Kavach - An Investigation tool for Cryptocurrency Forensics

Abstract

The expansion of decentralized cryptocurrencies poses notable complexities for law enforcement in terms of detecting unlawful behaviors, as well as in the identification of individuals and the retrieval of transaction histories of perpetrators who take advantage of the pseudonymous nature inherent in the cryptocurrency system. This research paper puts forth a solution called Kavach. The designated user of Kavach will be an investigator. The tool leverages graph machine learning for the categorization of transactions as illicit or legitimate. It utilizes graph-based embeddings for the recognition of potentially suspicious addresses within the bitcoin network. The tool incorporates a predefined watch list for such suspicious addresses and will have the capability to trace the digital trail of these addresses using Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).