[SCAN 2026 Final Interview] ②J0y_B0y: The Four Students from Jordan's Applied Science Private University Unite

The final of the world's first virtual asset (digital asset) tracking competition, 'SCAN 2026', will be held on September 28 at 9 AM at Monaco Space in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

SCAN 2026 was established to enhance cybersecurity and investigative capabilities in digital assets, hosted by the digital asset information company DAsset, with the global blockchain data platform Chainalysis participating as a CTF (Capture The Flag) partner.

The final will feature the top 20 teams from the preliminary round (a total of 416 teams, 754 participants).

conducted written interviews with teams composed of global law enforcement agencies, security experts, and university students who advanced to the finals.

*The teams advancing to the finals are as follows. (In alphabetical order)

0xfun / 1nf1n1ty / 67 / BITSkrieg / CertiScan / DeFiHackLabs / EDCCS / Funds Went to Kerning City / hello / IBarelyKnowHer / J0y_B0y / lazarus2026 / Lv1x / Project Sekai / T34M1 / Tardigrades / Tornado Cats / youtiaos / Upside Academia / Chaos of KAOS

Q. Please introduce the reason for forming your team and the background and expertise of each team member.

"Our team was formed based on a shared interest in cybersecurity, digital assets, blockchain technology, and digital forensics. As students of the Applied Science Private University in Jordan, we wanted to combine our different technical strengths to challenge ourselves in an international competition.

The four members of our team have different perspectives and capabilities. Their areas of expertise include cybersecurity, computer science, programming, network security, blockchain analysis, and digital forensics. While our specific areas of expertise differ, we share a common approach of continuous learning, thorough analysis, and close collaboration.

Our team's strength lies in the fact that we do not work separately on the same problem. We divide tasks according to our strengths, question each other's assumptions, and then synthesize our individual findings to reach a final conclusion. This approach has greatly helped us solve problems efficiently within a limited time in competitive situations."

Q. After competing against 416 teams worldwide in the SCAN 2026 preliminaries, how do you feel about advancing to the finals, and what was the most memorable moment in the preliminaries?

"Advancing to the finals after competing against 416 teams worldwide is a significant achievement for us. We are very proud to represent the Applied Science Private University and Jordan on the international stage.

This experience is particularly meaningful as it demonstrates that university students in Jordan can successfully compete with teams from various countries and backgrounds in the highly specialized fields of digital assets and blockchain forensics.

The most memorable moment in the preliminaries was when we confirmed that our analysis led to the correct conclusion while solving a particularly challenging investigative problem. It was not just about finding the right answer; it was important to experience the process of connecting seemingly unrelated on-chain evidence one by one to complete the overall picture. At that moment, we gained great confidence and motivation to pursue higher goals."

Q. What was the most difficult problem or situation you faced in the SCAN 2026 preliminaries, and how did you approach and solve it?

"The most challenging aspect was investigations where crucial evidence did not immediately reveal itself. Since blockchain transactions contain vast amounts of information, it is often difficult to grasp the entire flow of funds by tracking just one transaction or wallet.

We approached this by breaking down each investigation into small, verifiable steps. First, we identified relevant addresses and transactions, then reconstructed the flow of funds. Next, we analyzed the relationships between transactions and their timestamps, looking for patterns that connected different wallets and activities.

When we reached uncertain points, we did not rely on a single indicator but used multiple sources to cross-verify evidence. We also divided the investigations among team members so that different hypotheses could be tested simultaneously.

As a result, we were able to solve the difficult problems in the preliminaries by combining systematic transaction tracking, independent verification, and teamwork. This experience taught us that in blockchain investigations, patience and a systematic methodology are as important as technical knowledge."

Q. What tools, technologies, and analytical methods did you use to analyze on-chain data and track the flow of funds in the preliminaries? If you had any self-developed programs or unique analytical methods, please share them as well.

"We utilized a combination of blockchain explorers, RPC interfaces, transaction analysis tools, Python scripts, and data processing techniques to investigate on-chain activities.

The specific analytical methods we used are as follows:

▲ Identifying relevant wallet addresses and transaction hashes ▲ Tracking deposits and withdrawals across multiple stages ▲ Classifying transactions based on wallet, time, and transaction amount to identify behavioral patterns ▲ Analyzing relationships between wallets to distinguish operational wallets, intermediary wallets, and other related addresses ▲ Tracking the movement of funds until reaching key endpoints such as exchanges, fund consolidation wallets, and liquidation points ▲ Cross-verifying on-chain evidence with publicly available external information when necessary.

We also used Python to automate repetitive tasks and process transaction data more efficiently. Automation was particularly useful when there were many transactions to analyze manually.

The analytical principle we prioritized was to view the blockchain not as a collection of individual transactions but as a single interconnected graph. By examining the relationships between addresses and the movement of assets over time, we were able to uncover patterns that would be difficult to detect by analyzing individual transactions alone."

Q. Compared to other teams in the finals, what do you think is your team's greatest strength or differentiated problem-solving approach?

"Our greatest strength is that team members with different technical perspectives can collaborate organically as one team.

We do not assume that the first explanation we discover is necessarily correct. We derive conclusions based on evidence and aim to independently verify significant results. When one team member discovers a potential clue, it is common for another team member to investigate it from a different perspective. This helps reduce mistakes and avoid confirmation bias.

The combination of manual investigation and automation is also a strength. We analyze areas that require human judgment directly, but for parts where automation can facilitate faster and more reliable investigations, we write scripts and establish our own workflows.

Additionally, being in an academic environment, we are accustomed to continuous learning. Even if we do not know all the skills or methods when starting a challenge, we are quick to research, experiment, and learn what is necessary, applying it within a limited timeframe."

Q. How are you preparing for the SCAN 2026 finals on September 28?

"We are reviewing the important skills and concepts from the preliminaries while broadening our knowledge of blockchain forensics and digital asset investigations.

We are practicing transaction tracking, wallet attribution analysis, fund flow analysis, blockchain data extraction, and automated analysis. We are also improving the scripts and workflows we developed during the preliminaries to analyze large datasets more quickly in the finals.

In addition to technical preparation, we are focusing on teamwork and time management. We are practicing how to efficiently divide investigative tasks, clearly share analytical results, and make decisions within a limited timeframe.

Our goal is not simply to prepare for specific types of problems. We aim to build a reliable methodology quickly to respond to investigative challenges, even if we encounter them for the first time."

Q. If you win first place in the finals and receive a prize, how would you like to use it?

"If we win first place, I would first like to distribute the prize money fairly and equally among the four team members. This achievement is the result of the collective effort of all team members, so I believe each of us deserves an equal share.

Beyond personal benefits, I hope this achievement positively impacts our academic and professional growth. We are considering investing a portion of the prize money into further education, obtaining professional certifications, and acquiring technical equipment and related materials to continue developing our capabilities in cybersecurity, blockchain, and digital forensics.

Most importantly, I hope our success serves as an inspiration for other students in Jordan to challenge themselves in the fields of blockchain technology, cybersecurity, and digital forensics. If we can demonstrate through our participation in SCAN 2026 that university students in Jordan can meaningfully contribute to rapidly evolving fields at an international level, it would be a source of pride for us.