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Ethereum: Decoding ScriptSig

Published by Terlumun Aondover on February 5th, 2025.

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Decoding the Mystery of ScriptSig Signatures

In cryptography, a script is a sequence of transactions that are broadcast and signed by the parties involved. One type of script used in Ethereum, known as a “ScriptSig,” contains a signature for each transaction it contains. However, once decoded, the intent behind these signatures can be unclear.

What Makes ScriptSig Signatures Complex?

A ScriptSig signature is created using the following components:

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Transaction Hash: The hexadecimal representation of the input transaction.

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Data Bytes: A variable-length array of 0x01 byte values that are used to construct a script hash (a numeric sum) and append the transaction data to it.

The Mystery of Multiple Signatures

There may be what appears to be more than one signature in a ScriptSig, which may seem like a bug or error. However, this is not necessarily the case. The reason for these “multiple” signatures lies in the way Ethereum stores and processes transactions.

When you create a transaction, it is signed by its inputs (the data that will be used to construct a script hash). These signature values are then combined with the transaction’s input data and stored as a ScriptSig value on the blockchain. In most cases, there can only be one signature per transaction.

Why do we need multiple signatures?

Multiple signatures serve several purposes:

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Transaction verification: By having a signature on each of its inputs, Ethereum ensures that at least one transaction within a single transaction (i.e. within a single ScriptSig) has been verified and accepted.

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Double-spend prevention

Ethereum: Decoding ScriptSig

: If a transaction were to be spent twice on the same input, it would result in two identical transactions. Multi-signatures prevent this by ensuring that each transaction is independently verified.

What does it mean for a script to have multiple signatures?

In general, 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 inputs but require independent verification.

To decode and verify such transactions on Ethereum:

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Verify the transaction hash: Make sure it is correct.

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Verify the script hash: Make sure each signature value matches its corresponding input data.

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Check for multiple signatures: If you see multiple signatures, make sure they come from different inputs and have been correctly combined.

Conclusion

In summary, while it may seem complex at first glance, ScriptSig signatures in Ethereum serve a specific purpose. Multiple signatures are a result of the blockchain architecture, ensuring that transactions are independently verified by multiple parties. By understanding these complexities, you can better understand Ethereum transactions and scripts, even if they seem mysterious at first.

Additional Resources

For more information, check out the [Ethereum ScriptSig documentation](