Charting the Uncharted: The Landscape of Monero Peer-to-Peer Network

Abstract

The Monero blockchain enables anonymous transactions through advanced cryptography in its peer-to-peer network, which underpins decentralization, security, and trustless interactions. However, privacy measures obscure peer connections, complicating network analysis. This study proposes a method to infer peer connections in Monero's latest protocol version, where timestamp data is unavailable. We collect peerlist data from TCP flows, validate our inference algorithm, and map the network structure. Our results show high accuracy, improving with longer observation periods. This work is the first to reveal connectivity patterns in Monero's updated protocol, providing visualizations and insights into its topology. Our findings enhance the understanding of Monero's P2P network, including the role of supernodes, and highlight potential protocol and security improvements.