• According to the Cryptology and Data Security Research Group at the University of Bern, Ripple Network doesn’t ensure safety.
  • The analysis report warns Ripple to fix the potential violations of the protocol in time.

A recent report and analysis by the Cryptology and Data Security Research Group at the University of Bern concludes that the Ripple protocol doesn’t ensure safety or liveness under the stated assumptions.

Ripple’s consensus protocol aims at ensuring that the same transactions are processed and validated ledgers are consistent across the network. It should protect the system against attacks and failure modes, such as malicious actors that may be attempting to control or interrupt the system at any given time.

The analysis shows how the Ripple consensus protocol can be violated using seven nodes. The setup basically consists of six good nodes and one bad node, referred to as the Byzantine node. 

Nodes 1, 2, and 3 (white) adopt UNL1, vertically hatched, and nodes 5, 6, and 7 adopt UNL2, horizontally hatched. Node 4 (gray) is Byzantine.

Using this particular setup, researchers were able to make two correct nodes execute different transactions which basically violates the agreement condition of the consensus protocol. While this was a demonstration with only seven nodes, researchers showed the same type of violation using an arbitrarily large number of nodes too. 

The liveness of Ripple consensus protocol is also at risk

In concurrent computing, liveness refers to a set of properties of concurrent systems. The analysis report shows how the liveness of the consensus protocol can be violated even when all the nodes are the same and only one is the Byzantine (bad) node. 

Researches were able to bring the protocol into a state that made it unable to produce a correct ledger and ultimately stopped making any progress. The conclusion of the report states that Ripple might be at risk adding:

Previous work regarding the Ripple consensus protocol has already brought up some concerns about its liveness and safety. In order to better analyze the protocol, this work has presented an independent, abstract description derived directly from the implementation. Furthermore, this work has identified relatively simple cases, in which the protocol may violate safety and/or liveness and which have devastating effects on the health of the network. Our analysis illustrates the need for very close synchronization, tight interconnection, and fault-free operations among the participating validators in the Ripple network.

It’s important to note that these attacks are just theoretical and were not demonstrated with a live network. However, these hypothetical attacks have often translated into real ones eventually which means Ripple must try to fix them in time.


Note: All information on this page is subject to change. The use of this website constitutes acceptance of our user agreement. Please read our privacy policy and legal disclaimer. Opinions expressed at FXstreet.com are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of FXstreet.com or its management. Risk Disclosure: Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to invest in foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.

Recommended content


Recommended Content

Editors’ Picks

XRP Price Prediction: Bearish technicals, on-chain indicators signal 68% potential crash

XRP Price Prediction: Bearish technicals, on-chain indicators signal 68% potential crash

XRP faces increasing bearish sentiment from macro, micro and fundamental factors in April. Weak on-chain indicators ranging from network growth, total supply and active addresses reinforce an impending crash.

More Ripple News
Bitcoin Price Forecast: Tariff volatility sweeps over $200 billion from crypto markets

Bitcoin Price Forecast: Tariff volatility sweeps over $200 billion from crypto markets

Bitcoin price hovers around $83,000 on Thursday after it failed to close above the $85,000 resistance level the previous day. Volatility fueled by Trump’s tariffs swept $200 billion from total market capitalization, liquidating over $178 million in BTC.

More Bitcoin News
SOL is the winner as Solana chain turns into battleground for meme coin launchpad and DEX

SOL is the winner as Solana chain turns into battleground for meme coin launchpad and DEX

Solana (SOL) gains nearly 2% in the last 24 hours and trades at 118.28 at the time of writing on Thursday. A Decentralized Exchange (DEX) and a meme coin launchpad built on the Solana blockchain have waged a war for users and compete for the trade volume on the chain. 

More Solana News
Shibarium, built for the Shiba Inu blockchain, reaches 1 billion in transactions in 18 months after its launch

Shibarium, built for the Shiba Inu blockchain, reaches 1 billion in transactions in 18 months after its launch

Shibarium, a Layer-2 blockchain for the Shiba Inu ecosystem, reaches 1 billion transactions 18 months after its launch. This milestone reflects growing adoption and Shibarium’s robust performance.

More Shiba Inu News
Bitcoin: BTC remains calm before a storm

Bitcoin: BTC remains calm before a storm

Bitcoin's price has been consolidating between $85,000 and $88,000 this week. A K33 report explains how the markets are relatively calm and shaping up for volatility as traders absorb the tariff announcements. PlanB’s S2F model shows that Bitcoin looks extremely undervalued compared to Gold and the housing market.

Read full analysis
The Best brokers to trade EUR/USD

The Best brokers to trade EUR/USD

SPONSORED Discover the top brokers for trading EUR/USD in 2025. Our list features brokers with competitive spreads, fast execution, and powerful platforms. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, find the right partner to navigate the dynamic Forex market.

Read More

BTC

ETH

XRP