A dust transaction (dust transaction) is a transfer of such a small amount of cryptocurrency that its real financial value is negligible. "Dust" refers to tiny remnants at addresses whose amount is often comparable to or even less than the fee for transferring them, which makes spending such funds economically unprofitable.

Despite their negligible value, each such transaction takes up space in the blockchain and loads the network. To limit clutter, developers introduce a minimum amount threshold (dust limit): transfers below this bar may be rejected or delayed by the network as non-standard.

Dust attack

Special attention should be paid to the so-called dust attack. Attackers mass-send tiny amounts to many addresses and then track their subsequent movement, trying to link different addresses to a single owner and violate their privacy. To protect yourself, it is recommended not to spend the received "dust" together with your main funds, and in a number of wallets — to mark such incoming amounts and exclude them from ordinary transactions.