Title
Metrics for Security and Performance in Low-Latency Anonymity Systems
Abstract
In this paper we explore the tradeoffs between security and performance in anonymity networks such as Tor. Using probability of path compromise as a measure of security, we explore the behaviour of various path selection algorithms with a Tor path simulator. We demonstrate that assumptions about the relative expense of IP addresses and cheapness of bandwidth break down if attackers are allowed to purchase access to botnets, giving plentiful IP addresses, but each with relatively poor symmetric bandwidth. We further propose that the expected latency of data sent through a network is a useful performance metric, show how it may be calculated, and demonstrate the counter-intuitive result that Tor's current path selection scheme, designed for performance, both performs well and is good for anonymity in the presence of a botnet-based adversary.
Year
DOI
Venue
2008
10.1007/978-3-540-70630-4_8
Privacy Enhancing Technologies
Keywords
Field
DocType
path compromise,plentiful ip address,useful performance metric,tor path simulator,ip address,current path selection scheme,botnet-based adversary,low-latency anonymity systems,anonymity network,poor symmetric bandwidth,various path selection algorithm,low latency
Internet privacy,Latency (engineering),Botnet,Threat model,Computer science,Computer security,Performance metric,Bandwidth (signal processing),Latency (engineering),Adversary,Anonymity,Distributed computing
Conference
Volume
ISSN
Citations 
5134
0302-9743
32
PageRank 
References 
Authors
1.34
10
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Steven J. Murdoch180657.90
Robert N. Watson2321.34