2024/11/21 by Scott Seidenberger, Anindya Maiti, Seidenberger, Scott +1
Computer Science · #Cryptography and Security (cs.CR) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Mobile Ad Hoc Networks #Network Security and Intrusion Detection #Networking and Internet Architecture (cs.NI) #Opportunistic and Delay-Tolerant Networks
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.14623
openalex publication_date 2024/11/21 · openalex created_date 2024/12/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We hypothesize that peer-to-peer (P2P) overlay network nodes can be attractive to attackers due to their visibility, sustained uptime, and resource potential. Towards validating this hypothesis, we investigate the state of active reconnaissance attacks on Ethereum P2P network nodes by deploying a series of honeypots alongside actual Ethereum nodes across globally distributed vantage points. We find that Ethereum nodes experience not only increased attacks, but also specific types of attacks targeting particular ports and services. Furthermore, we find evidence that the threat assessment on our nodes is applicable to the wider P2P network by having performed port scans on other reachable peers. Our findings provide insights into potential mitigation strategies to improve the security of the P2P networking layer.