Clover vs Dandelion++ | Network-Layer Privacy in Monero NOTE: SEE THIS IN MONEROKON IN JUNE 21 (06/21/2025)!
I've been reading about Clover and Dandelion++, two techniques aimed at improving privacy on the network layer specifically, hiding the origin IP of a transaction in systems like Monero.
Here’s a quick comparison and breakdown:
🌼 Dandelion++
How it works:
Uses a two-phase propagation system:
Stem phase: The transaction is passed through a few nodes in a linear, random path.
Fluff phase: It’s then broadcast normally (flooded).
Privacy benefits:
Helps hide the source IP by making it harder for attackers to pinpoint the origin based on initial propagation.
Works well against local or partial adversaries (those controlling a few nodes or monitoring part of the network).
Already implemented in Monero.
Limitations:
Vulnerable to global adversaries (e.g., an attacker that can monitor large parts of the internet).
Susceptible to timing analysis and some advanced correlation attacks.
🍀 Clover
How it works:
Proposes a more advanced, probabilistic routing system.
Introduces random delays, mixing, and adaptive path selection using buffers and stochastic rules.
Makes the traffic pattern statistically indistinguishable from honest noise.
Privacy benefits:
Much stronger protection against global passive adversaries.
Defends against timing attacks and traffic analysis far better than Dandelion++.
Higher entropy in transaction routing paths.
Limitations:
More complex to implement.
Likely introduces higher latency due to delays and buffering.
Not yet implemented in Monero—still a research prototype (see more in MoneroKon).
Conclusion: Dandelion++ is a practical and effective step forward for Monero’s network privacy, but Clover shows promise for the future, especially if we want to defend against more powerful, surveillance-level attackers. It’s a trade-off between deployment complexity and stronger anonymity guarantees.
That sounds very interesting to me. Presumably certain network participants already stand out from the crowd. These can be external factors or internal ones. For example, could the transaction propagation of devices with weak computing power already be identifiable as such? Or those of a particular internet provider?___