Distributed Inference with Byzantine Data [State-of-the-art review on data falsification attacks]

In 1982, Lamport et al. presented the so-called Byzantine generals problem as follows [1]: a group of generals of the Byzantine army camped with their troops around an enemy city. Communicating only by messenger, the generals must agree upon a common battle plan. However, one or more of them may be traitors who will try to confuse the others. The problem is to find an algorithm to ensure that the loyal generals will reach agreement. The authors gave a sharp characterization of the power of the Byzantine generals. It was shown that if the fraction of Byzantine generals is less than 1/3, there is a way for the loyal generals to reach a consensus agreement, regardless of what the Byzantine generals do. If the fraction is above 1/3, consensus can no longer be guaranteed.