How Does a Limited Validator Set Impact the Security Model of the Chain?

A limited validator set centralizes trust but can enhance security against external attacks, provided the validators are highly trusted and geographically distributed. The security model shifts from relying on economic incentives (like PoW/PoS) to relying on the reputation and legal contracts of the member organizations.

However, it increases the risk of collusion among the validators. The chain is secure if the collective members' trust is maintained and they adhere to the network rules.

How Does the Collective Behavior of Miners Create the Current Transaction Fee Market?
How Does the ‘Economic Security’ of PoS Compare to PoW?
What Is a ‘Reputation Score’ for an Oracle Node?
How Does the Presence of Wash Trading Impact the Trust in a Derivatives Exchange’s Open Interest Data?
How Does PoA’S Reliance on Identity Differ from PoW’s Reliance on Computational Power?
What Is a “Sybil Attack” and Why Is It Less Effective on a Consortium Chain?
What Is the Risk of “Collusion” in a Limited Validator Set?
What Is the Primary Economic Difference between PoW and PoS Security Models?

Glossar