CryptoNote

{{Infobox software

| name = CryptoNote

| logo =

| author = Nicolas van Saberhagen

| programming language = C++

| operating system = Windows, Unix-like, OS X

| genre = Cryptocurrency, anonymity

| license = MIT License

| website = {{URL|https://cryptonote.org/}}{{dead link|date=February 2021}}

}}

CryptoNote is an application layer protocol designed for use with cryptocurrencies that aims to solve specific problems identified in Bitcoin.{{Cite web|url=https://cryptonote.org/whitepaper.pdf|title=CryptoNote v 2.0|website=cryptonote.org|access-date=2018-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028121818/https://cryptonote.org/whitepaper.pdf|archive-date=2020-10-28|url-status=dead}}{{Citation |last=Yu |first=Jiangshan |title=Re-thinking untraceability in the CryptoNote-style blockchain |date=2019 |work=IEEE CSF 2019 |url=https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/186 |access-date=2024-10-18 |last2=Au |first2=Man Ho Allen |last3=Esteves-Verissimo |first3=Paulo |archive-date=2024-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240804020741/https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/186 |url-status=live }}

The protocol powers several decentralized privacy-oriented cryptocurrencies, including Monero,{{Cite journal |last=Aeeneh |first=Sina |last2=Chervinski |first2=Joao Otavio |last3=Yu |first3=Jiangshan |last4=Zlatanov |first4=Nikola |date=2021-05-03 |title=New Attacks on the Untraceability of Transactions in CryptoNote-Style Blockchains |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9461130/ |journal=IEEE |publisher=IEEE |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1109/ICBC51069.2021.9461130 |isbn=978-1-6654-3578-9|url-access=subscription }} Zano,{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Rob |date=2024-05-13 |title=Zano emphasizes importance of 'confidential assets' in evolution of crypto |url=https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/innovation/zano-emphasizes-importance-of-confidential-assets-in-evolution-of-crypto |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=TheStreet Crypto: Bitcoin and cryptocurrency news, advice, analysis and more |language=en}} MobileCoin and Safex Cash.{{Cite web|url=https://forkmaps.com/#/forkMap|title=Forkmaps|website=forkmaps|access-date=2019-03-21|archive-date=2018-08-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804043227/https://forkmaps.com/#/forkMap|url-status=dead}}{{Cite magazine|title=Signal Adds Payments—With a Privacy-Focused Cryptocurrency|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/story/signal-mobilecoin-payments-messaging-cryptocurrency/|access-date=2021-04-09|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=2021-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408155920/https://www.wired.com/story/signal-mobilecoin-payments-messaging-cryptocurrency/|url-status=live}}{{Citation |last=Torres |first=Wilson Alberto |title=Lattice RingCT v2.0 with Multiple Input and Output Wallets |date=2019 |work=ACISP 2019 |url=https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/569 |access-date=2024-10-18 |last2=Kuchta |first2=Veronika |last3=Steinfeld |first3=Ron |last4=Sakzad |first4=Amin |last5=Liu |first5=Joseph K. |last6=Cheng |first6=Jacob |archive-date=2025-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129113753/https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/569 |url-status=live }}

Nothing is known about the original author of CryptoNote, "Nicolas van Saberhagen."{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/what-is-monero/|title=Meet North Korea and Lana Del Rey's new favorite cryptocurrency|date=2018-02-09|website=The Daily Dot|language=en|access-date=2018-12-21|archive-date=2018-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209143922/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/what-is-monero/|url-status=live}} Its mathematical component and motivation are described in the article "CryptoNote Whitepaper", released in two editions: in 2012 and in 2013.{{Cite web|title=Cryptonote v. 1.0|url=http://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620201031/https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf |archive-date=2014-06-20 }} Launched in the summer of 2012, Bytecoin was the first cryptocurrency to use this technology. Later, several teams launched their networks, based on the Bytecoin code. Andrey Sabelnikov, one of the creators of the CryptoNote codebase, launched Boolberry after his career at Bytecoin, which later became the foundation for Zano.{{Cite web |title=Part II of The Future of Zano & the Cryptonote Protocol w/ Andrey Sabelnikov {{!}} EPI 307 |url=https://www.audacy.com/podcast/monero-talk-d46df/episodes/part-ii-of-the-future-of-zano-the-cryptonote-protocol-w-andrey-sabelnikov-epi-307-46262 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.audacy.com}}{{Cite web |title=Monero inception and history. How did monero get started, what are its origins and which are important historical events of its development? |url=https://monero.stackexchange.com/questions/475/monero-inception-and-history-how-did-monero-get-started-what-are-its-origins-a |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=Monero Stack Exchange |language=en}}