A concrete example
Conflicting validator signatures can be slashable; merely missing a duty is a different situation.
In context
Slashing penalises specified consensus offences such as conflicting signatures. Ordinary downtime generally incurs different penalties; it is not synonymous with slashing. Insufficient participation can delay finality even if some blocks continue to be produced. Reusing validator signing keys on two active machines can create dangerous conflicting behaviour.
Explore the full explanation
Ethereum
Ethereum proof of stake and slashing
Validators commit ETH and participate in proposing blocks and attesting to the chain.
Intermediate3 min reading + workshop ↗