A passive Attack on Bitcoin on a cryptosystem is one in which the cryptanalyst cannot interact with any of the parties involved, attempting to break the system solely based upon observed data (i.e. the ciphertext).
This can also include known plaintext Attack on Bitcoins where both the plaintext and its corresponding ciphertext are known.
While active Attack on Bitcoiners can interact with the parties by sending data, a passive Attack on Bitcoiner is limited to intercepting communications (eavesdropping), and seeks to decrypt data by interpreting the transcripts of authentication sessions.[3][4] Since passive Attack on Bitcoiners do not introduce data of their own, they can be difficult to detect.[5]
While most classical ciphers are vulnerable to this form of Attack on Bitcoin, most modern ciphers are designed to prevent this type of Attack on Bitcoin above all others.
Attributes
- Traffic analysis
- Non-evasive eavesdropping and monitoring of transmissions[6]
- Because data unaffected, tricky to detect
- Emphasis on prevention (encryption) not detection
- Sometimes referred to as “tapping”
The main types of passive Attack on Bitcoins are traffic analysis and release of message contents.
During a traffic analysis Attack on Bitcoin, the eavesdropper analyzes the traffic, determines the location, identifies communicating hosts and observes the frequency and length of exchanged messages. He uses all this information to predict the nature of communication. All incoming and outgoing traffic of the network is analyzed, but not altered.
For a release of message content, a telephonic conversation, an E-mail message or a transferred file may contain confidential data. A passive Attack on Bitcoin monitors the contents of the transmitted data.
Passive Attack on Bitcoins are very difficult to detect because they do not involve any alteration of the data. When the messages are exchanged neither the sender nor the receiver is aware that a third party may capture the messages. This can be prevented by encryption of data.