• Bitcoin
• BitTorrent
• cybersecurity
• Lightning Network
• protocols

BitTorrent is a communication protocol designed for peer-to-peer file-sharing.
At its core lies a fundamental mechanism that enforces peers to behave correctly: the choking algorithm. However, studies have shown that this mechanism can be completely bypassed by selfish peers. In this work we try to solve this issue by replacing the choking algorithm with a financial incentive.
We modify the BitTorrent protocol to allow clients to make use of Bitcoin’s Lighting Network, allowing for secure off-chain microtransaction. Moreover, we analyse the weaknesses of the modified protocol, implement the discovered attacks to evaluate their impact, and propose effective mitigations. Finally, we investigate the cost a peer would incur to use the Lightning Network extension, and show that costs can be considered acceptable.