SYBIL ATTACK!
"ONE PERSON WITH MANY SHADOWS"
You may probably remember, or perhaps you’ve heard about some projects like LayerZero, ZkSync, StarkNet, OverProtocol e.t.c that performed Sybil filtering (Sybil detection) before airdrop claiming.
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So what exactly is a SYBIL ATTACK?
A Sybil attack is a type of security threat in an online system where a single person attempts to take over a network by creating multiple accounts, nodes, or computers.
We can simply view it like this; “One person creating many social media accounts.” OR, “one person creating multiple fake identities, such as (many crypto wallets) to exploit rewards meant for users who followed the proper process.”
In the world of cryptocurrencies, a clear example is where one person runs multiple nodes within a blockchain network.
WHAT PROBLEMS CAN SYBIL ATTACK CAUSE?
Attackers may be able to dominate (or outnumber real nodes) in a network if they create many fake identities (or Sybil identities). They can then refuse to receive or transmit blocks, which can prevent other users from accessing the network.
In cases where a Sybil attack becomes very large-scale, and attackers gain control of the majority of the network’s computing power or hash rate, they can carry out a 51% attack. In such a situation, they can alter or manipulate the ordering of transactions and prevent transactions from being confirmed by honest nodes.
They can even reverse transactions they made while in control, which can lead to double spending.
Over time, computer scientists have spent significant effort researching ways to detect and prevent Sybil attacks, but there is still no 100% guaranteed protection against them.
HOW DO BLOCKCHAINS MITIGATE SYBIL ATTACKS?
Most blockchains use different types of consensus algorithms to protect themselves against Sybil attacks, such as Proof of Work, Proof of Stake, and Delegated Proof of Stake.
These methods do not directly prevent Sybil attacks, but they make it extremely difficult or ineffective for attackers to successfully carry them out.
For example:
The Bitcoin blockchain uses specific rules (consensus) for creating new blocks.
One of those rules is:
“The ability to create a block must be proportional to the processing power of the Proof of Work.” This means a node must actually possess the computing power (the power needed to solve the mathematical problems required to create a block), making it very difficult and costly for an attacker.
Because Bitcoin mining is highly difficult, and miners are rewarded with incentives (reward)for their work, they are encouraged to act honestly rather than attempt a Sybil attack.
Besides Sybil attacks, there are other types of attacks that commonly occur.
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