Address poisoning
In short
In address poisoning, an attacker sends a tiny or worthless transaction from an address that closely resembles one you use often — same start, same end. Copy from your history on your next send and the money lands with the fraudster.
The scheme exploits convenience, not technology. Defense: verify recipient addresses in full, not just start and end; use an address book for recurring recipients; for large amounts, send a small test first.
Is checking the start and end of the address enough?
No — that is exactly what the attack targets. Compare the whole address or use saved, verified recipients.
Related terms
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