Sybil Attack

Definition

A Sybil attack involves creating many fake identities to gain disproportionate network influence. Named after a case study of multiple personalities, Sybil attacks exploit systems that weight influence by identity count rather than economic stake or computational work.

Technical Explanation

Sybil resistance mechanisms: Proof of Work (computational cost per identity), Proof of Stake (economic cost per identity), identity verification, and reputation systems. Without Sybil resistance, attackers can cheaply create unlimited identities.

Blockchain Sybil resistance: PoW requires hashpower, PoS requires stake—both create real costs per "vote." Quantum considerations: if key generation is cheap but stake is required, Sybil protection remains. Post-quantum doesn't change Sybil fundamentals.

SynX Relevance

SynX's Proof of Stake requires real economic stake for consensus participation—creating fake identities doesn't grant voting power. Quantum computers might generate keys cheaply, but without stake, those keys have no influence. Economic Sybil resistance remains intact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can quantum computers enable Sybil attacks?: No—generating many keys doesn't provide stake. Economic requirements prevent Sybil regardless of key generation speed.
How does PoS prevent Sybil attacks?: Influence proportional to stake, not identity count. Splitting stake across identities provides no advantage.
Are there other Sybil vectors?: Peer networking has Sybil concerns. Node diversity and eclipse attack prevention address this separately.

Economically Sybil-resistant. Stake-based security with SynX