Name of Bounty
Slashing Mitigator
General Information
What is the nature of the proposed bounty?
Incorporate an optional background process into the rocket pool smart node that detects if any of the loaded validators have been slashed and if so stops the VC until a NO override.
Why are you writing this bounty proposal?
I’m a node operator, I think this is a good risk mitigation idea, mostly for peace of mind.
The most common type of slashing is isolated- usually someone setting up a backup incorrect or that kind of thing. For a solo validator, this penalizes APPROXIMATELY 3.5%; for EB 16- 7%; LEB 8- 14%; LEB 4- 28%; LEB 2- 56% of stake. While no one should put themselves in this position, it would be nice to have a guardrail in place.
For correlated slashing, a 10% client with a widespread double attestation error would slash ~33% of a solo validator, but 100% of the stake of a LEB 8, eating into rETH.
Risks:
- if RP ever becomes a larger share of staking, then an intermittent client bug could lead to shutting down a sizable portion of the network. However, i would think if the RP validators were getting frequently slashed then they probably would not be appropriately participating anyhow. Also we can cross this bridge when we get past 15%.
Benefit
<please enter N/A where appropriate>
| Group | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Potential rETH holders | n/a |
| rETH holders | in the very unlikely event of a correlated slashing, LEB 8 NOs, even with a minority client, still carry some risk to rETH holders- which this bounty would highly mitigate |
| Potential NOs | LEBs leverage works by sub-exponentially increasing rewards, while exponentially increasing penalties from slashing. With LEBs, the average number of validators run per NO will also rise, meaning more benefit for stopping after the first slashing. This bounty intends to limit the number of slashing events to one validator, which will give reassurance to become a NO. It is also mildly anti-sybil |
| NOs | See above |
| Community | n/a |
| RPL holders | n/a |
Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals would stand to benefit from the bounty being successfully completed?
none
Work
What steps would be entailed in completing the bounty? Do successful examples of such work exist elsewhere? What skillsets or knowledge will be required?
-
Milestone 1: Write code that can be incorporated into the smart node that:
a) is opt-in, and has no effect on smart node when opted-out
b) stops the VC if any loaded validator is detected to be slashed
c) requires the NO to give some specific command to restart the VC
d) keeps a whitelist of previously slashed validators so these don’t interfere with restarting the VC
e) is open source
f) low use of system resources
g) demonstrated effectiveness on testnet -
Milestone 2: The program doing the above is incorporated into the smart node (will require liasing with the team). If the team does not want to incorporate this idea, this milestone can be fulfilled by having a complementary program for NOs downloadable separately from smart node.
What advice would you give a bounty hunter working on this bounty?
none
Should the output of this bounty be available under an open source license?
Yes
Costs
How much do you think the completion of this bounty worth to Rocket Pool (in USD)?
- Milestone 1: 1000$
- Milestone 2: 500$
How much work will be needed to verify this bounty has been completed? What skillsets or knowledge will be required?
The work will need to be verified by the RP team prior to incorporating into smart node
Structure
How would you structure this bounty, and why?
Two milestones- the first is for the bulk of the work; the second is to guarantee follow-through and that any concerns from the team are addressed. This cost is less than a single saved slashing event.
Is this bounty repeatable?
No
Are there any reasonable circumstances under which this bounty should be withdrawn? Should it expire?
This bounty should expire after 3 months if not claimed
Conflicts of Interest
Does the person or persons proposing the bounty have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the successful completion of the bounty).
I am on the GMC. I am incapable of claiming this bounty because of lack of knowledge.
Will the applicant, or any protocol or project in which the applicant has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the bounty is successfully completed?
No.