EigenLayer’s EigenDA Unveils Whitelist Security Against Sybil Attacks

EigenLayer has deployed a whitelist security measure for its EigenDA data-availability service on the Ethereum mainnet against Sybil and DDoS attacks. This security measure can be either an IP or an Ethereum address ECDSA authentication.

EigenDA Unveils Whitelist Security Against Sybil

To counter possible security risks, EigenLayer has chosen to use a whitelist to counter Sybil and DDoS attacks on its free data availability service, EigenDA. This measure employs IP address and/or Ethereum address ECDSA authentication to verify the user. 

With the incorporation of this security measure, EigenLayer seeks to protect the service it offers while guaranteeing its availability to all clients.

1/ EigenDA usage is currently free for rollups on mainnet. We welcome all rollups to post blobs to EigenDA on Ethereum mainnet.

In order to prevent Sybil/DDoS attacks with a free tier, we have implemented a whitelist with either IP or ETH address ECDSA authentication.

— EigenDA (@eigen_da) June 22, 2024

The existing free tier has a throughput of up to 768KB per 10-minute window, which is much higher than what is required for the most occupied rollups on Ethereum now. For example, Base, a rollup that is quite popular, employs fewer than 2 blobs every 10 minutes; thus, EigenDA’s free tier is more than adequate for current requirements.

Concurrently, EigenDA allows partners to request additional throughput beyond the free tier. The platform’s partner registration page enables interested parties to work closely with EigenDA to meet their data needs. This flexibility ensures that high-throughput use cases can be accommodated, supporting various applications and innovations.

EigenDA generates synthetic loads of 0.6 MB/sec and has been tested on the mainnet at peak throughputs of up to 10 MB/sec. This high capacity makes EigenDA a suitable solution for Ethereum’s data availability requirements as it is scalable.

Ongoing Developments and EIGEN Stake Drop

EigenLayer is also working on the implementation of permissionless payments for blob throughput on EigenDA, which is planned to be released by the end of this year. This feature will enable the users to reserve bandwidth at a fixed rate to support high throughput demands.

Furthermore, the Eigen Foundation has now kicked off the second phase of the EIGEN stake drop, which is a major step in the token distribution plan of the project. Around 113 million EIGEN tokens have been distributed in the first phase to ensure the continuous development of the project and to improve its AVS.

After claiming, tokens will be non-transferable until the end of Q3 2024. Nevertheless, users can participate in staking and delegation to EigenDA operators through the EigenLayer web portal. EigenDA is currently the only AVS that uses an EIGEN quorum and other AVSs are probable to follow this system soon.

EigenLayer’s Security Contributions

EigenLayer, which went live on Ethereum mainnet in April 2024, has already gathered more than $12 billion in deposits. The platform opens up new PoS projects by using a wider trust network, thus omitting the necessity for separate security solutions.

The AVSs that EigenLayer underpins cover a number of application areas, including the consensus layer, oracle layer, and data availability layer.

The availability of EigenDA coupled with the adoption of EigenLayer’s pooled security feature, EigenDA sits well as a key participant in the Ethereum’s scaling solutions. As new developments occur and new features are released, EigenDA plans to advance permissionless innovation within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Read Also: EigenLayer Opens Phase 2 Claims for EIGEN Airdrop