Blockchain Attacks and Defenses: A Layered and Cross-Domain Survey

2026-07-06

AI Summary

As blockchain has evolved into a programmable platform, its attack surface has expanded beyond infrastructure to encompass economic logic and cross-domain composability vulnerabilities, necessitating a systematic security analysis framework. This work proposes the first unified taxonomy that integrates a four-layer architecture—network, cryptography, consensus, and application—with cross-domain trust boundaries. Through a comprehensive literature review, it synthesizes multidisciplinary technical approaches to elucidate the root causes of localized security assumption failures in protocol composition, particularly within DeFi and cross-chain ecosystems. The study clarifies the trajectory of research over the past decade and identifies critical directions and emerging needs for security research in the Web3 era.

Abstract

Blockchains have evolved from simple distributed ledgers into programmable platforms that process complex application logic and carry significant financial value. All modern Web3 systems share a common goal: providing secure, decentralized, and trustworthy execution in an increasingly interconnected environment. However, this evolution has shifted the attack surface from isolated infrastructure disruptions to programmable economic abuse and cross-domain exploits. In this article, we focus on the research of blockchain attacks and defenses. In particular, we categorize the threat landscape and corresponding mitigation strategies according to both a four-tier layered architecture (network, cryptographic, consensus, and application) and cross-domain trust boundaries. We seek to answer these important questions: How has the research in blockchain security evolved over the past decade, especially with the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi) and cross-chain interoperability? How do local security assumptions fail when protocols are composed, and what are the driving needs for Web3 security research in the future?

Problem

• blockchain security
• attack surface
• cross-domain exploits
• DeFi
• protocol composition

Innovation

• layered architecture
• cross-domain security
• blockchain attacks
• DeFi vulnerabilities
• protocol composition