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What Is a ‘Replay Attack’ in the Context of a Blockchain Fork?

A replay attack occurs after a blockchain forks (splits into two separate chains). A transaction that was valid on the original chain is maliciously rebroadcast and executed on the new chain, where it was not intended to be valid.

This is possible if the transaction formats and signing mechanisms are identical across both chains. It is mitigated by ensuring transactions on one chain are invalid on the other.

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