Why slashing exists
Proof of Stake security depends on validators having "skin in the game." If there's no penalty for cheating, validators could double-sign blocks, validate fraudulent transactions, or sabotage the network without consequence.
Slashing solves this by making bad behavior financially painful. A slashed validator loses a portion of their staked capital — anywhere from a small percentage to their entire stake, depending on the severity.
What gets you slashed
On Ethereum
- Double proposing. Proposing two different blocks for the same slot. This is a clear attempt to fork the chain.
- Surround voting. Making attestations that contradict each other in a way that could enable attacks.
Note: simply going offline does NOT cause slashing on Ethereum. It causes inactivity penalties (gradually losing rewards and eventually some stake), but that's different from slashing.
On other chains
- Cosmos: Double signing and extended downtime. Slashing penalties range from 0.01% (downtime) to 5% (double signing).
- Solana: Currently doesn't have slashing for individual misbehavior, though there are proposals to add it.
- Polkadot: Validators are slashed for equivocation and unresponsiveness. The penalty scales with the number of simultaneously offending validators.
How much do you lose?
On Ethereum, the initial slashing penalty is 1/32 of the validator's effective balance (approximately 1 ETH for a 32 ETH validator). But there's a correlation penalty: if many validators are slashed in the same period, the penalty multiplies dramatically.
In the worst case (a coordinated attack where 1/3 of validators are slashed), each offender would lose their entire stake. This is by design — it makes large-scale attacks prohibitively expensive.
How it affects you as a staker
- Solo staking: You're directly responsible. Run reliable hardware, use anti-slashing software (like Vouch or Web3Signer), and never run the same validator keys on two machines simultaneously.
- Delegated staking (Cosmos, Polkadot): If your chosen validator is slashed, you lose proportionally. Choose validators carefully — look at uptime history, commission rates, and community reputation.
- Liquid staking (Lido, Rocket Pool): The protocol spreads your stake across many validators. If one is slashed, the impact is diluted across all stakers. This is one of liquid staking's key advantages.
- Restaking (EigenLayer): Additional slashing conditions from AVSs. Your capital can be slashed by Ethereum validators AND by AVS-specific conditions. More rewards, more risk.
Practical advice
- If you're delegating, research validator track records — has this validator been slashed before?
- Diversify across multiple validators if possible
- Understand that slashing insurance exists (some protocols offer it) but adds cost
- For restaking, carefully evaluate each AVS's slashing conditions before opting in
The learning path
Slashing is a risk factor that affects your staking returns. Before committing capital, make sure you understand the basics of crypto economics — how assets are priced, how risk and reward relate, how to evaluate opportunities. Korvex is designed to build that foundation through demo trading.