Author: Eric Voskuil 2017-03-07 18:44:07
Published on: 2017-03-07T18:44:07+00:00
A proposal has been made for an anonymous, opt-in, unique node identification mechanism to counter sybil attacks. The idea is for every node to have the opportunity to create a node 'address'/unique identifier in the form of a Bitcoin address. The node generates and backs up a private key, and the corresponding public key becomes its unique identifier. If the node switches to a new software version or IP, the identifier can remain constant if the operator chooses. This would add a small but useful piece of data when compiling lists of active nodes. Any register of active nodes can have a record of when an identifier was "first seen" and how many IPs the same identifier has broadcast from. The information would make it easy to identify patterns, allowing detection of sybil attacks and shifts between rival implementations. Nodes are by design not supposed to be identifiable in any way, including persisting identities across IP changes or when connecting over different networks. Bitcoin does not require node counts, and this proposal is redundant with BIP150.
Updated on: 2023-06-11T22:03:00.768611+00:00