Slow Fog Cosine: The replacement cycle attack of the Lightning Network is similar to the sandwich attack of MEV, and project parties should be wary of the risk of being sandwiched

ChainCatcher news, Slow Mist founder Yu Xian posted on social media that a replacement loop attack has emerged in the Lightning Network, which is somewhat similar to the sandwich attack in MEV, using a front-and-back squeeze to extract funds from the targeted victim.

The implementation of this attack method is not easy and requires meeting the following conditions: opening two channels on the victim; routing payments through one of these two channels; successfully replacing the victim's HTLC-timeouts within Δ blocks; at the same time, ensuring that the victim does not discover the HTLC pre-image transaction.

Before this risk is mitigated, project teams using the Lightning Network should be cautious when establishing channels with upstream and downstream partners, preferably collaborating with reputable entities to reduce the risk of being squeezed. Specific situations still need further testing and verification.