Did law enforcement in Finland crack Monero’s privacy technologies? (2024)

Cybercrime experts in Finland claim to have achieved a forensic breakthrough that heuristically concluded the probabilistic outcome of a Monero transaction.

This is according to Marko Leposen of Finland’s national bureau of investigation (KRP).

If true, the news would devastate a community that has believed in Monero’s absolute, on-chain privacy for a decade.

As reported by a division of Telia in Finland called MTV News (no association with the Los Angeles-based entertainment brand), investigators calculated that it was “very likely” that someone illegally sent XMR to Binance in a series of transactions involving a crime. Unfortunately for the public, they did not disclose their methods.

No details about cracking the code

The criminal case involves ​​Julius Aleksanteri Kivimäki who allegedly hacked a health database and demanded a ransom. According to prosecutors, he received bitcoin payments from individual victims and then attempted to use Monero to obfuscate that money.

According to their report, “Police don’t want to tell criminals or anyone else how the anonymous cryptocurrency could have been traced. Working tracing methods could be of significant help to KRP in other ongoing or future criminal investigations” (translated from Finnish). Although it’s frustrating, withholding means and methods for future investigative power is a common practice among law enforcement.

Reigning for years as the world’s most popular, anonymous cryptocurrency, Monero has a committed community of privacy-focused users. Its Confidential Transaction (CT) technology enhances ring signatures and stealth addresses, making on-chain transactions using Monero’s native XMR coin almost impossible to trace. The law enforcement case in Finland involves a possible breach of Monero’s CT privacy.

Cryptographer Nicolas van Saberhagen wrote Monero’s whitepaper. Major figures in the crypto industry have contributed to the project, including Greg Maxwell, Franciso Cabañas, Riccardo Spagni, and many others.

Monero advocates respond to the Finland news

Observers on X (formerly Twitter) responded with a mix of disbelief and outrage. According to one observer, the criminal target was so easy to identify that law enforcement probably wouldn’t have needed to actually break Monero’s encryption.

Another observer agreed with that sentiment, concluding, “The network is still secure.”

In the last two days, all crypto news outlets have echoed information claiming that Finnish authorities have been able to trace #Monero transactions in a ransomware case and arrest the person responsible.

Knowing Monero's technology thoroughly, I was very surprised because today…

— Rick C312 (@TrueRick312) January 28, 2024

Read more: You can now see Binance law enforcement requests for $10K in Bitcoin or Monero

Due to a legal system in Finland that allows sealing of means and methods from public view, it’s impossible to determine whether or not law enforcement in the country found a secret power to break Monero’s cryptography.

For years, many investigative agencies have claimed that XMR transactions are not entirely private, yet the network has remained popular. Every day, millions of dollars worth of XMR change hands around the world. Perhaps law enforcement knows each counterparty — or maybe not.

Got a tip? Send us an email or ProtonMail. For more informed news, follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky, and Google News, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Did law enforcement in Finland crack Monero’s privacy technologies? (2024)

FAQs

Did law enforcement in Finland crack Monero’s privacy technologies? ›

Due to a legal system in Finland that allows sealing of means and methods from public view, it's impossible to determine whether or not law enforcement in the country found a secret power to break Monero's cryptography.

Can Monero transactions be traced? ›

Monero is a cryptocurrency designed for anonymity and financial privacy. Its cryptographic techniques make it very difficult to trace Monero transactions.

Is Monero legal? ›

Monero is a privacy crypto designed to confuse anyone investigating transactions. Its techniques break transactions into smaller amounts and mix them up, making them nearly impossible to trace. For this reason, it is illegal to use in some countries, while others allow it but monitor transactions carefully.

How does Monero privacy work? ›

Monero uses a cryptographic tool called confidential transactions to hide the amount of XMR transferred in each transaction. Confidentiality is achieved by encrypting the transaction amounts; only the sender and receiver, who hold the necessary keys, can view the actual amounts.

Are Monero transactions traceable on Reddit? ›

Here's what I already know, XMR is an untraceable currency that does not have a transparent block chain making it impossible to track anything within the monero network. It also has never been proven to be cracked or stated to be by any governments.

Can law enforcement track Monero? ›

Reigning for years as the world's most popular, anonymous cryptocurrency, Monero has a committed community of privacy-focused users. Its Confidential Transaction (CT) technology enhances ring signatures and stealth addresses, making on-chain transactions using Monero's native XMR coin almost impossible to trace.

Is Monero 100% untraceable? ›

Monero (XMR) is a secure, private and untraceable cryptocurrency known for its strong focus on privacy and anonymity. Transactions on the Monero (XMR) blockchain are confidential and cannot be traced, ensuring the privacy of its users.

Which countries banned Monero? ›

Exchanges in South Korea and Australia have delisted Monero and other privacy coins due to regulatory pressure. In 2018, Europol and its director Rob Wainwright wrote that the year would see criminals shift from using bitcoin to using Monero, as well as Ethereum, Dash, and Zcash.

Is Monero still untraceable in 2024? ›

Monero (XMR) is the undisputed king of privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. Launched in 2014, it has established itself as the most private, secure and untraceable digital currency available. Monero's advanced privacy features make it virtually impossible to trace transactions or connect them to individual users.

Why is Monero suspended? ›

Binance likely made the move to delist XMR over regulatory concerns surrounding the privacy coin. As a privacy-focused cryptocurrency, XMR offers users anonymity by obscuring transaction details. However, this hidden nature of transactions could facilitate illegal activities.

What is the illegal activity of Monero? ›

Monero cryptocurrency is a privacy coin and cannot be tracked and traced. Monero has been adopted by criminals to conduct transactions on the dark web. This makes Monero very difficult to convert to cash. It is the first time that a case prosecuted by the CPS has led to Monero being converted.

Can I see who sent me Monero? ›

Monero transactions are private: people watching the blockchain will not know important details of your transaction, like sender address, amount and recipient address. The recipient of your payment will know all details of the transaction, except the sender address (your wallet address) and transaction description.

How do I stay anonymous on Monero? ›

Split large transactions into smaller amounts to enhance privacy. Utilize decoy addresses (Ring Signatures) which Monero automatically includes to obfuscate the sender's identity. Transaction Privacy: Avoid disclosing transaction details to third parties. Use confidential transactions to hide the amount being sent.

Can Monero be traced back to you? ›

Monero transactions are confidential and untraceable.

Because every transaction is private, Monero cannot be traced. This makes it a true, fungible currency. Merchants and individuals accepting Monero do not need to worry about blacklisted or tainted coins.

What is the IRS bounty on Monero? ›

It's not clear how long privacy coins will remain private in the U.S. The Secret Service has recommended Congress regulate them. The Internal Revenue Service offered a $625,000 bounty to anyone who could hack Monero's privacy protocols.

Why is Monero not traceable? ›

Unlike traditional cryptocurrency addresses, which are often static and visible on the blockchain, Monero's Stealth Addresses create a new address for each transaction. This ensures that transactions cannot be linked to a specific recipient's address, thus bolstering privacy and security.

Can you see who sent you Monero? ›

Monero transactions are private: people watching the blockchain will not know important details of your transaction, like sender address, amount and recipient address. The recipient of your payment will know all details of the transaction, except the sender address (your wallet address) and transaction description.

Are XMR transactions private? ›

All transactions are public, and strong cryptography guarantees the integrity of the system. Currently, over 120 validators are active on the ledger, operated by universities, exchanges, businesses, and individuals.

Does Monero have transaction history? ›

Monero is considered a privacy coin and therefore transaction details will be hidden for anyone looking on the block explorer with only the Monero address. You can look up specific Monero transaction details.

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