Who are Sybil Airdrop Hunters
Sybil airdrop hunters refer to individuals or automated systems that exploit the concept of a Sybil attack to gain multiple identities in order to claim cryptocurrency airdrops. The term "Sybil" originates from the 1973 book "Sybil," where a woman was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, possessing multiple distinct identities. In the cryptocurrency space, this term has evolved to describe the practice of creating numerous wallets or accounts to maximize returns from airdrop distributions.
As cryptocurrency projects often distribute free tokens to promote their platforms, airdrop hunters take advantage of this by creating fake or multiple identities. This practice undermines the intent of airdrops, which is to reward genuine users and build a community around a project.
What are the types of Sybil Airdrop Hunters?
There are two distinct variations of Sybil airdrop hunters, namely:
Manual Sybil Hunters: These are individuals who manually create multiple wallets and accounts on various platforms. They may use different email addresses, phone numbers, and social media accounts to verify their identities.
Automated Sybil Hunters: These are bots or scripts designed to automate the process of creating multiple accounts and wallets. They can operate at scale, allowing users to claim airdrops from hundreds or thousands of identities within a short time frame.
How does Sybil Airdrop Hunting work?
Sybil airdrop hunting typically begins with the identification of a cryptocurrency project that plans to conduct an airdrop. Once the criteria for participation are published, hunters will create multiple wallets or accounts. This can involve using different devices, browsers, or even virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask their IP addresses.
To successfully participate, hunters often must meet specific requirements, such as holding a minimum amount of a particular token or engaging in specific activities on a platform. By fulfilling these criteria with numerous accounts, they can claim airdrops from each identity. The technical challenge lies in managing these identities without raising red flags, ensuring that the airdrop process appears legitimate.
Sybil Airdrop Hunting Examples
Example 1: During the 2021 Shiba Inu airdrop, it was estimated that over 400,000 unique wallets participated, with many being Sybil accounts, leading to inflated participation metrics.
Example 2: The Uniswap airdrop in September 2020 saw over 250,000 wallets claiming tokens, with reports indicating that up to 10% of these could be linked to Sybil behavior.
Example 3: In the recent Aptos airdrop, analysis revealed that approximately 15% of the claimed tokens were traced back to accounts with suspicious activity, indicating the presence of Sybil hunters exploiting the airdrop eligibility.
