A Detailed Analysis of BitCoin-Inspired Messaging App Bitmessage

Abstract

The thesis presents a detailed analysis of BitCoin Inspired messaging application - Bitmessage. The working, protocols and cryptographic algorithms used by bitmessage are explained and analyzed in detail. Certain design flaws and cryptographic weaknesses are highlighted. Bitmessage is also analyzed from various perspectives i.e. on the basis of its performance, run-time analysis of the application , code analysis, vulner ability assessment, forensic analysis and network analysis.Various tools and techniques are used during the process. The results so obtained, gave a detailed view of the application and its weak points from multiple dimensions. A comparison of the application’s performance with other Instant Messaging application proved that the rate of resource consumption of Bitmessage is quite high and not ideal for resource limited devices. Also the performance of the application is not better than any other IM application. The attacks that are possible due to the vulnerabilities present are also mentioned as well as the risk they can pose to the application and the sys tem. Multiple attacks and the risk factor associated are pointed out. The effect of these weaknesses on user privacy, confidentiality, anonymity and data integrity is identified. Multiple suggestions are given for the mitigation of these attacks and to reduce the security risks. It is suggested that the cryptographic techniques should be properly used and security checks should be performed for better results.