Anza Proposes Slashing Mechanism for Solana Validators
A couple of months after initial rumors, the Solana developer shop Anza proposed implementing slashing in the network. This method, common in proof-of-stake blockchains, would allow for punishing validators who slow down the network, introducing a risk for SOL stakers.
Solana validators propose and vote on blocks every 400 milliseconds. Currently, there is no mechanism to penalize leaders for errors or late votes, which can hinder consensus speed. The proposed slashing program would initially target duplicate blocks, with discussions on slashing economics still in progress. Anza’s Ashwin Sekar suggested burning slashed stakes and introduced a parabolic slashing curve: a 1% stake burn for a 5% violation, escalating to a 100% slash for a 33% violation. In contrast, Ethereum employs a linear slashing curve.
The proposal is at an early stage, with updates expected by late summer 2025 at the earliest. Initial feedback from Solana's technical community has been positive, emphasizing the critical nature of slashing to deter malicious behavior.
In Ethereum, slashing incidents are rare; less than 0.04% of active validators have faced penalties, indicating compliance among validators. However, enabling slashing on Solana could introduce risks for stakers whose rewards might decline if their delegated validator is penalized. This concern extends to restaking protocols, with warnings about potential "slashing cascade" risks affecting entities like EigenLayer.
Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Solana’s largest validator Helius, highlighted the importance of staking with trusted validators.