Weak Subjectivity
Weak subjectivity is a property of Proof of Stake systems where a new node needs a trusted source to determine the correct chain history. Unlike Proof of Work, where the longest chain is objectively the most secure, Proof of Stake requires knowledge of the validator set at a specific time.
If a node has been offline for a long period, it cannot independently verify the chain because it lacks the necessary information about who held the stake. This creates a vulnerability where a node could be fed a fake chain by an attacker if they do not have a reliable way to get the current state.
This reliance on external information is a major hurdle for truly trustless blockchain synchronization. It requires protocols to provide secure, out-of-band checkpoints to ensure nodes can safely rejoin the network.