Customer DIY key generation with TrezorDuring brunch in NYC, Krog and I were discussing issues faced by the collectible community. The fact that a buyer has to inherently trust the keymaker to remain honest is a flaw. Polymerbit attempted to test how the market reacts to an alternative by releasing those DIY triangle notes in A4 format. Our findings were clear; only one buyer actually reported adding keys on the note. The fact that most people do not have an air gapped printer, meant that few were willing to go ahead with DIY keys. This stopped the DIY project dead in its tracks, forcing us to scrap the rest of the series. Korg suggested to try something new that may be useful to various coin makers. All coin makers are welcome to test this as well. In theory, this should allow Trezor holders to easily request custom keys for works issued by Polymerbit and others.
A unique test print was made using this process, with the note being shipped to Korg. These notes would not be resold, but would be useful as gifts or for a personal collection.
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WARNING: Run a malware and antivirus program prior to starting.
Reset a Trezor hardware wallet.
Write down the 12- or 24-word seed clearly on a piece of paper in the right order
Create a long passphrase, at least 16 characters long using letters, numbers and symbols. The longer the better.
Copy the public address given for the passphrase hidden wallet. Copy the QR code as well by using a screenshot if need be.
To verify correct transcription, you can confirm the backup via the Trezor “CHECK BACKUP” option or reset the Trezor, and input the seed and then the passphrase. If the correct seed and passphrase are input, then the same public address you have copied will be shown again. If not then you made a mistake and need to try again to confirm that what you wrote down is correct. There can be no errors in this procedure. Once they match, then send the public key to Polymerbit.
Sending the SEED and the PUBLIC KEYS to POLYMERBIT
A different device should be used to send the seed to Polymerbit. This is so in the event the computer where the Trezor passphrase is being created is infected or has a keylogger, the only item the hacker will get is the passphrase, which will be useless without the seed.
For additional security, the seed could also be mailed physically.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
So, as a precaution the seed should be uploaded to Polymerbit’s website via a different device. The passphrase and the seed should never be seen on the same computer at all to ensure there is no vulnerability.
In the event the seed is compromised, it will be useless without the passphrase and the same if the passphrase is compromised, it is useless without the seed.
The passphrase should be made of alphanumeric/symbols and be at least 16 characters long. Customer should be made aware to never share it and to place in secure spot. As the only way to be able to redeem the notes is with that passphrase and without it, then the Bitcoin will be lost forever.