- Polygon has unveiled a new solution that strengthens the security of the interoperability layer.
- The published solution relies on distrust.
- Beyond security, Polygon believes that new solutions can help with its multichain vision.
Cryptocurrency users are often wary of blockchain interoperability solutions, the armored trucks of cryptocurrencies, because of how vulnerable they are to exploitation in general and how often they are targeted due to the volume of assets flowing through them.
However, despite these fears, Polygon (MATIC) Labs, the company behind the popular Ethereum scaling solution, has not given up on embarking on an ambitious roadmap to connect as many chains as possible to Ethereum via a unified AggLayer bridge. The team’s security solution for this integrated bridge, “Pessimistic Proof,” was recently released.
Can this new concept ensure the safety of funds transferred through AggLayer?
How Polygon (MATIC)’s Pessimistic Proof Works
Introduced on Tuesday, May 28, Polygon Labs described pessimistic proofs as “cryptographic guarantees” that allow chains to share bridges without additional trust assumptions. Simply put, it provides assurance that everything on the connected chain is on board before asset transfers are allowed.
The name of zero-knowledge proof comes from the basic assumption that “all chains are untrustworthy and cannot play well with each other.” This is in stark contrast to optimistic bridging approaches, which assume that nodes are honest and that transmitted data is valid unless proven otherwise.
Pessimistic proof aims to ensure that no chain attempts to withdraw more assets than it has in deposits. The proof system achieves this by checking three key parameters: These parameters include the state of the chain when the transaction begins, the account on the chain, and the accounts on all connected chains.
Once everything is verified, valid proof is generated and the transaction can take place. Through this method, Polygon plans to ensure that a breach of one chain does not lead to a network-wide threat.
Meanwhile, in addition to security, Polygon Labs presented pessimistic evidence that should help overall AggLayer adoption.
Pessimistic evidence to open AggLayer to non-ZK chains?
As Polygon Labs highlights, the pessimistic code is written in Rust, a widely used programming language. At the same time, the company explains that proofs will be generated using Succinct Labs’ SP1, a zkVM solution powered by Polygon’s Plonky 3 prover. SP1 allows developers to generate proofs for a variety of consensus mechanisms.
As explained by Polygon Labs, a feature in SP1 will allow Non-ZK chains to join AggLayer, which could significantly benefit the network’s multichain goals. As of this writing, at least three chains are already leveraging Polygon interoperability solutions to enjoy shared liquidity. These chains include OKX’s X Layer, Astar zkEVM, and Polygon zkEVM.
On the flip side
- The effectiveness of pessimistic proofs in preventing abuse has not yet been battle tested.
Why This Matters
Blockchain bridge exploits have accounted for most of the largest exploits in cryptocurrency history. As a bridge that attempts to connect multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, AggLayer is likely to become a target for hackers looking to launch large-scale attacks at once. But pessimistic evidence appears to be thwarting such efforts.
To learn more about Polygon (MATIC), read:
Polygon (MATIC) on Ethereum L3s: “L3 makes no sense”
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