Cryptocurrency Address Probing for IP-Based User Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Identifying the owner of a cryptocurrency address of interest is challenging due to anonymized transaction details on blockchain networks, especially when external nodes are used, as communication between these nodes and services is typically encrypted, making it difficult to associate IP addresses with specific users.
Innovation Solution
A system performs probing transactions on cryptocurrency addresses of interest, monitoring communication traffic to identify IP addresses by correlating download times and sizes of encrypted packets, using machine-learned techniques to infer the IP address associated with the user, and subsequently using this IP address to identify the user through identifiers like IMSI or MSISDN.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If passive monitoring techniques are used to identify IP addresses, then user privacy is preserved, but identification accuracy deteriorates due to encrypted communication
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by initiating probing transactions before monitoring can occur. These transactions are designed to be downloaded by the target node, creating a known pattern of activity that can be correlated with monitored traffic. This preliminary action enables identification despite encrypted communication by establishing a reference point before the monitoring phase begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The probing transactions serve as an intermediary element between the monitoring system and the target user. Instead of directly analyzing encrypted traffic, the system uses these intermediate transactions as a bridge to correlate activity patterns. The intermediary transactions translate unobservable encrypted communication into observable download patterns that can be matched and identified.
2Measurement precision
If active probing transactions are performed, then identification accuracy improves, but system complexity increases due to transaction coordination
Solution Approach 1:
The identification process is segmented into distinct phases: transaction generation, traffic monitoring, pattern correlation, and identification. Each phase handles a specific aspect of the problem, reducing overall system complexity. The probing transactions are also segmented into multiple separate transactions rather than a single complex operation, making each individual transaction simpler to manage and analyze.
Solution Approach 2:
The probing transactions are designed to be self-identifying through their unique patterns. Each transaction contains characteristics that allow it to be automatically recognized in the monitored traffic without requiring complex manual analysis. The system uses the transactions' own properties (timing, size, pattern) to enable their identification, reducing the need for external coordination complexity.
3Reliability
If multiple probing transactions are performed, then reliability of identification improves, but time consumption increases due to multiple transactions
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic probing transactions spaced at regular or semi-regular intervals. This periodic action allows multiple transactions to be performed systematically, improving reliability through repetition while managing time consumption by avoiding excessive frequency. The periodic nature creates predictable patterns that are easier to correlate and analyze, reducing the time needed for each individual transaction processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs a limited number of probing transactions - enough to achieve reliable identification but not excessive. By using partial action (a small set of well-chosen transactions rather than continuous probing), the system achieves sufficient reliability without consuming excessive time. The transactions are designed to be minimally invasive while still providing adequate information for identification.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method in which one or more probing transactions are performed by transferring respective amounts of a cryptocurrency to one or more cryptocurrency addresses. The system then monitors and ascertains communications traffic exchanged with one or more IP addresses and that at least one of the probing transactions was downloaded to a particular IP address. The system then generates an output that can indicate an association between a cryptocurrency address of interest and the particular IP address.