The Problem This Solution Solves
Hackers and US adversaries are increasingly using cryptocurrency as a means of supporting action against the US Government, commercial sector, and allies. To adapt to this rising threat to national security, USCYBERCOM came to DIU seeking a solution to attribute cryptocurrency wallets to individuals/personas and to illuminate illicit networks using transaction data, specifically for actions targeted against US government and military interests. They also wanted the ability to track funds as they moved through different cryptocurrencies, exchanges, and mixers. While the United States has passed know-your-customer provisions for cryptocurrency exchanges and sanctioned Russian exchanges, they recognized a need for private resources to access and monitor the currency exchange in order to quickly shut down malicious cyber actors and their activities.
The Solution
In partnership with the Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF), TRM Labs prototyped a platform that demonstrated successful visibility and access to vast amounts of public, private, and open-source cryptocurrency data and cryptocurrency analysis and attribution solutions. The capability provides attribution data not found in other blockchain analytic products. The on-demand structure and subject matter expertise provided in TRM's training program, ensures that the maximum amount of people can receive quality training at their own pace and for less cost than other cryptocurrency analysis training offerings. A success memo was issued in January 2024.