Dusting Attack

A dusting attack sends tiny amounts of crypto ("dust") to thousands of wallets, then watches where the dust moves — linking addresses together and deanonym

A dusting attack sends tiny amounts of crypto (“dust”) to thousands of wallets, then watches where the dust moves — linking addresses together and deanonymizing holders for later phishing or extortion. The amounts are too small to matter financially; the surveillance is the point.

Why it matters

Receiving random tokens you never asked for is a red flag, not a gift — don’t interact with unknown tokens or the sites they advertise. Dusting is a reminder that blockchains are public: privacy comes from your habits (fresh addresses, no doxxing), never from the protocol hiding you by default.

Related terms

phishing · address ·
wallet

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