Meanings
plural Sybil attacks
- computer securityAn attack that subverts a reputation system by forging a large number of identities in peer-to-peer networks.First known use 2002
If the signal rate from the claimed identity and the actual node differs, it can be considered as a Sybil attack. The successful prevention of Sybil attack increases the stability of the network.
2022, Peter Augustine, Pethuru Raj, Sathyan Munirathinam, editors, Enterprise Digital Transformation: Technology, Tools, and Use Cases, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 180Synonyms: pseudospoofing
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn attack that subverts a reputation system by forging a large number of identities in peer-to-peer networks.
Origin
Named from Sybil, a book about a woman diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder; suggested by Brian Zill at Microsoft Research.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Sybil attack. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sybil%20attack
“Sybil attack.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sybil%20attack. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sybil attack,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sybil%20attack.
Source: Sybil attack on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.