Hand-computing a Bitcoin seed: paranoia taken to the extreme
The method for creating a Bitcoin seed without hardware requires 2,000 SHA-256 rounds by hand. The paranoia after the Trezor breach.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Bitcoin without hardware: the hand-made seed, between security and absurdity
How far can distrust go? After the Trezor data breach that affected nearly 14,000 customers, part of the Bitcoin community has revived a radical method: generating a BIP39 seed without touching any hardware. Just dice, paper and calculations. The drawback, critics say: the checksum requires about 2,000 rounds of the SHA-256 algorithm. With pencil and paper, it takes longer than creating the wallet itself.
The method, which some already call "lunatic", narrows the checksum's final word down to 16 candidates and then verifies it on a hardware wallet. There lies the paradox: the process that prides itself on dispensing with devices ends up needing one to validate. Defenders argue it is a reasonable response to the historical security failures of custody devices. Skeptics point out that Satoshi Nakamoto generated his wallet on a PC 17 years ago and his bitcoins have never moved.
Between the dice and the microchip, the middle-ground solution seems to be one of the hardware wallets that have become fashionable. The community remains divided. While some chase the impossible, others settle for a trusted device. In the end, even the most manual seed needs a device to feel safe. What a paradox.
How far can distrust go? After the Trezor data breach that affected nearly 14,000 customers, part of the Bitcoin community has revived a radical method: generating a BIP39 seed without touching any hardware. Just dice, paper and calculations. The drawback, critics say: the checksum requires about 2,000 rounds of the SHA-256 algorithm. With pencil and paper, it takes longer than creating the wallet itself.
The method, which some already call "lunatic", narrows the checksum's final word down to 16 candidates and then verifies it on a hardware wallet. There lies the paradox: the process that prides itself on dispensing with devices ends up needing one to validate. Defenders argue it is a reasonable response to the historical security failures of custody devices. Skeptics point out that Satoshi Nakamoto generated his wallet on a PC 17 years ago and his bitcoins have never moved.
Between the dice and the microchip, the middle-ground solution seems to be one of the hardware wallets that have become fashionable. The community remains divided. While some chase the impossible, others settle for a trusted device. In the end, even the most manual seed needs a device to feel safe. What a paradox.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
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