Etherscan Launches Tool to Help Users Identify Tainted Ether Addresses
Etherscan, one of the most popular block explorer for the Ethereum blockchain, has released a new tool meant to help users identify tainted addresses called ETHProtect.
The new tool traces tainted funds down to their origin and keeps track of them on the blockchain so users can know when they’re dealing with an address that has received funds from phishing schemes, hacks, scams, exploits, or suspected fraudulent activities.
The tool uses daily user reports on suspicious fraudulent activities that are reviewed by Etherscan’s security research analysts, to add new addresses to the system. The funds are then traced whenever they are moved on the blockchain, potentially stopping bad actors from concealing their origin.
Etherscan’s announcement adds:
“With an increasing number of scams, hacks and fraudulent activities, we aim to identify potential tainted addresses and to make available this information to all our end users.”
The Ethereum block explorer adds well-known project addresses are excluded from being identified as a false positive. Users can contact Etherscan is they believe they have been identified as a false positive as well.
