<p>I guess there is no consensus among researchers and academics on the security of Bitcoin protocol. Thanks to Stack Exchange Network, The following links should help you to answer some of your questions:</p>

<p>1- <a href="https://crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/3726/bitcoin-research">Bitcoin research</a> at Cryptography StackExchange</p>

<p>2- <a href="https://crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/316/how-secure-is-the-bitcoin-protocol">How secure is the Bitcoin protocol?</a> at Cryptography StackExchange</p>

<p>3- <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/421/are-there-any-fundamental-security-vulnerabilities-in-bitcoin">Are there any fundamental security vulnerabilities in Bitcoin?</a> at Bitcoin Stackexchange</p>

<p>Here is a comprehensive list of research publications at <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Research" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bitcoin wiki</a> that include research and analysis of Bitcoin.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-15T18:33:23.880Z
These seem to be practical crypto questions, I don't think they are related to the specific question that OP is asking here which is about the theoretical foundations of cryptography.
Kaveh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-15T13:33:30.713Z
2013-03-15T13:58:58.620Z
2017-04-13T12:48:17.970Z
Mohammad Al-Turkistany
<p>I am trying to understand the bitcoin protocol in the context of computational cryptographic security. </p>

<p>The question is a reference request to foundations of cryptography articles on bitcoin.</p>

<p>My first question is what abstract cryptographic protocol bitcoin is trying to implement? Do we have a definition of electronic money/digital currency in cryptography that captures bitcoin? What are the security requirements for a secure electronic money?</p>

<p>If the answer is yes, companies like eBay provide a centralized mean of electronic money transfer. Does considering a decentralized electronic money changes the definition of abstract cryptographic protocol for electronic money? Or is it just the same concept but in a model where there is no trusted third party? </p>

<p>Can the adversary break the protocol if it has more computational power than the combined computational power of other (honest) parties?</p>

<p>Assume that we have $n$ parties $P_i$ for $1 \leq i \leq n$ plus an adversary $A$ networked and the adversary wants to break the bitcoin protocol. For simplicity let's assume that the network graph is $K_{n+1}$ and adversary does not control the network and simply is a party like others. What would be the exact mathematical claim about the security of the protocol in this simple case?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-15T11:24:27.727Z
Have you read the original bitcoin paper? S. Nakamoto, Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system
Max
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-15T12:51:09.503Z
I doubt that there is a formalised understanding of what it means for a complex system like the Bitcoin to be secure. There is some work on notions of aspects of Bitcoin, e.g. regarding the security of time-stamping systems (e.g. "On Provably Secure Time-Stamping Schemes" by Buldas and Saarepera from a few years ago, or Lipmaa's dissertation "Secure And Efficient Time-stamping Systems"), but I'm not sure how close this is to Bitcoin's time-stamping.
Martin Berger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-06T17:05:20.520Z
Here is a [related cstheory question](http://cstheory.stackexchange.com/q/7145/1037) that might be of interest. There is also a whole [bitcoin SE](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/), but it tends to not be very critical or questioning of the technology and is more for practical questions about using bitcoins. However, it might still be useful to search there.
Artem Kaznatcheev
<reference-request><cr.crypto-security>
Is bitcoin cryptographically secure
Anonymous
# Is bitcoin cryptographically secure

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-03-14)

I am trying to understand the bitcoin protocol in the context of computational cryptographic security.

The question is a reference request to foundations of cryptography articles on bitcoin.

My first question is what abstract cryptographic protocol bitcoin is trying to implement? Do we have a definition of electronic money/digital currency in cryptography that captures bitcoin? What are the security requirements for a secure electronic money?

If the answer is yes, companies like eBay provide a centralized mean of electronic money transfer. Does considering a decentralized electronic money changes the definition of abstract cryptographic protocol for electronic money? Or is it just the same concept but in a model where there is no trusted third party?

Can the adversary break the protocol if it has more computational power than the combined computational power of other (honest) parties?

Assume that we have $n$ parties $P\_i$ for $1 \leq i \leq n$ plus an adversary $A$ networked and the adversary wants to break the bitcoin protocol. For simplicity let's assume that the network graph is $K\_{n+1}$ and adversary does not control the network and simply is a party like others. What would be the exact mathematical claim about the security of the protocol in this simple case?

**Tags:** reference-request, cr.crypto-security

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Have you read the original bitcoin paper? S. Nakamoto, Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system  
> **username_2**: I doubt that there is a formalised understanding of what it means for a complex system like the Bitcoin to be secure. There is some work on notions of aspects of Bitcoin, e.g. regarding the security of time-stamping systems (e.g. "On Provably Secure Time-Stamping Schemes" by Buldas and Saarepera from a few years ago, or Lipmaa's dissertation "Secure And Efficient Time-stamping Systems"), but I'm not sure how close this is to Bitcoin's time-stamping.  
> **username_3**: Here is a [related cstheory question](http://cstheory.stackexchange.com/q/7145/1037) that might be of interest. There is also a whole [bitcoin SE](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/), but it tends to not be very critical or questioning of the technology and is more for practical questions about using bitcoins. However, it might still be useful to search there.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2013-03-15. Score: 2

I guess there is no consensus among researchers and academics on the security of Bitcoin protocol. Thanks to Stack Exchange Network, The following links should help you to answer some of your questions:

1- [Bitcoin research](https://crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/3726/bitcoin-research) at Cryptography StackExchange

2- [How secure is the Bitcoin protocol?](https://crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/316/how-secure-is-the-bitcoin-protocol) at Cryptography StackExchange

3- [Are there any fundamental security vulnerabilities in Bitcoin?](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/421/are-there-any-fundamental-security-vulnerabilities-in-bitcoin) at Bitcoin Stackexchange

Here is a comprehensive list of research publications at [Bitcoin wiki](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Research) that include research and analysis of Bitcoin.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: These seem to be practical crypto questions, I don't think they are related to the specific question that OP is asking here which is about the theoretical foundations of cryptography.  

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