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What is dusting?

Dust refers to a small amount of crypto, typically worth a few cents. When dusting, an person sends small amounts of crypto to multiple wallet addresses. The person's goal is usually one of the following:

  1. Mapping user behaviour: They track the movement of the dust in an attempt to link different wallet addresses to a single individual. By doing this, they aim to “deanonymise” users and identify individuals with large crypto holdings. Once identified, those users may become targets of phishing scams or even cyber-extortion.
  2. Phishing: On some blockchains, like Ethereum, messages can be attached to transactions. These messages may include malicious links designed for the target to click on. Clicking such a link can lead to malware installation.
  3. Transaction history “poisoning”: When dust is sent to a wallet, it becomes part of the transaction history. If a user later refers to their history and mistakenly copies the dusting address, they might unknowingly send funds to the wrong destination.

How can you avoid dusting?

Although it is not possible to prevent small amounts of tokens (“dust”) from being sent to your wallet, these deposits do not pose a direct threat to your assets. Blockrise proactively addresses and mitigates most of the risks associated with dusting activities.

Stay cautious with links in the blockchain explorer
Some dust transactions may be accompanied by messages containing phishing links, which are often visible through blockchain explorers when viewing the transaction details. Engaging with these links can result in the installation of malicious software or unauthorized access to your information. To safeguard your device and personal information, avoid clicking on any unsolicited or unfamiliar links in the Blockchain Explorer.

 

Conclusion

While dusting activities are generally not a major threat, it s still important to be cautious. By avoiding interaction with suspiciously small transactions you can effectively protect your assets and maintain your privacy on the blockchain.