Jacques Bou Abdo

Siddique Abubakr Muntaka, Jacques Bou Abdo

The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is a peer-to-peer anonymous overlay network whose architecture includes a structurally distinct sublayer not characterized in existing security literature. We term this sublayer the Exclusive Network: nodes here host operational services and draw on I2P's routing resources, but publish no RouterInfo record to the network's distributed database (NetDB). In a controlled three-node testbed, we demonstrate that an Exclusive Network node survives sequential floodfill queries from a pool of routers with zero NetDB hits, while its hosted service remains continuously accessible to authorized peers. This property is exploitable by documented I2P-based malware, for example, I2PRAT (RATatouille), for persistent command-and-control operations against national assets or corporate networks. The structure is analogous to nation-state Operational Relay Box (ORB) infrastructure. The existence of this sublayer, together with the inability of top-down empirical mapping to characterize it, motivates a move toward formal analytical methods to understand the emergence and behavior of covert networks within I2P.

Siddique Abubakr Muntaka, Jess Kropczynski, Jacques Bou Abdo et al.

The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) routes data via encrypted, decentralized tunnels. Peer selection can significantly affect security and performance. This empirical study examines whether geographic location systematically influences I2P's routing topology. Consistent with I2P's design principles, which include avoiding multiple peers from the same /16 IP subnet to maximize anonymity, we conducted assortativity analysis, community detection, and permutation testing on data from 327 routers and 254 connections (SWARM-I2P). We found a network-level absence of significant geographic homophily. The assortativity coefficient was r = 0.017 (p = 0.222). Same-country connections (11.1%) are statistically near random expectation (10.91%). Community detection found 110 highly modular groups (Q = 0.972) only moderately aligned geographically (NMI = 0.521). We conclude that aggregate peer selection in I2P leads to a highly heterogeneous, random geographical mixing, providing a foundation for understanding the performance-anonymity tradeoff.

Aos Mulahuwaish, Basheer Qolomany, Kevin Gyorick et al.

In today's digital era, the Internet, especially social media platforms, plays a significant role in shaping public opinions, attitudes, and beliefs. Unfortunately, the credibility of scientific information sources is often undermined by the spread of misinformation through various means, including technology-driven tools like bots, cyborgs, trolls, sock-puppets, and deep fakes. This manipulation of public discourse serves antagonistic business agendas and compromises civil society. In response to this challenge, a new scientific discipline has emerged: social cybersecurity.