What is a Sybil?

A Sybil is a fake or fraudulent identity created by a malicious actor to manipulate a network or system. In blockchain and decentralized networks, Sybil attacks can undermine the integrity of voting systems, consensus mechanisms, and reputation-based systems.

How does a Sybil attack work?

In a Sybil attack, an attacker generates numerous fake accounts to gain disproportionate control or influence within a system. These fake identities can be used to:

• Manipulate voting outcomes

• Distort reputation scores

• Drain resources from reward systems

Why is Sybil resistance important for Human Passport?

Human Passport is designed to verify the legitimacy of users, ensuring they are unique individuals. This helps to maintain trust within the ecosystem, particularly in mechanisms like funding distribution or voting, where fair participation is crucial. Without Sybil resistance, attackers could create multiple accounts to exploit the system for financial gain or influence.

How does Human Passport prevent Sybil attacks?

Human Passport uses a multi-layered approach to prevent Sybil attacks, including:

• Aggregate, Stamp-based verification using biometrics, KYC, trust networks, and activities on web3 and web2.

• Supervised Machine Learning Models evaluating transaction history and comparing them against proprietary lists of verified Sybils and humans.

What are the consequences of Sybil attacks in web3 projects?

In web3 and decentralized applications, Sybil attacks can severely distort the fairness of systems, including:

• Misallocating funds in grant programs.

• Distorting governance and voting systems.

• Undermining trust and reputation-based protocols.

How can users protect themselves from Sybil attacks?

Users can protect themselves by engaging with systems that prioritize identity verification and reputation. Using tools like Human Passport ensures you're interacting with a network that actively mitigates the risk of Sybil attacks.

Why is Sybil resistance challenging?

Ensuring Sybil resistance can be challenging because attackers continually innovate ways to bypass verification. Balancing privacy, ease of use, and robust identity verification is a complex challenge, which is why Human Passport employs multiple verification strategies and actively evolves over time to stay ahead of threats.