Communication with Adversarial Users: Byzantine Models in Multi-User Information Theory

Abstract

We consider communication systems operating in environments where some participating users cannot be trusted. This motivates the study of Byzantine communication models, in which users may behave adversarially. In this survey, we provide a unified information-theoretic perspective on communication with adversarial users in multi-user settings. We review recent advances in Byzantine multiple access channels, including reliable communication, adversary identification, and distributed function computation. Furthermore, we discuss extensions to classical-quantum channels and highlight fundamental differences between classical and quantum models. Finally, we outline key open problems and future research directions at the intersection of communication, computation, and security.