BLOCK PROPAGATION WITH POISONED TRANSACTIONS IN A BLOCKCHAIN NETWORK

Abstract

Methods and devices for propagating blocks in a blockchain network. At a first mining node, while hashing a first block header of a first candidate block, the first mining node sends, to other mining nodes, a first message specifying transactions and their order in a first ordered set of transactions contained in the first candidate block. To prevent the other nodes from relying on the first mining node having validated the transactions in the candidate block, the first mining node seeds the first ordered set with one or more invalid transactions to create a poisoned ordered set, and provides an encrypted list identifying the invalid transactions. Once a proof-of-work is found for the candidate block, the first mining node provides a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted list and identify the invalid transactions. It may further provide replacement transactions for the invalid transactions.

CPC Classifications