Author

Topic: embedded ascii in the blockchain (Read 4533 times)

member
Activity: 84
Merit: 10
August 04, 2011, 11:01:10 PM
#9
I remember reading in a resurrected thread about how someone could also put a file in it.
member
Activity: 84
Merit: 10
August 04, 2011, 10:52:48 PM
#8
running this:

Code:
strings -n 20 ~/.bitcoin/blk0001.dat

gets you this:
Code:
EThe Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
=ybegin line=128 siz
e=8776 name=bitcoin.
***2*.+D*/***+***h+E
*/***+***p+R*-***+*,
**+[*,***;***x******
0010/211133246>76556
C<=}9>GDIHGDFFJNXQJL
VMFFRaSVZ[^^^IQcgb\f
KFK\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
+/++++++********+,-.
DPQRST_`abcdmnopqrst
*>{o*>{o*>{o*>{o*>{o
---BEGIN TRIBUTE---
#./BitLen          
:::::::::::::::::::
:::::::.::.::.:.:::
:.: :.' ' ' ' ' : :
:.:'' ,,xiW,"4x, ''
:  ,dWWWXXXXi,4WX,  
' dWWWXXX7"     `X,
 lWWWXX7   __   _ X
:WWWXX7 ,xXX7' "^^X
lWWWX7, _.+,, _.+.,
:WWW7,. `^"-" ,^-'  
 WW",X:        X,  
 "7^^Xl.    _(_x7'  
 l ( :X:       __ _
 `. " XX  ,xxWWWWX7
  )X- "" 4X" .___.  
,W X     :Xi  _,,_  
WW X      4XiyXWWXd
"" ,,      4XWWWWXX
, R7X,       "^447^
R, "4RXk,      _, ,
TWk  "4RXXi,   X',x
lTWk,  "4RRR7' 4 XH
:lWWWk,  ^"     `4  
::TTXWWi,_  Xll :..
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
LEN "rabbi" SASSAMA
     1980-2011      
Len was our friend.
A brilliant mind,  
a kind soul, and    
a devious schemer;  
husband to Meredith
brother to Calvin,  
son to Jim and      
Dana Hartshorn,    
coauthor and        
cofounder and      
Shmoo and so much  
more.  We dedicate  
this silly hack to  
Len, who would have
found it absolutely
hilarious.          
--Dan Kaminsky,    
Travis Goodspeed    
P.S.  My apologies,
BitCoin people.  He
also would have    
LOL'd at BitCoin's  
new dependency upon
   ASCII BERNANKE  
:'::.:::::.:::.::.:
: :.: ' ' ' ' : :':
:.:     _.__    '.:
:   _,^"   "^x,   :
'  x7'        `4,  
 XX7            4XX
 XX              XX
 Xl ,xxx,   ,xxx,XX
( ' _,+o, | ,o+,"  
 4   "-^' X "^-'" 7
 l,     ( ))     ,X
 :Xx,_ ,xXXXxx,_,XX
  4XXiX'-___-`XXXX'
   4XXi,_   _iXX7'  
  , `4XXXXXXXXX^ _,
  Xx,  ""^^^XX7,xX  
W,"4WWx,_ _,XxWWX7'
Xwi, "4WW7""4WW7',W
TXXWw, ^7 Xk 47 ,WH
:TXXXWw,_ "), ,wWT:
::TTXXWWW lXl WWT:  
----END TRIBUTE----

you have to have the full blockchain for it to output, completely.
legendary
Activity: 1428
Merit: 1093
Core Armory Developer
August 04, 2011, 10:43:57 PM
#7
So is there actual information in those TxOuts?  Or was he just destroying coins for fun?  It looks like gibberish to me...
legendary
Activity: 1596
Merit: 1012
Democracy is vulnerable to a 51% attack.
August 04, 2011, 08:15:05 PM
#6
Thanks, jackjack.
legendary
Activity: 1176
Merit: 1280
May Bitcoin be touched by his Noodly Appendage
legendary
Activity: 2506
Merit: 1010
August 04, 2011, 07:48:29 PM
#4
administrator
Activity: 5222
Merit: 13032
August 01, 2011, 02:24:40 AM
#3
This has been known forever. It's not a problem: the block chain stores whatever data and charges the same fee per kB.
legendary
Activity: 1596
Merit: 1012
Democracy is vulnerable to a 51% attack.
August 01, 2011, 02:23:07 AM
#2
Does anyone know which block the ASCII is in?
legendary
Activity: 873
Merit: 1000
August 01, 2011, 01:53:16 AM
#1
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2830084

Quote
Dan Kaminsky figured out a way to embed ascii text into the block chain. I did not try to find out how he did it, but he probably created some transactions that include those strings. If you want to find out more about how he did it, he will give a talk at the Chaois Communications Camp related to Bitcoin.

is there already discussion about this here?

fortunately with most mining done on pools and this being something not in the pool owner's best interest, the frequency of it occuring further should be low.   but how will this be solved?
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