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Everything about Sybil attack

Network service attack performed by multiple fake identities

A Sybil attack is a type of attack on a computer network service in which an attacker subverts the service's reputation system by creating a large number of pseudonymous identities and uses them to gain a disproportionately large influence. It is named after the subject of the book Sybil, a case study of a woman diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. The name was suggested in or before 2002 by Brian Zill at Microsoft Research. The term pseudospoofing had previously been coined by L. Detweiler on the Cypherpunks mailing list and used in the literature on peer-to-peer systems for the same class of attacks prior to 2002, but this term did not gain as much influence as "Sybil attack". Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Sybil attackA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Sybil in the Haystack: A Comprehensive Review of Blockchain Consensus Mechanisms in Search of Strong Sybil Attack ResistanceInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: American FilmThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Lightweight Sybil Attack Detection in MANETsCited 95 times
  5. Go sideways: Proof of personhoodA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: Proof of identity (blockchain consensus)A closely related topic

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🗂️ The subject at a glance

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🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

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