Ethereum

Arbitrum

Manta Network

Optimism

Bartek Kiepuszewski, the co-founder of L2Beat, a portal for tracking Ethereum layer-2 activities, is concerned about the security and consistency of existing off-chain scaling solutions, suggesting that without fraud-proofs, there is room for fraud and irregularities. 
<h2 id="focus-on-optimism-and-manta-what-s-going-on">Focus On Optimism And Manta: What’s Going On?</h2> 
Taking to X on December 20, Kiepuszewski&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://twitter.com/bkiepuszewski/status/1737422769338421519" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">observed</a> that some layer-2 solutions, such as Manta and Optimism, rely on sequencers to post data to Ethereum. However, without fraud-proofs, there is no way to verify that the data published by the Sequencer on the Ethereum mainnet is accurate or complete.&nbsp; 
In the co-founder’s view, whenever a sequencer posts the batch of transactions on the main net, there is no layer-1 state or event change. Per Kiepuszewski ‘s assessment, this is a worrying challenge that should be addressed to ensure whatever is posted is valid.&nbsp; 
As an illustration, the co-founder cited recent transactions posted by Optimism and MantaNetwork, two popular layer-2 scaling solutions for Ethereum. Kiepuszewski analyzed that Optimism recently sent a full “data blob” containing all layer-2 transactions.&nbsp; 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-270529" src="https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot98.png?resize=1024%2C494" alt="&quot;Data blob&quot; from Optimism Sequencer | Source: Etherscan" width="1024" height="494" srcset="https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot98.png?resize=1024%2C494?w=1232 1232w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot98.png?resize=1024%2C494?w=640 640w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot98.png?resize=1024%2C494?w=768 768w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot98.png?resize=1024%2C494?w=980 980w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot98.png?resize=1024%2C494?w=750 750w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot98.png?resize=1024%2C494?w=1140 1140w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1"> 
On the other hand, it was noted that <a href="https://bitcoinist.com/polkadot-privacy-layer-raises-5-5-million-aims-for-parachain-slot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">MantaNetwork</a> reportedly posted the “root hash of a data blob” to CelestiaOrg. The problem, the co-founder went on to add, is that despite these operations, Ethereum couldn’t determine whether their hashes were valid or not. 
The co-founder argues that this could be a recipe for trouble since the lack of transparency on Sequencer’s operations presents a major concern, especially for users tracking the mainnet but not operating their layer-2 nodes.&nbsp; 
<h2 id="ethereum-layer-2s-command-billions-without-functional-fraud-proof-systems">Ethereum Layer-2s Command Billions Without Functional Fraud-Proof Systems</h2> 
Technically, in the current state, Sequencers play a vital role in ensuring that transactions submitted by users of any layer-2 scaling platform like Optimism or Arbitrum are processed and confirmed to be valid before they are transmitted to the Ethereum mainnet.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.tradingview.com/x/xDyiag3P/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full" src="https://www.tradingview.com/x/xDyiag3P/" alt="Arbitrum price trending upward on the daily chart | Source: ARBUSDT on Binance, TradingView" width="1147" height="848"></a> 
However, while Ethereum layer-2 scaling solutions currently manage over $15 billion, based on L2Beat data, without public fraud-proofs, what sequencers publish on the mainnet becomes unclear. 
According to L2Beat&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://l2beat.com/scaling/summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">data</a>, Manta Network has turned off its fraud-proof while still being developed on Optimism. At the same time, Arbitrum ‘s fraud-proof system is still not permissionless since validators must be whitelisted.&nbsp; 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-270528" src="https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot97.png?resize=1024%2C522" alt="Ethereum layer-s lack fool-proof systems | Source: L2Beat" width="1024" height="522" srcset="https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot97.png?resize=1024%2C522?w=1174 1174w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot97.png?resize=1024%2C522?w=640 640w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot97.png?resize=1024%2C522?w=768 768w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot97.png?resize=1024%2C522?w=980 980w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot97.png?resize=1024%2C522?w=750 750w, https://bitcoinist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot97.png?resize=1024%2C522?w=1140 1140w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1"> 
In all, in most leading layer-2 protocols managing millions in total value locked (TVL), there is no public system to monitor sequencers and whether they are submitting valid details to the mainnet.

Are Ethereum Layer-2s The Next Fraud Paradise? This Co-Founder Asks Hard Questions

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