Dust Attack

[vvic]

I've been getting tons of dust transactions to my wallet, 0.00000546BTC every month or so.  I'm trying to understand the whole reason for these attacks. So, they trying to deanon wallet users and then what? Unless federales doing that how it benefits non govt entity? Either way I don't want to take any chances. I'm using bitcoin core wallet is there a way to mark these coins as bad? Or tell the wallet do not spend?

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[LoyceV]

There has been a mixer that used dust transactions to advertise their service. If that's the case, a block explorer will probably give a hint if you look at the sending address.
It could indeed also be used for tracking, but only if you don't pay attention and let your wallet choose which inputs to use.

I'm using bitcoin core wallet is there a way to mark these coins as bad? Or tell the wallet do not spend?

You can do this:
Click Settings > Options > Wallet > Enable coin control features.
Then, click Send > Inputs > right mouse button on a dust transaction > Lock unspent.

Or (after enabling coin control features):
When you send a transactions, click Inputs and manually choose what to use (I always do this).

When fees are low, you could send the dust to a burner address (one at a time, each to a different address), or you could even consolidate the dust and your real inputs as long as the fees are lower than the dust is worth. Make sure to only use the dust input and your real input from one address at a time, so you don't link different addresses together (which would reduce your privacy).

[bitmover]

I don't see that as a real issue , unless you are trying not to be tracked and are paranoid about privacy.

Consolidating that dust is a nice way to earn a few Satoshi from that attack, as pointed out by loycev.

[Lucius]

I've been getting tons of dust transactions to my wallet, 0.00000546BTC every month or so.

Is that dust transactions come from this address? : 1ViViGLEawN27xRzGrEhhYPQrZiTKvKLo

If that is the case I explain all few months ago, so you can follow advice you get in this thread, or maybe write to this company and ask them to stop sending free donations to your address.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5103542.0

[DaCryptoRaccoon]

I have been seeing a lot of this happen very small inputs being sent to wallets with very high or long term static balances at first I thought it was someone trying to calculate values for some form of attack as there are multiple small inputs being sent then I thought about it as a way to track coins once they start moving but then again as loycev stated just lock them with coin control and there should be no issue.

[Thirdspace]

When fees are low, you could send the dust to a burner address (one at a time, each to a different address), or you could even consolidate the dust and your real inputs as long as the fees are lower than the dust is worth. Make sure to only use the dust input and your real input from one address at a time, so you don't link different addresses together (which would reduce your privacy).

yes, think of it as a bonus to pay for network fee on the next outgoing transaction
546 satoshi input is enough to pay a transaction with 2-3 more inputs at 1s/VB fee rate

Consolidating that dust is a nice way to earn a few Satoshi from that attack, as pointed out by loycev.

unless you're getting annoying dust attack that will cost more to send than its own amount
take a look at this guy spammed 1 satoshi to 750 addresses per transaction
https://btc.com/b6cba92e88dbdd0c5bf3305b881eede85b2168889c5fc8bf377918da3cf21e19
1SochiWwFFySPjQoi2biVftXn8NRPCSQC
1Enjoy1C4bYBr3tN4sMKxvvJDqG8NkdR4Z

[vvic]

There has been a mixer that used dust transactions to advertise their service. If that's the case, a block explorer will probably give a hint if you look at the sending address.
It could indeed also be used for tracking, but only if you don't pay attention and let your wallet choose which inputs to use.

I'm using bitcoin core wallet is there a way to mark these coins as bad? Or tell the wallet do not spend?

You can do this:
Click Settings > Options > Wallet > Enable coin control features.
Then, click Send > Inputs > right mouse button on a dust transaction > Lock unspent.

Or (after enabling coin control features):
When you send a transactions, click Inputs and manually choose what to use (I always do this).

When fees are low, you could send the dust to a burner address (one at a time, each to a different address), or you could even consolidate the dust and your real inputs as long as the fees are lower than the dust is worth. Make sure to only use the dust input and your real input from one address at a time, so you don't link different addresses together (which would reduce your privacy).

Awesome! Many thanks this is exactly what I was looking for. Googling didn't help much, because I'd only get generic articles about what dust attack is. And some occasional mentions that samourai wallet allows you to lock those transactions.
Again, thanks for the help.

I've been getting tons of dust transactions to my wallet, 0.00000546BTC every month or so.

Is that dust transactions come from this address? : 1ViViGLEawN27xRzGrEhhYPQrZiTKvKLo

If that is the case I explain all few months ago, so you can follow advice you get in this thread, or maybe write to this company and ask them to stop sending free donations to your address.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5103542.0

no it is from this address https://www.blockchain.com/btc/address/1BettingEynX2Lg24jnmCGDHL3vC6r9yX1 looks like they've spammed a lot of addresses

[vvic]

All right, guys. I did more researching and found their site...
http://1bettingeynx2lg24jnmcgdhl3vc6r9yx1.site/
God damn, advertisement spam reached crypto

[o_e_l_e_o]

Do companies actually get traffic from this kind of stupidity? I would imagine that using that money to pay for a signature campaign or buy an advertising banner would have a much higher rate of return than pissing people off en masse with these dust attacks.

I have many addresses and have never once been subjected to this behavior. Presumably they use addresses which have previously been used to sign up for gambling services or maybe airdrops or something like that, so they know they are spamming individual people with active addresses, and not addresses belonging to an exchange or service or something similar. If that is the case, then just move your coins to a new address and ignore the dust attack on the old one.

[Lucius]

All right, guys. I did more researching and found their site...
http://1bettingeynx2lg24jnmcgdhl3vc6r9yx1.site/
God damn, advertisement spam reached crypto

I recently got same amount from this address, but I do not even pay much attention to it. Actually, that is nothing new because it has been happening for years. I'm not sure whether this method of advertising is have some success, most of users are actually confused and do not realize that the name of the sender is in bitcoin address.

[Jet Cash]

I feel so neglected, nobody sends me any bitcoin dust.

I don't really see what the problem is - isn't it much the same as picking up pennies in the street?

[CryptoBry]

Do companies actually get traffic from this kind of stupidity? I would imagine that using that money to pay for a signature campaign or buy an advertising banner would have a much higher rate of return than pissing people off en masse with these dust attacks.

I have many addresses and have never once been subjected to this behavior. Presumably they use addresses which have previously been used to sign up for gambling services or maybe airdrops or something like that, so they know they are spamming individual people with active addresses, and not addresses belonging to an exchange or service or something similar. If that is the case, then just move your coins to a new address and ignore the dust attack on the old one.

They should better send those dust attacks to my bitcoin wallet and I would not mind...no matter how small those are still money that I can use even with paying the transfer fees. Anyway, it is really intriguing if using this strategy can bring in good results business-wise. Annoying people this way can be liken to sending spams, only this time it is more attractive being in the bitcoin form. I actually don't understand why it is called as a dust attack. I know why the word dust...by why attack?

[seoincorporation]

I'm getting this kind of transactions too, but since i use blockchain.com as wallet i think there is no way to spend them if anyone knows the way to spend those small inputs from blockchain wallet please show me the way.

[o_e_l_e_o]

I actually don't understand why it is called as a dust attack. I know why the word dust...by why attack?

For the reasons explained above. They can either be used to track your transactions in an effort to breach your privacy, or they can flood your wallet and ramp up your fees. If you know what you are doing and using a proper client like Electrum, then yes, it is trivial to ignore them. But some people will be using clients which don't allow proper UTXO management. They could quite easily set up a transaction, and their wallet automatically chooses to send all this dust, causing a huge transaction size. If they are using a sub-par wallet like that, then chances are it also poorly estimates fees, so they end up paying huge fees for a huge transaction without realizing what they are doing.

I'm getting this kind of transactions too, but since i use blockchain.com as wallet i think there is no way to spend them if anyone knows the way to spend those small inputs from blockchain wallet please show me the way.

Stop using a web wallet and trusting an anonymous uninsured third party with your coins. Import your seed to your own wallet and take control of your funds.

[jackg]

I feel so neglected, nobody sends me any bitcoin dust.

I don't really see what the problem is - isn't it much the same as picking up pennies in the street?

It's like giving you a free sample. If anyone wants to give me some dust, you know where I am ;-).

500 sats is one or two transactions, bne thankful for the amoutn you get OP, you've done well there.

[Carlton Banks]

I don't see that as a real issue , unless you are trying not to be tracked and are paranoid about privacy.

Consolidating that dust is a nice way to earn a few Satoshi from that attack, as pointed out by loycev.

ONLY do this if the spam dust is sent to the same address, for privacy reasons (combining spam from different addresses suggests the same individual owns them all)

[bitmover]

I don't see that as a real issue , unless you are trying not to be tracked and are paranoid about privacy.

Consolidating that dust is a nice way to earn a few Satoshi from that attack, as pointed out by loycev.

ONLY do this if the spam dust is sent to the same address, for privacy reasons (combining spam from different addresses suggests the same individual owns them all)

That guy must be really lucky (or unlucky) to get attacked on two addresses on the same wallet. But yeah, it is also worth pointing out not to combine with other addresses which you can be identified (used by exchanges withdrawal/deposits or whatever)

[seoincorporation]

...

Stop using a web wallet and trusting an anonymous uninsured third party with your coins. Import your seed to your own wallet and take control of your funds.

I use this as a hot wallet, you know, to get some weekly payments and that stuff, but the saved coins are in paper wallets, those are the safe way i had found to manage them. But thanks for the tip oeleo, someday i will stop using that online service.

[o_e_l_e_o]

I use this as a hot wallet, you know, to get some weekly payments and that stuff, but the saved coins are in paper wallets, those are the safe way i had found to manage them.

It's good to know you are not storing all your coins on a web wallet, and the majority are stored safely in paper wallets. In terms of using a web wallet as a hot wallet, you can achieve the same result by using a desktop software wallet or even a mobile app wallet. As long the wallet you choose is reputable and gives you full control over your private keys, then this set up is still streets ahead of a web wallet in terms of safety and security.

[jackg]

I use this as a hot wallet, you know, to get some weekly payments and that stuff, but the saved coins are in paper wallets, those are the safe way i had found to manage them.

It's good to know you are not storing all your coins on a web wallet, and the majority are stored safely in paper wallets. In terms of using a web wallet as a hot wallet, you can achieve the same result by using a desktop software wallet or even a mobile app wallet. As long the wallet you choose is reputable and gives you full control over your private keys, then this set up is still streets ahead of a web wallet in terms of safety and security.

Seo, a trezor might be nice for you to get also, I recenlty got one and their web wallet seems very similar to blockchain hoever it is much more secure as you have to confirm everything on the trezor and input your pin on the device and confirm a transaction on there rather than using the web alone.

If you use chrome and the blockchain web wallet, I'd suggest immediately moving everything to paper as soon as you can as there are too many plug-in attacks on the wallet.