A node signs availability confirmations before verifying the data it is attesting to
- Severity
- High
- Class
- Protocol logic
- System
- Decentralised storage node
A storage node vouches that data is stored and retrievable without checking it first, so its signature can attest to data it never validated.
A storage node's signature on an availability confirmation is a promise: this data is here and correct. That promise only holds if the node verifies the data before signing. This node signed first and verified later, or not at all for the purpose that mattered.
A signature issued before verification can be made to vouch for data that wouldn't have passed the check.
Why it rated High
It breaks the trust the whole storage guarantee is built on — a signed confirmation stops meaning "verified".
The fix class
Verify the data fully, then sign — never the other way round.
