@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ This allows the LN to rely on the HTLC mechanism for the atomicity of multi-hop
We also assume a degree of connectivity in the network, namely, that Lightning channels form a connected graph (therefore, it is possible to find a path from any sender to any receiver) and that network messages get propagated within certain timeouts.
Here are some possible models of adversaries in the Lightning Network.
A regular "honest-but-curious" forwarding node can observe payment amounts, the immediately preceding and following nodes, the graph of announced channels with their capacities.
A regular "honest-but-curious" forwarding node can observe payment amounts, the immediately preceding and following nodes and the graph of announced channels with their capacities.
A very well-connected node can do the same but to a larger extent.
For example, consider the developers of a popular wallet who maintain a node that their users connect to by default.
This node would be responsible for routing a large share of payments to and from the users of that wallet.
@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ First, we are not necessarily talking about names and addresses.
Discovering someone's IP address or telephone number may also be considered deanonymization.
A piece of information that allows linking a user's action to their previous actions is referred to as _identity_.
Second, deanonymization is not binary.
A user is not either fully anonymous or completely deanonymized.
A user is neither fully anonymous nor completely deanonymized.
Instead, privacy research looks at anonymity compared to the _anonymity set_.
The anonymity set is a central notion in privacy research.
@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ A Bitcoin user can easily switch nodes used to receive blockchain data and broad
A Lightning user, on the contrary, sends and receives payments through the nodes they have opened channels with.
Moreover, the Lightning protocol assumes that routing nodes announce their IP address in addition to their node ID.
This creates a permanent link between node IDs and IP addresses, which may be dangerous, considering that an IP address is often an intermediary step in anonymity attacks linked to the user's physical location and, in most cases, real-world identity.
It is possible to use Lightning over Tor, but many nodes do not use this functionality.
It is possible to use Lightning over Tor, but many nodes https://1ml.com/statistics[do not use] this functionality.
A Lightning user, when sending a payment, has its neighbors in its anonymity set.
Specifically, a routing node only knows the immediately preceding and following nodes.
seresistvanandras
4 years ago