Topic: Scammer lead developer resigns from honeypot Wasabi Wallet - page 3. (Read 1452 times)

In fact, any decent firewall should block all ports by default. On my own full node, everything is only accessible locally from the machine itself, by default.

If you open a port on the local firewall, it becomes available on your LAN, but it's still going to be safe from anyone not on this network. Only by opening a port on the device's firewall and port-forwarding it on your router, it would actually be 'exposed'.

Web GUIs allow you to e.g. run JoinMarket on a headless server in your LAN and access it from your various PCs and laptops, and they do tend to look more modern than something built on QT. Although personally, as a long-term Bitcoin-Qt user, I prefer the JoinMarket-Qt interface.

That's good point. While i don't play to try Jam for now, it could prevented by using firewall with advance rule.


It depends on what we count as wrong. Although it can't denied the UI doesn't look as good as many modern application or website.

Why on earth would you use a web interface and expose your HTTP port in order to do a coinjoin?

Not only does it come with the usual risks of bots infiltrating your network with malicious packets and spam, but it also allows them to potentially use a vulnerability to steal crypto located inside the JoinMarket wallet.

There is nothing wrong with the Qt interface of JoinMarket.

Correct. I agree but it has worked perfectly for me this far. I guess you pay these issues to gain in decentralisation.

It is the most decentralized, but honestly, I prefer Whirlpool over Joinmarket. In the former, you get infinite remixes for free. In the latter, not only don't you get free remixes, but you pay for every maker's input. It has also presented some issues with the fee selection, like this one for instance.

JoinMarket does come with a UI, Joinmarket-Qt. Also, note that Jam is unofficial.

Certainly. There is also a very good guide for installing both of these in Raspibolt's webpage:

1. https://raspibolt.org/guide/bonus/bitcoin/joinmarket.html
2. https://raspibolt.org/guide/bonus/bitcoin/Jam.html

I plan to install it this weekend! I will let you know.

That project use different GitHub account, so no wonder i didn't know about it. While the UI application seems to be user-friendly, the installation process[1] would filter many Bitcoiner.

[1] https://jamdocs.org/software/installation/

After trying literally every service for this purpose (except the wasabi ones), I can safely agree that JoinMarket is my favorite one. I use others too, of course, but JoinMarket is the most decentralised one.


It comes with a fancy UI: Jam.

Here is the installation guide for multiple node implementations: https://jamdocs.org/software/installation/

If you think about it from a technical perspective, JoinMarket needs a backend implementation which is here: https://github.com/JoinMarket-Org/joinmarket-clientserver and a UI implementation which is here: https://github.com/joinmarket-webui/jam

Yes, it's not the easiest approach. Yes, it requires manual work. But it is worth it.

That's true, although authority would have harder time pressure anonymous person/group.


That's valid solution, although it remain less popular since it require you to run full node[1] is AFAIK there's still no user-friendly interface which can rival Wasabi or Samourai wallet.

[1] https://github.com/JoinMarket-Org/joinmarket-clientserver/blob/master/docs/JOINMARKET-QT-GUIDE.md

In any of these 2 cases though, you'll still be running a centralized service. As a coordinator, authorities will be able to pressure you into shutting down, implementing privacy-breaking changes and helping them deanonymizing users through blockchain analysis. Maybe they'll force you to partner with a blockchain analysis firm, even. Does some of this sound familiar?

One solution would be to switch to decentralized approaches, such as JoinMarket.

They use different technology. Samourai uses Whirlpool/ZeroLink[1] while Wasabi use WabiSabi[2].


At bare minimum, a server and ability to follow guide about setting either coinjoin software. But gaining people's trust and liquidity to perform CoinJoin isn't simple.

[1] https://docs.samourai.io/en/wallet/features/whirlpool
[2] https://github.com/zkSNACKs/WabiSabi

Bitcoin is a decentralized project and when it has been here for more years, it has been becoming more and more decentralized.

As part of Bitcoin history, we can not deny some facts that in early months, it is not a decentralized project with so much centralization on Satoshi Nakamoto, Gavin Andresen, sirius and some early programmers.

Things are very different with Bitcoin protocol to allow developers to join, and big upgrade must be decentralized voted by many nodes. A single developer nowadays can not change the Bitcoin protocol.

The power of community is decentralization so if one person, even had big contributions in the past, now start to mislead the project, will not be support by majority of Bitcoin community.

I've had Kruw on ignore for a long time so I've not been keeping up with his latest copy and paste nonsense.

In terms of whatever Peter Todd thinks of Wasabi, I tend not to care what one person's opinion is, regardless of who that person is. Gavin Andresen was a reputable contributor to bitcoin, and people blindly listening to his opinion has caused untold damage in this space. The opinion of one person is irrelevant, especially when that opinion can be bought. I care about the facts. And the facts of the matter are that Wasabi directly funds the enemies of privacy, and that Wasabi coinjoins are deeply flawed: https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.63334000.

To be honest, this is quite funny to read. Especially since he was the guy I was chatting with about restarting the campaign.

Another reason why it would be a great acquisition for them is that it would give them a huge competitive advantage over other blockchain analysis firms. They'd be the only ones able to provide data on Wasabi CoinJoin'ed transactions.

No authorities, no heroes, and all that. There's a reason satoshi did what he did. Don't trust or care about people too much, no matter if they're Bitcoin developers, former privacy advocates or whatever else.

Blockchain Analysis companies would drool over this opportunity for sure.  Not only would it remove a large cost of running Wasabi but there would be no more need for the input of the Bitcoin community and they could simply diminish or abolish the Wasabi Commissions too in order to attract more people, collect more information, apply more Censorship and so on and so forth.

I am very intrigued although either the last time I asked this it was pure coincidence or it is a very sensitive subject for the moderators.

It seems like Peter Todd is / was a reputable contributor to Bitcoin for a very long time even though I did not hear of him until weeks ago.  I find it strange that Kruw is consistently reminding every body about Todd almost every time he posts a reply to a Thread.

What is your personal opinion of Todd ever since the Wasabi Censorship drama?

Fortunately Wasabi was well known to the Privacy community way before they turned the blade against us.  I really believe it would of been much worse had they turned against us before their strong reputation.  Much easier to fool.  Considering most of us were up to date with them and highly supportive however, they hit a big nail into their own fingers by deciding to turn their back and present support to Blockchain Analysis.  All of us found out quickly, and most of us decided to stay away and question their behavior.

And it's a great acquisition for a blockchain analysis company. Simultaneously remove a large cost of running Wasabi since they can obviously supply their mass surveillance tools to themselves for free, while also gaining more information about every output which is even attempted to be coinjoined through Wasabi (even if they ultimately censor it), giving them more information to further their blockchain analysis capabilities. Plus it further opens up the possibility of self Sybil attacks (as OP has linked to) to further deanonymize Wasabi users. (On another note, some of the Twitter links OP has provided are now dead, but can be found on The Wayback Machine.)

The writing has been on the wall for Wasabi since the day they announced they will start cooperating with and directly funding blockchain analysis. Anyone who has chosen to support them from that day onward has no excuse.

I've been poking around the Dread forum after seeing the links shared by OP; the distrust of Wasabi there is pretty widespread (for good reason), and I would think people regularly using Tor and Darknet Markets know a thing or two about privacy. The most privacy orientated people on this forum do not recommend Wasabi. The most privacy orientated people on Twitter do not recommend Wasabi. It would seem the people who do recommend Wasabi largely either work for Wasabi or are being paid by Wasabi. It's pretty telling.

Wasabi messed up tremendously already.  If o_e_l_e_o is right then offering to sell Shares or their entire company only means one thing is bound to happen at some point in the future and we all know what that is.  The one category of entities who would desperately pay any price to have Wasabi on to their hands is the one we hate the most.  Blockchain Analysis companies.  They are in a collaboration already so one foot is in their boat already anyway.

Unfortunately this Wasabi product will end up tainting the names of many reputable persons of the Bitcoin community.  Not necessarily the members who joined their Signature Campaign but the much more important people who are keen on publicly supporting Wasabi as the best option for Privacy.  It will taint their names too late however, because the big damage will already be done.

The signs are all there and stronger than ever.  From now on it is a matter of whether or not we want to support Wasabi and their likely honey pot and seemingly innocent strategy against Privacy.

There is an even larger red flag than ever before now.  Crack downs happen strongly on Mixers but not on Wasabi Coin Joins.  Kruw already has a very suspect yet interesting way of behaving and deceiving, it all speaks volumes.

Think about it.  You are being told it is fine to work with Blockchain Analysis as long as Privacy is still the number one priority.  It is a very contradictory and creepy way of deceiving users into believing it is completely fine for our Privacy to collaborate with the enemies of Privacy.  This while committing even further creepy actions such as exposing real identities, pushing false accusations and so on.  They tell you they are offering Privacy while exposing any public information they have about their competition and working with and funding who Privacy oriented people hate using the money you pay them for offering you 'Privacy'.

If some body bigger with even more malicious intentions gets to own Wasabi then expect the worst.  Betrayals from some of our most beloved members of the Bitcoin community.  Even more crack downs on what truly offers Privacy.  More restrictive laws and so on.

I wish I am wrong but time keeps telling me my gut feeling is right.  I keep hearing worse and worse news.  Wasabi is not to be trusted.

These are some big news, but I've got to say: Bitcointalk always had its doubts.

'Bitcointalk Wasabi saga' timeline (did I miss something?):

|	Date	|	Topic	|	URL
|	March 14, 2022	|	The default Wasabi Wallet coordinator will start censoring "illegal" UTXOs	|	https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/the-default-wasabi-wallet-coordinator-will-start-censoring-illegal-utxos-5389567
|	July 06, 2022	|	Wasabi blacklisting update - open letter / 24 questions discussion thread	|	https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/wasabi-blacklisting-update-open-letter-24-questions-discussion-thread-5405325
|	July 24, 2022	|	'Wasabigeddon' article discussion (it supposedly solves fungibility)	|	https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/wasabigeddon-article-discussion-it-supposedly-solves-fungibility-5407473
|	June 25, 2023	|	Petition to remove Wasabi from recommendations of bitcoin.org	|	https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/petition-to-remove-wasabi-from-recommendations-of-bitcoinorg-5457560
|	January 04, 2024	|	Scammer lead developer resigns from honeypot Wasabi Wallet	|	https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/scammer-lead-developer-resigns-from-honeypot-wasabi-wallet-5480440

BC analysis helping to put innocent privacy devs in jail.

Code audit not needed. Anyone can go find code that ask BC analysis to spy on your coins!