Context

Money flows in the always relevant cryptocurrency Bitcoin can nowadays be traced relatively well. However, the need for new forensic methods is already foreseeable due to the advancing technical development: virtual financial assets, so-called crypto-assets, and financial products like tokens and smart contracts as well as off-chain payment channels are increasingly used. They will soon make current blockchain forensic tools obsolete.

Goals

The expected outcomes of the project are:
  • a legal assessment of the developed methods and regulatory recommendations with regard to tokens and payment channels
  • new forensic methods for the analysis of generic crypto-assets that will be integrated as program modules into existing tools (e.g. BlockSci, GraphSense)
  • a systematic analysis and risk assessment of crypto-assets
  • formats for a harmonized exchange of data between involved partners
  • a coordinated cryptocurrency forensics curriculum as a qualification measure for investigators.