Exploring the Multi-Dimensional Security Model of Cosmos Hub: A New Direction for Blockchain Security Strategies

In the increasingly competitive landscape of blockchain security, Cosmos Hub is actively exploring diversified security models to address the challenges posed by various inter-chain security solutions. Recently, the product lead of Cosmos Hub from Informal Systems initiated a discussion on consumer chain onboarding mechanisms at a forum, sparking widespread attention within the industry on the future development direction of Cosmos Hub.

Cosmos Hub previously introduced the "shared security" mechanism through the V9 Lambda upgrade, which allows Cosmos Hub to lease its security to consumer chains while enhancing the value capture capability of ATOM. However, the shared security model also has some limitations, such as the need for prior approval through governance, and each validator is required to run additional nodes, which increases the cost burden on validators.

In order to break through these limitations, Cosmos Hub is considering introducing two new consumer chain onboarding schemes: a fully permissionless scheme and a lightweight permissioned optional onboarding scheme.

The permissionless scheme allows developers to launch consumer chains through simple transactions, with validators free to choose to join. This approach greatly lowers the entry barrier, but also requires developers to actively communicate with validators to attract them to join.

The lightweight permissioned selective onboarding scheme utilizes the existing governance mechanism, requiring developers to submit proposals to initiate the consumer chain. Validators decide whether to participate through voting, and those who vote in favor will automatically become part of the new chain. This approach leverages a familiar decision-making platform while also setting certain technical thresholds.

In addition, the industry is also discussing the "Top-N" scheme, which requires that the top n% of concentrated validators must run a consumer chain, while other validators can choose to join or exit. This scheme is further divided into two variants: inclusive and exclusive, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

It is worth noting that, apart from replicated security, these new solutions only require partial participation from Cosmos Hub validators, so their security may not be as strong as replicated security. The security level of each solution varies and requires in-depth assessment.

Cosmos Hub is working hard to explore various security solutions to meet the needs of different consumer chains. Future consumer chains may take on diverse forms, including highly secure chains with replicated security, fully permissionless flexible chains, and other intermediate forms that use lightweight permission or Top-N solutions. This diversified strategy not only meets different security needs but also holds the potential to provide more value capture opportunities for ATOM.

With the continuous development of blockchain technology, the innovation of security models will continue to be a focus of industry attention. The explorations of Cosmos Hub undoubtedly provide new ideas and possibilities for enhancing the security of the entire ecosystem.