practical content. This article extracts parts of the report to focus on presenting key types of security vulnerabilities within the blockchain ecosystem, helping readers prepare in advance and jointly promote the safe and healthy development of the industry.