A dusting attack is an attack on a

cryptocurrency wallet A cryptocurrency wallet is a device, physical medium, program or a service which stores the public and/or private keys for cryptocurrency transactions. In addition to this basic function of storing the keys, a cryptocurrency wallet more often al ...

that sends tiny amounts of cryptocurrency (known as "dust") to that wallet in order to uncover the identity of the wallet's owner. Information can then be used to obstruct receiving legitimate payments or

phishing Phishing is a type of social engineering where an attacker sends a fraudulent (e.g., spoofed, fake, or otherwise deceptive) message designed to trick a person into revealing sensitive information to the attacker or to deploy malicious softwar ...

scams. Victims are sent a token to their wallet via an

airdrop An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible ...

. When the victim attempts to cash out the token, the sender is able to access the wallet through the

smart contract A smart contract is a computer program or a transaction protocol that is intended to automatically execute, control or document events and actions according to the terms of a contract or an agreement. The objectives of smart contracts are the re ...

attached to the token.

References

Cryptocurrencies {{crypto-stub