Proof of Stake Sidechains

Explore the concept of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) sidechains in this 20-minute conference talk presented at the 2019 IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy. Delve into the first formal definition of sidechain systems and learn how assets can be securely moved between sidechains. Discover the enhanced security definition that extends transaction ledger properties of liveness and safety across multiple ledgers, introducing a new "firewall" security property to protect blockchains from potential sidechain failures. Examine a sidechain construction suitable for PoS systems, with a focus on its implementation in epoch-based PoS protocols like Ouroboros. Gain insights into merged-staking techniques that prevent "goldfinger" attacks on sidechains with low stake amounts. Investigate the novel cryptographic primitive of ad-hoc threshold multisignatures (ATMS) and its role in facilitating cross-chain certification for pegging chains. Learn about various secure instantiations of ATMS using digital signatures and succinct arguments of knowledge, considering their storage efficiency implications.