OP_Return transactions: an opportunity for forensic analysis
Abstract
The introduction of the instruction OP_RETURN in Bitcoin made it possible to insert data of any format into transactions. This paper analyzes the instruction content in transactions carried out between 2014 and 2019 and seeks to compare such content with the profile of users responsible for the transactions. The results show that the majority of transactions using the instruction OP_RETURN were mapped with unknown protocols. Regarding the readable content present in such field, we found potential new protocols, URLs related to torrents, memes, and markings regarding events about Bitcoins.
Keywords:
Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Blockchain, Forensics, Electronic transactions
References
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Bartoletti, M., Bellomy, B., and Pompianu, L. (2019). A journey into bitcoin metadata. Journal of Grid Computing, 17(1):3–22.
Bartoletti, M. and Pompianu, L. (2017). An analysis of bitcoin op return metadata. In International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security, pages 218–230. Springer.
blockchain.com. Api blockchain. https://www.blockchain.com/api/blockchain_api.
coinsecrets.org. Api coinsecrets. http://api.coinsecrets.org.
Matzutt, R., Hiller, J., Henze, M., Ziegeldorf, J. H., Müllmann, D., Hohlfeld, O., and Wehrle, K. (2018). A quantitative analysis of the impact of arbitrary blockchain content on bitcoin. In International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security, pages 420–438. Springer.
Nakamoto, S. (2008). Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system. opreturn.org. opreturn site. https://opreturn.org/.
Sanchez, M. and Fisher, J. (2019). Proof-of-Proof: A Decentralized, Trustless, Transparent, and Scalable Means of Inheriting Proof-of-Work Security. White Paper, Veriblock.
Strehle, E. and Steinmetz, F. (2020). Dominating op returns: The impact of omni and veriblock on bitcoin. Blockchain Research Lab.
Tether Operations (2021). Tether. https://tether.to.
Published
2021-10-04
How to Cite
BULHÕES, Luis Benito Sanches; SENDIN, Ivan; MIANI, Rodrigo Sanches.
OP_Return transactions: an opportunity for forensic analysis. In: WORKSHOP ON SCIENTIFIC INITIATION AND UNDERGRADUATE WORKS - BRAZILIAN SYMPOSIUM ON CYBERSECURITY (SBSEG), 21. , 2021, Evento Online.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2021
.
p. 232-239.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbseg_estendido.2021.17355.
