Introduction to Cryptocurrency Address Poisoning Attacks
Address poisoning exploits users’ habit of copying addresses from transaction records by mixing in fake addresses with similar appearances through small incoming transactions. Checking the full address before sending, using an address book, and testing before making large transfers can reduce the risk of sending funds to the wrong address.
Attack Principles and Process
Attackers generate a fake address whose beginning and ending characters resemble those of a frequently used recipient address, then send a tiny-amount or zero-value transaction to the target wallet so that it appears in the recent transaction history. If users look only at the abbreviated address and copy it directly, they may send funds to the attacker.
Risks and Targets
Address poisoning does not require breaking into a wallet or stealing private keys; it primarily exploits people’s difficulty in checking long addresses character by character. Active wallets with high balances are more likely to be targeted, but anyone who frequently makes transfers may be affected. Blockchain transactions are generally irreversible, and in most cases mistakenly transferred funds cannot be recovered.
Practical Prevention Methods
Before transferring, view and verify the full address character by character. Prefer obtaining recipient information through official channels or from a saved address book, and do not copy it directly from recent transaction records. For large transfers, consider making a small test transfer first. You can also pay attention to suspicious-transaction alerts from your wallet and consider using a human-readable address system.
Original Tutorial
https://www.binance.com/zh-CN/academy/articles/how-do-crypto-address-poisoning-attacks-work
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