# Attack Track FB: Multi-Federation Cascade Attacks

**Track ID**: FB (58th track)
**Attack Numbers**: 263-268
**Added**: 2026-02-08
**Focus**: Second-order cascade effects in multi-federation networks

## Overview

While Track EN covers individual cross-ledger consistency attacks (desync, partition, replay), Track FB explores **second-order cascade effects** - how desynchronization propagates through networks of federations and amplifies into systemic failures.

The key insight: A single federation desync might be contained, but when multiple federations are interconnected, desync can _cascade_ through the network in non-linear ways.

## Gap Analysis

Existing coverage:
- **Track EN (Cross-Ledger Consistency)**: Individual desync, partition, replay attacks
- **Track EZ (Economic Cascades)**: Liquidity, ATP, reputation cascades
- **Track EE (Emergent Dynamics)**: Complexity bombs, phase transitions

Gap identified:
- No coverage of **multi-federation topology attacks** where cascades exploit network structure
- No modeling of **cascade amplification factors** (how N federations cause N² effects)
- No analysis of **cascade dampening failure modes**

## Attack Vectors

### FB-1a: Cascade Amplification Attack

**Target**: Federation network topology

**Mechanism**: Exploit the fact that connected federations share state through witnesses. A desync in one federation creates inconsistent witnesses that propagate to connected federations, which then propagate to their connections.

**Attack Pattern**:
1. Identify federation with maximum connectivity (hub)
2. Inject subtle desync (below detection threshold)
3. Wait for desync to propagate through witnesses
4. Desync amplifies as each federation adds noise
5. Eventually, cascade reaches detection threshold everywhere simultaneously

**Defense Requirements**:
- Witness source diversity metrics
- Cross-federation consistency checksums
- Cascade depth limiting
- Hub federation enhanced monitoring

### FB-1b: Topology Exploitation Attack

**Target**: Network structure vulnerabilities

**Mechanism**: Identify critical path federations where desync would create maximum cascade damage.

**Attack Pattern**:
1. Map federation topology (which federations share witnesses)
2. Calculate cascade impact scores per federation
3. Target federations on critical paths
4. Single desync creates multi-path cascades

**Defense Requirements**:
- Topology resilience analysis
- Redundant trust paths
- Critical federation identification
- Dynamic path rerouting

### FB-2a: Synchronized Multi-Partition Attack

**Target**: Global federation state

**Mechanism**: Create coordinated partitions across multiple federations simultaneously, exploiting recovery mechanisms that assume single-partition scenarios.

**Attack Pattern**:
1. Position entities in multiple federations
2. Trigger coordinated partitions at same timestamp
3. Each federation enters recovery mode independently
4. Recovery attempts conflict across federation boundaries
5. "Healing" creates new inconsistencies

**Defense Requirements**:
- Cross-federation partition detection
- Coordinated recovery protocols
- Atomic multi-federation operations
- Recovery sequence ordering

### FB-2b: Recovery Oscillation Attack

**Target**: Reconciliation mechanisms

**Mechanism**: Trigger cascading recoveries that oscillate rather than converge.

**Attack Pattern**:
1. Create subtle state divergence between federations A and B
2. A detects divergence, initiates recovery
3. Recovery causes B to detect divergence
4. B initiates recovery, which affects A
5. Oscillation continues indefinitely

**Defense Requirements**:
- Oscillation detection
- Recovery dampening
- Global coordinator election
- Convergence proofs

### FB-3a: Trust Cascade Weaponization

**Target**: Trust propagation mechanisms

**Mechanism**: Exploit how trust updates cascade through federation network.

**Attack Pattern**:
1. Build high trust in Federation A
2. Create delegated identity in Federation B through A
3. Trigger trust penalty in A
4. Trust penalty cascades to B through delegation chain
5. B entities lose trust they never earned

**Defense Requirements**:
- Trust cascade isolation
- Delegation chain limits
- Cascade impact limits
- Trust update atomicity

### FB-3b: Economic-Trust Cascade Spiral

**Target**: ATP-Trust feedback loops

**Mechanism**: Exploit the relationship between ATP balance and trust scores to create self-reinforcing cascades.

**Attack Pattern**:
1. Identify federations with ATP-based trust thresholds
2. Drain ATP in one federation (causes trust drop)
3. Trust drop restricts ATP earning (causes more trust drop)
4. Cascade to connected federations through shared entities
5. Spiral until circuit breakers activate

**Defense Requirements**:
- ATP-trust decoupling during crises
- Cross-federation circuit breakers
- Cascade rate limiting
- Emergency ATP injection protocols

## Attack Economics

| Attack | Setup Cost (ATP) | Potential Gain (ATP) | Detection Probability | Cascade Depth |
|--------|-----------------|---------------------|----------------------|---------------|
| FB-1a | 15,000 | 500,000 | 0.45 | 3-5 hops |
| FB-1b | 8,000 | 300,000 | 0.55 | 2-4 hops |
| FB-2a | 25,000 | 750,000 | 0.35 | All connected |
| FB-2b | 12,000 | 200,000 | 0.60 | Unbounded |
| FB-3a | 18,000 | 400,000 | 0.50 | Delegation chain |
| FB-3b | 30,000 | 1,000,000 | 0.40 | Economic graph |

## Defense Architecture

### Layer 1: Cascade Detection
- Anomaly detection across federation pairs
- Witness consistency monitoring
- Global state checksums

### Layer 2: Cascade Dampening
- Rate limiting cross-federation updates
- Confidence decay for distant information
- Update coalescing

### Layer 3: Topology Resilience
- Minimum path redundancy requirements
- Critical federation identification
- Dynamic trust rerouting

### Layer 4: Recovery Coordination
- Global recovery coordinator election
- Atomic multi-federation transactions
- Convergence verification

### Layer 5: Circuit Breakers
- Per-federation cascade limits
- Economic-trust decoupling
- Emergency isolation protocols

## Research Questions

1. **Cascade Amplification Bounds**: What is the theoretical maximum amplification factor for N federations?

2. **Topology Vulnerability Metrics**: How do we measure federation network resilience?

3. **Recovery Protocol Correctness**: Under what conditions do recovery protocols converge?

4. **Economic-Trust Decoupling**: When should ATP and trust be treated independently?

5. **Witness Diversity vs Cascade Risk**: Does more witness sharing increase or decrease cascade risk?

## Implementation Notes

All six attacks should:
1. Create multi-federation test topology (5+ federations)
2. Inject controlled desync/partition
3. Measure cascade propagation
4. Verify defense activation
5. Track cascade depth and impact

Use existing modules:
- `multi_federation.py` - Federation registry
- `federation_health.py` - Health monitoring
- `partition_resilience.py` - Partition handling
- `cross_federation_audit.py` - Cross-audit

## Related Tracks

- **Track EN**: Foundation for cross-ledger attacks
- **Track EZ**: Economic cascade mechanics
- **Track EE**: Emergent system dynamics
- **Track CL**: Cascading federation failure (single point)
- **Track EY**: Temporal coordination (clock-based cascades)

## Session History

- **2026-02-08**: Track FB formalized, 6 attack vectors defined
