Cryptocurrency And Blockchain Tracing

Page 1

CRYPTOCURRENCY & BLOCKCHAIN · A GUIDE FOR UK LAWYERS Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Tracing Following the Money on a Public Ledger, and Naming the Person Behind the Address COMPUTER FORENSICS LAB

§ ABOUT THE AUTHOR PREPARED BY COMPUTER FORENSICS LAB E-DISCOVERY TEAM WALLET & EXCHANGE FORENSICS CPR PART 35 EXPERT REPORT S FULL CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY DOCUMENTATION

§ CONTENTS In this guide 01 Executive summary 02 The problem in plain English: visible money, hidden owners 03 How blockchains and wallets record value 04 Tracing funds across the ledger 05 Attribution: linking an address to a person 06 Obfuscation, honest limits and confidence 07 Deployment: freezing, disclosure and recovery 08 Source architecture: where else the evidence lives 09 Worked examples 10 Common mistakes and technical limitations 11 Questions to ask · Suggested wording 12 Checklist and red flags · When to involve a digital forensic expert 13 Frequently asked questions 14 Glossary · References · Disclaimer · How a specialist laboratory can assist

§ 01 · ORIENTATION Executive summary The headline point: most cryptocurrency runs on public ledgers that record every transaction permanently, so funds are highly traceable, and the real work is attribution, tying an address to a person through exchanges, devices and off-chain evidence, and doing so at honest confidence despite mixers and other obfuscation. KYC

§ 02 · FIRST PRINCIPLES The problem in plain English: visible money, hidden owners

§ 03 · HOWITRECORDSVALUE How blockchains and wallets record value LEDGER ADDRESS WALLET / KEYS EXCHANGE PERSON

WhatsApp