Bitcoin, virtual money: User's identity can be revealed much easier than thought
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 15:31
in Mathematics & Economics
Bitcoin is the new money: minted and exchanged on the Internet. Faster and cheaper than a bank, the service is attracting attention from all over the world. But a big question remains: are the transactions really anonymous? Several research groups worldwide have shown that it is possible to find out which transactions belong together, even if the client uses different pseudonyms. However it was not clear if it is also possible to reveal the IP address behind each transaction. This has changed: researchers have now demonstrated how this is feasible with only a few computers and about €1500.