What Is “Slashing” in a Proof-of-Stake System, and What Is Its Purpose?

Slashing is a punitive mechanism in PoS designed to penalize validators who act maliciously or irresponsibly, such as double-signing blocks or going offline for extended periods. When a validator is "slashed," a portion of their staked cryptocurrency is forcibly removed and destroyed.

The purpose is to enforce honest behavior and maintain the security and integrity of the PoS network.