A Comprehensive Review of Deanonymization Attacks on the Tor Network: From Classical Models to AI-Driven Threats

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-707-1_17How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Tor; deanonymization; traffic analysis; anonymity networks; AI-based attacks

Abstract

The Tor network is one of the most widely used systems for enabling anonymous communication on the Internet. Despite its importance, its anonymity guarantees have been repeatedly challenged by a wide range of deanonymization attacks. This paper presents a comprehensive review of deanonymization attacks on the Tor network from 2010 to 2024, tracing their evolution from classical correlation and traffic analysis techniques to modern artificial intelligence–driven and routing-aware threats. The study categorizes attacks based on their operational scope, targeted architectural components, and adversarial capabilities, covering relay-based, side-channel, protocol-level, and real-world deanonymization methods. In addition to analyzing attacks, this paper reviews datasets, evaluation metrics, and defense mechanisms proposed in the literature, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities and emerging research challenges. Finally, the paper identifies open research directions and emphasizes the growing need for robust, adaptive defenses in the face of increasingly sophisticated adversaries.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Deo Pathak
AU  - Aashka Raval
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/18
TI  - A Comprehensive Review of Deanonymization Attacks on the Tor Network: From Classical Models to AI-Driven Threats
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Advances in Intelligent and Sustainable Technologies (RAIST 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 195
EP  - 210
SN  - 2589-4919
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-707-1_17
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-707-1_17
ID  - Pathak2026
ER  -