How Does the Concept of “Trustless Bootstrapping” Relate to the Long-Range Attack?

Trustless bootstrapping refers to the ability of a new node joining the network to verify the entire chain history without needing to trust a third party. In Proof-of-Stake (PoS) systems, this is challenged by the long-range attack, as a new node could be fed a fraudulent, long-range chain.

To remain trustless, PoS systems must rely on cryptographic proofs of finality (like checkpoints or finality gadgets) to establish the legitimate chain's history without requiring the new node to trust a central authority on which chain is correct.