Blockchain Forensics in Dark Web Investigations: A Comprehensive Review of Techniques, Challenges

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_21How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Dark Web; Cryptocurrency Forensics; Blockchain Technologies; Pseudonymous Transactions; Artificial Intelligence in Forensics; Cybercrime Investigation; Network Mapping

Abstract

The dark web has emerged as the center of several online crimes in recent times such as distribution of illegal drugs, ransomware, human trafficking, and financial crimes. In order to carry out such crimes, the dark web markets tend to utilize cryptocurrency, because it is decentralized and has the perceived neutrality. The technology behind the cryptocurrencies, the Blockchain is however Baffling by Nature. Given that the technology of cryptocurrencies is the Blockchain, and cryptocurrencies are deemed to be anonymous, these appear to be a paradox as the Blockchain is transparent and non-editable, which makes all the transactions recorded even more traceable. However, the traceability costs are miraculously reduced since all the transactions are recorded, and the users of the technology generate “pseudonyms” of the transactions. Digital forensic science exploits this paradox. This paper reviews the application of Blockchain technology in the investigation of the dark web and the increasing importance of Blockchain technology in the current policing environment. This paper reviews current literature around Blockchain technology and digital forensic techniques, including transaction analysis techniques, address clustering, network mapping, and digital forensic attribution techniques. This paper further describes the role of advanced Blockchain analytical platforms in the identification of suspicious transaction patterns and the tracking of these patterns back to real-world entities. Furthermore, the challenges being currently faced during the investigation of Blockchain technology, including the usage of privacy coins, mixing services, and cross-train transactions, that increase the difficulties of these investigations, have also been considered. This paper, thus, clearly supports the premise that the current investigation challenges notwithstanding, Blockchain technology can clearly serve the needs of the digital forensic investigation of the dark web and that the importance of Blockchain technology is only increasing.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Boora Swagath
AU  - Bhukya Veerender Sehwag
AU  - Venna Shivamani
AU  - Vinod Kaaparthi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/05
TI  - Blockchain Forensics in Dark Web Investigations: A Comprehensive Review of Techniques, Challenges
BT  - Proceedings of the First International Conference on Advances in Forensics and Cyber Technologies (ICFACT 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 209
EP  - 222
SN  - 2352-538X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_21
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_21
ID  - Swagath2026
ER  -