Solana

Version: 1.0 David Cervigni (using LLM based on conversation)

Executive Summary

This section contains an executive summary of the identified threats and their mitigation status

There are 8 unmitigated threats without proposed operational controls.

Threats Summary

This section contains an executive summary of the threats and their mitigation status

There are a total of 8 identified threats of which 8 are not fully mitigated by default, and 8 are unmitigated without proposed operational controls.

Solana - scope of analysis

Overview

NOTE: This is an example threat model created based on specific instructions and conversation context.

This document outlines potential threats to the Solana blockchain platform. Solana is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain utilizing a unique Proof-of-History (PoH) timing mechanism combined with Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus (Tower BFT) to achieve high throughput and low transaction fees. It uses the Sealevel runtime for parallel smart contract execution (primarily in Rust, C, C++).

This threat model focuses on the core protocol, consensus mechanisms, state management (including the rent mechanism), validator operations, and network bootstrapping (snapshotting), considering potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors.

Solana security objectives

Consensus Security:

• Network Consensus Integrity

Transaction Security:

• Transaction Validity and Ordering

State Security:

• Blockchain State Integrity

Operational Security:

• Network Availability and Liveness

Network Health:

• Validator Decentralization

Network Bootstrapping:

• Snapshot Trustworthiness

State Management:

• Rent Mechanism Safety

Data Security:

• Data Confidentiality (Limited Scope)

Diagram: Details:

Blockchain State Integrity (STATE_INTEGRITY)

Prevent unauthorized modification or corruption of the blockchain state (account balances, smart contract data). Ensure state transitions are valid according to processed transactions.

Priority: High

Attack tree:

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Data Confidentiality (Limited Scope) (DATA_CONFIDENTIALITY)

While a public blockchain, ensure that mechanisms intended to provide confidentiality (e.g., within specific future applications or protocols built on Solana) are effective. Primarily focused on preventing leaks beyond intended transparency.

Priority: High

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Network Availability and Liveness (NETWORK_AVAILABILITY)

Ensure the Solana network remains operational, processes transactions in a timely manner, and is resilient to Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks or widespread outages.

Priority: High

Attack tree:

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Network Consensus Integrity (NETWORK_INTEGRITY)

Ensure the integrity of the consensus mechanism, preventing malicious actors from controlling the network, censoring transactions unfairly, or causing invalid state transitions (e.g., preventing 51%+ attacks).

Priority: High

Attack tree:

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Rent Mechanism Safety (RENT_MECHANISM_SAFETY)

Ensure the rent mechanism functions as intended to curb state growth without causing unintentional loss of legitimate, funded account data.

Priority: High

Attack tree:

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Snapshot Trustworthiness (SNAPSHOT_TRUSTWORTHINESS)

Ensure the integrity and availability of ledger snapshots used for bootstrapping new or recovering nodes, preventing synchronization with invalid state.

Priority: High

Attack tree:

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Transaction Validity and Ordering (TRANSACTION_VALIDITY)

Ensure that only valid transactions are processed according to protocol rules and that the order of transactions is reliably established and resistant to manipulation.

Priority: High

Attack tree:

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Validator Decentralization (VALIDATOR_DECENTRALIZATION)

Maintain sufficient decentralization among validators to prevent collusion, censorship, and single points of failure, despite high hardware requirements.

Priority: High

Attack tree:

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Solana Threat Actors

Actors, agents, users and attackers may be used as synonymous.

A staked validator or colluding group of validator[...] (MALICIOUS_VALIDATOR)

Description:

A staked validator or colluding group of validators attempting to disrupt consensus, censor transactions, double spend, or execute other attacks enabled by their privileged position.

In Scope as threat actor:

Yes

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An attacker without staked validation power attemp[...] (EXTERNAL_NETWORK_ATTACKER)

Description:

An attacker without staked validation power attempting network-level attacks like DoS, partitioning, or exploiting RPC node vulnerabilities.

In Scope as threat actor:

Yes

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An attacker specifically targeting the state mecha[...] (STATE_LEVEL_ATTACKER)

Description:

An attacker specifically targeting the state mechanism, potentially exploiting smart contract vulnerabilities to manipulate state or leveraging the rent mechanism maliciously.

In Scope as threat actor:

Yes

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A compromised entity (validator, infrastructure pr[...] (SNAPSHOT_PROVIDER_ATTACKER)

Description:

A compromised entity (validator, infrastructure provider) that generates or hosts ledger snapshots, attempting to distribute malicious or invalid snapshots.

In Scope as threat actor:

Yes

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An attacker attempting to exploit or destabilize t[...] (ECONOMIC_MANIPULATOR)

Description:

An attacker attempting to exploit or destabilize the network through economic means, such as manipulating fee markets, spamming the network to increase costs, or exploiting staking/slashing mechanics.

In Scope as threat actor:

Yes

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An end-user interacting with Solana (wallets, dApp[...] (RESOURCE_OWNER_USER)

Description:

An end-user interacting with Solana (wallets, dApps) who might make mistakes (e.g., draining rent SOL) or be targeted by phishing/social engineering.

In Scope as threat actor:

Yes

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Assumptions

HIGH_PERFORMANCE_HARDWARE

Validators require significant computational resources (CPU, RAM, NVMe SSDs, bandwidth), which impacts decentralization and operational costs.

PUBLIC_NETWORK_EXPOSURE

The Solana network operates over the public internet and is exposed to standard network-level attacks.

SNAPSHOT_RELIANCE

New or recovering nodes primarily rely on downloading state snapshots rather than syncing the entire history from genesis due to performance constraints.

COMPLEX_INTERNALS

Solana's architecture (PoH, Sealevel, Turbine, etc.) introduces significant complexity compared to simpler blockchain designs, potentially increasing the attack surface or likelihood of implementation bugs.

ECONOMIC_INCENTIVES_WORK

The security model relies heavily on PoS economic incentives (stake, slashing) to motivate validators to act honestly.

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Solana Analysis

Solana's design prioritizes high throughput and low fees, achieved through innovations like Proof-of-History and parallel transaction processing (Sealevel). This focus introduces specific threat vectors related to the complexity of these mechanisms, the high hardware requirements for validators (potentially impacting decentralization), reliance on snapshots for synchronization, and the unique aspects of its state management, particularly the rent mechanism. Common blockchain threats like consensus attacks and DoS are also relevant, adapted to Solana's PoS/PoH context. This threat model explores these areas to identify potential weaknesses and corresponding mitigations.

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Solana Attack tree

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Solana Threats

Note This section contains the threat and mitigations identified during the analysis phase.

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