Systems like Tor, MorphMix and I2P employ Chaumian mixnets to provide anonymity of communication. Mixes are either cascaded or used in a free-route P2P-like topology, and different cryptographic schemes are used to provide different anonymity properties. The degree of anonymity provided depends on the usage and adversary models, and on the architectural decisions that are made in such systems. Measuring this degree is non-trivial, but several attempts have been made. This lecture aims to provide an in-depth overview of systems that provide anonymity of communication, and to discuss what anonymity they (don't) provide.

Matthijs Koot is a PhD-student at the System and Network Engineering group at the University of Amsterdam. His primary research interest is the applicability of privacy-enhanced overlay networks to grid computing. His secondary interests include intrusion detection systems, and security, privacy and trust technology in general.

Last modified: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:13:44 +0100