Ramani Ramachandran Discusses Shared Security as the Future of Blockchain
Ramani Ramachandran from Router Protocol
As the cryptocurrency landscape becomes increasingly complex, with new blockchains, protocols, and higher security demands, Router Chain is emerging as a crucial platform enabling seamless connections.
Router Chain is a layer-1 blockchain solution using proof-of-stake (PoS) technology to connect blockchains. Built on Tendermint’s Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT), it’s compatible with Ethereum’s Virtual Machine (EVM) and other virtual machines, making it easier for various blockchains to communicate and work together securely.
Recently, Router Chain made a strategic move to bolster cross-chain security by partnering with Symbiotic , a permissionless shared security provider. This collaboration aims to build a safer, more interconnected, decentralized ecosystem with a new model for multi-chain ecosystems: shared security.
Router Chain, which currently secures around $30 million in assets, aims to scale this figure to between $500 million and $1 billion. This ambitious goal highlights the importance of its partnership with Symbiotic.
In an interview with CCN, Ramani Ramachandran, CEO of Router Protocol, shared insights on the evolving blockchain space and Router Protocol’s role in it. He underscored the essential need for interoperability and robust security to advance blockchain technology, emphasizing how Router Protocol uniquely unites networks to create a more cohesive and secure ecosystem.
Latency, Security, and Cost: Balancing the Trilemma
Router Protocol’s mission is “to increase Web3 adoption by solving existing problems in cross-blockchain communications, such as security, scalability, decentralization, and the lack of cross-chain decentralized applications (dApps).” Router Chain might be taking the right step in this direction.
Ramani Ramachandran considers one of the biggest challenges in building cross-chain interactions to “effectively address the diverse needs of various users, each with distinct priorities.”
He referred to the need to balance “the trilemma of latency, security, and cost. Different cross-chain applications and users place varying emphasis on these three factors.”
Ramachandran provided a few examples:
- Cross-chain governance leans heavily on security and cost efficiency, while latency is less critical.
- Business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions prioritize latency and cost, as users need fast and affordable transactions, knowing their tokens remain essentially secure during cross-chain transitions.
- Omnichain tokens, which can operate across multiple blockchain networks simultaneously, value security and latency highly, while cost is less of a concern. Thanks to interoperability protocols or bridging technologies, users can transfer, trade, or use them across different chains.
Ramami pointed out that “to address these diverse needs, Router developed a modular infrastructure that allows each user to find the right balance between latency, security, and cost.”
He also emphasized the importance of a specific Router Protocol tool: “The Asset Forwarder, which ensures fast and cost-efficient cross-chain transactions—ideal for B2C and high-frequency use cases.”
For users who prioritize security, he pointed out, the Additional Security Module (ASM) provides an extra layer of protection for secure cross-chain transactions.
Ramani also highlighted the Witness Chain’s Watchtower Network and Proof of Diligence, which use decentralized validation to monitor and verify cross-chain activities. These tools protect against potential losses from rollbacks—when a blockchain reverses recent transactions, which could lead to lost or duplicated funds.
Shared Security Models: Potential and Vulnerabilities
Shared security models in blockchain create a common layer of protection to reinforce security. While they offer benefits, they also introduce challenges, such as:
- Cross-chain hacks: Vulnerabilities in one chain can impact all connected chains.
- Complex governance: Managing shared resources across different chains can lead to conflicts.
- Validator collusion: Risk of validators colluding to manipulate transactions.
- Scalability constraints: Increased chains may burden the validator set, affecting performance.
- Limited decentralization: Some models may concentrate control, reducing true decentralization.
Ramachandran said that to address decentralization and risks of hacks or vulnerabilities, “Router Chain is implementing a robust shared security model through its partnership with Symbiotic, which leverages Ethereum’s established validator network to reinforce Router’s Cosmos-based chain.”
Router Protocol is “building security that’s not just reliant on one asset or system.”
He continued, “this approach inherently boosts decentralization by drawing on Ethereum’s broad validator base, allowing Router to secure its ecosystem with a well-distributed network and reduce single points of failure.”
“While we leverage restaked ETH from Symbiotic for enhanced protection, our security doesn’t stop there,” he said. Ramachandran explained that Router’s “current validator set of over 40 members—poised to expand further—strengthens this decentralization, dispersing risk across a larger network of validators and operators.”
“We’re also working to bring Bitcoin into the mix alongside our native token, ROUTE. With this, we’re decentralizing security across multiple digital asset types and validator nodes and creating a resilient, adaptive framework that can withstand potential vulnerabilities and support secure cross-chain interactions at scale,” he emphasized.
The Risks of Traditional Blockchain Security Models
Ramachandran highlighted some of the inherent weaknesses in traditional models. He explained how dependence on a chain’s native token could create security challenges, particularly for systems with PoS consensus mechanisms.
“In traditional blockchain security models, chains rely heavily on their native token to secure the network, tying the chain’s security directly to the token’s value and stability. This dependency poses significant risks: if the token’s market value drops, the chain’s security becomes vulnerable, potentially leaving it open to attacks”, he said.
“Additionally, for PoS chains, validators must stake significant amounts of the native token to ensure network integrity. This creates a barrier for smaller projects and leads to fragmented security across different chains”, he concluded.
Router Protocol presents a compelling model for the future of cross-chain interactions by leveraging key partnerships and a diverse validator network. Ramachandran has highlighted Router Protocol’s strategic direction with Symbiotic, which will allow access to a robust security model that needs to operate at the highest level and continue to provide cross-chain security. The question is open: Could Router Protocol’s approach shape the future of blockchain interoperability and security?
