A time-frame based trust model for P2P systems

Abstract

Two major challenges regarding peer's trust valuation in P2P systems are how to cope with strategically altering behaviors and dishonest feedbacks of malicious peers efficiently. However, the trust models employed by the existing systems do not provide adequate support to coping with quick changes in peers' behavior and aggregating feedback information, then we present a time-frame based trust model. We incorporate time dimension using time-frame, which captures direct experiences and recommendations' time-sensitivity, we also introduce four trust parameters in computing trustworthiness of peers, namely, trust construction factor, trust destruction factor, supervision period factor and feedback credibility. Together, these parameters are adjusted in time using feedback control mechanism, thus, trust valuation can reflect the dynamics of the trust environment. Theoretical analysis and simulation show that, our trust model has advantages in modeling dynamic trust relationship and aggregating feedback information over the existing trust metrics. It is highly effective in countering malicious peers regarding strategic altering behavior and dishonest feedbacks of malicious peers. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.