Decrypting the Secret of ScriptSig Signatures
In cryptography, a script is a sequence of transactions that are transmitted and signed by the parties involved. One type of script used by Ethereum, known as a “ScriptSig”, contains a signature for each transaction it contains. However, once decrypted, the intent of these signatures can be unclear.
What makes ScriptSig signatures complicated?
A ScriptSig signature is constructed using the following components:
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Transaction hash: A hexadecimal representation of the input transaction.
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Data bytes: A variable-length array of 0x01 byte values used to create a hash (digital sum) and append transaction data to it.
Multiple signatures secret
It may appear that there is more than one signature in a ScriptSig program, which may appear to be a bug or error. However, this is not always the case. The reason for these “multiple” signatures is the way Ethereum stores and processes transactions.
When you create a transaction, it is signed with its input (the data used to create the script hash). These signature values are then combined with the transaction input data and stored as a ScriptSig value on the blockchain. In most cases, a single transaction can only have one signature.
Why do we need multiple signatures?
Multiple signatures are allowed for several reasons:
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Transaction Verification: By signing each of its inputs, Ethereum ensures that at least one transaction (i.e., one ScriptSig) has been verified and accepted.
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Double-Spend Prevention: If a transaction were to be spent twice for the same input, two identical transactions would be created. Multiple signatures prevent this by ensuring that each transaction is independently verified.
What does it mean that a script has multiple signatures?
Usually, when you see “multiple signatures” or “more than one signature” in relation to ScriptSig values, it usually means that they are part of a larger transaction where two separate transactions share the same input but require independent verification.
Decrypting and verifying such transactions on Ethereum:
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Check the transaction hash: Check that it is correct.
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Check the script encryption: Check that each signature value matches the corresponding input.
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Check multiple signatures
: If you see more than one signature, make sure that they come from different inputs and are combined correctly.
Conclusion
In short, while it may seem complicated at first glance, ScriptSig signatures on Ethereum serve a specific purpose. Multiple signatures are a result of the blockchain architecture, which ensures that transactions are independently verified by multiple parties. Understanding these complexities can help you better understand Ethereum transactions and scripts, even if they seem cryptic at first glance.
Additional Resources
For more information, see the [Ethereum documentation on ScriptSig] (
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