delvingbitcoin

Onion Messaging DoS Threat Mitigations

Original Postby MattCorallo

Posted on: August 9, 2024 15:23 UTC

The paper in question addresses the mitigation of potential Distributed Denial of Service (DoS) threats associated with onion messages but does not provide a foundational argument for the existence of such threats.

It primarily concentrates on reducing the capability for onion messages to create routing loops, which is identified as a significant concern. Despite this focus, there is a noted lack of formal analysis regarding the actual risks posed by DoS attacks through this vector. Furthermore, the document mentions that lightning developers have concurred on implementing a "backpressure" mitigation strategy should these DoS threats materialize into tangible issues. This approach suggests a proactive stance towards safeguarding against potential vulnerabilities, albeit the specifics of the backpressure technique and its effectiveness remain unexplored within the paper's scope.