The Crypto world is known for the freedom it offers with its decentralized nature, but it does still have some gatekeepers in the form of miners (in Proof of Work) and validators (in Proof of Stake). These are the people responsible for verifying transactions and bundling them into blocks to maintain the ledger’s integrity. Given their integral role in the ecosystem, processing every transaction, it’s no surprise that people wonder if they can simply reach into your wallet and steal your funds.

To answer this quickly, no, they cannot just access your accounts and steal your funds, and this article will explain the technical nuances that prevent this. 

The Shield of Cryptography

The number one reason Miners or Validators can’t access your funds directly is the encryption on the blockchain that separates network consensus and private ownership and ensures that only the user with the corresponding private key can move funds from a wallet. Miners and Validators only have access to the public signature of the network consensus. 

The Threat of a $51\%$ Attack

Never say never. While miners and validators can’t directly steal your funds, it’s possible for a malicious majority (controlling more than $51\%$ of the network’s hash power or staked tokens) to perform a “double-spend” attack. This kind of attack enables a miner to essentially fake sending you funds in exchange for goods or services or another token and use their superior computing power to secretly build a longer chain that excludes that transaction. 

Transaction Censorship

Another way validators can control your funds is by censoring you, basically, colluding to blacklist your wallet address and refuse to confirm any fund movement involving your account. This doesn’t involve directly taking your funds, but it essentially prevents you from using them.

Economic Deterrents: Game Theory and Slashing

Blockchains also use economic mechanisms to secure private wallets. It does this by requiring validators to lock up “collateral,” and if they attempt to propose invalid blocks or engage in malicious behavior, the protocol employs a mechanism called slashing, where a portion of their staked funds is permanently destroyed.

Disclaimer: BFM Times acts as a source of information for knowledge purposes and does not claim to be a financial advisor. Kindly consult your financial advisor before investing.