A “dusting attack” is an offensive method that is used to deanonymize and compromise cryptocurrency users’ privacy by delivering small amounts of cryptocurrency to their wallets.
The quantity of tokens transferred is so small that it is hardly perceptible. Malicious hackers often transmit the same cryptocurrency that is already saved in a wallet. Otherwise, token transfers using cryptocurrencies with minimal blockchain network fees are widespread.
From the standpoint of Bitcoin, every quantity specified as a satoshi (1 sat = 0.00000001 BTC) is considered dust. Receiving ranging from a few sats to a few hundred sats indicates that the user has been the target of a dusting attack.
The point that has to be noted is that not all dust is the result of a dusting attack. When trading or exchanging tokens, it is usual to leave the lowest denomination of any token behind once the trade has been completed. So, if a user comes across crypto dust from a recently traded token, it is more likely to be a byproduct of a transaction than an attack.
Luckily for everyone, most exchanges provide the option of converting dust. Dust conversion is the simplest technique to get rid of minor balances since dust cannot be exchanged because exchanges have a minimum trading size limit.