Sybil Attack - Reading Assignment

Bitcoin Attacks
#382

Sybil 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 identities and uses them to gain a disproportionately large influence

Sybil are anonymous create multiple identities of nodes and addresses. Once the attacker has access to funds, you can’t do anything about it. Important to change your PK and password to prevent attacks. Because if you change old password and not the private key. You still run the risk of being hacked.

#383

  1. To cheat the network by having many malicious entities in a peer to peer network who communicate invalid information

  2. When there are few nodes in the system and also when they communicate to the same nodes all the time

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#384

  1. What is the general idea of a sybil attack?
    Hacker creates a large number of false identities and presents them to the peer for acceptance.

  2. What deficiencies within a system (such as a cryptocurrency network) can allow a sybil attack to occur?
    depends on cheap identities being generated, the degree to which the reputation system accepts inputs from entities that do not have a chain of trust linking them to a trusted entity, and whether the reputation system treats all entities identically.

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#385
  1. A Sybil attack involves creating lots of fake identities to gain control in a system.

2.In a cryptocurrency network, these attacks happen when it’s easy to make fake accounts or when the system can’t tell real users from fake ones.

#386
  1. What is the general idea of a sybil attack?
    One person makes it look like they are legion and can therefore influence a particular network/outcome, to their will, instead of having a majority vote or debate.
  2. What deficiencies within a system (such as a cryptocurrency network) can allow a sybil attack to occur?
    cryptocurrencies network are peer to peer networks and therefore, if it is cheap to have multiple identities it will be cheap and easy to create multiple identities and control that network, perhaps getting mining rewards or routing funds as you please
#387

A Sybil attack aims to disrupt or discredit a per to peer network by same operator pretending to be a large number of operators.

  • Anonymity of participants.
  • Anyone with infrastructure and computing power can be a participant.
  • Relies on consensus which a sybil actor can influence with having multiple nodes
#388

  1. What is the general idea of a Sybil attack?

    A Sybil attack occurs when a single adversary creates multiple fake identities or nodes within a network to gain disproportionate influence. In the context of blockchain, this can involve overwhelming the network with these fake nodes, potentially isolating a legitimate node and feeding it false information. This manipulation can be used to disrupt the network, carry out double-spending attacks, or undermine consensus mechanisms.

  2. What deficiencies within a system (such as a cryptocurrency network) can allow a Sybil attack to occur?

    A Sybil attack can occur if identities within the system can be easily created if the system accepts inputs from entities without a trusted connection, and if the system treats all entities equally without distinguishing trusted from untrusted sources.