Topic: ARG Puzzle with 3.5 BTC Private Key Prize, Game Over - page 97. (Read 99503 times)

Quote from: S4VV4S on June 28, 2014, 04:01:16 PM

I have to underline one important thing: Almost all posters in this thread are operating under assumption that private key must be 52 characters long, starting with '5' and following by 51 characters. This is completely wrong. It's just a WIF representation of the private key, one of many formats private key can have. Essentially, private key is any integer starting from 1 and ending with 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141, see explanation here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key.

I believe this wrong assumption was started by incorrect naming of the textboxes on the brainwallet.org website, which name 'WIF representation' as 'Private Key', while the real private key is what they call 'Secret Exponent'. In ECDSA cryptographic sense that integer is just the number of times we dot-multiply Generator point with itself, and X and Y coordinate of the resulting point being our public key.

So, people, you are wasting time looking for a 52-character string starting with '5', you should be looking for a number.

Hi, and thanks for adding but I think you might be wrong....
First of all 51 char priv keys start with 5.
52 char prib keys start with K or L (believe me I found quite a few).

Last, I don't believe (personally) that we are looking for something like that, I think we are looking for a keyword or key-prhase that will reveal the priv key.
But that is just my opinion.

None the less, thanks for adding Wink

nope, itod is right. a private key is just a number which can be represented in different encodings, WIF being only one of them.

For sure, but 51 char key starts with 5, 52 char key starts with K or L.
There are also 44 char keys and mini-keys but like i said I don't believe we are looking for that now Wink

I don't know why you believe what you believe, but I guarantee you private key is a number that can be any length (while being in range) and start with arbitrary digit (hex or decimal). You can still search only those starting with '5', but you will not solve the puzzle that way Wink

Other assumption is that we are looking for a keyphrase, like "correct horse battery staple". That is much more reasonable than one discussed above, but you have to keep in mind that is just one of the possibilities.

I have found keys that start with: K, L, S and some of them 4 (I think).
I know what you are saying bro, and you are right.
None the less we could just be looking for a 12 word seed for dark wallet.
I am just saying that I think we should be looking for a keyword and outguess the key out of the image.
That's all

Anyways, gdnight to you and thank you for being part of the team.
You are a great asset Wink

sapta

staff

Activity: 1718

Merit: 1206

Yield.App

Just a question.. Is it possible to create a valid priv-key from collecting some random data?

e.g. "They can't attack what they DO not see" = ATHopJtLz2PrfTMYSBNh7KjXCPbCDqVrEX3mEgvWFed7PdyMjHCC9hdxX5v

SBNh7KjXCPbCDqVrEX3mEgvWFed7Pd = da5f36fc7254e811d8e4fe2f392d92cbafc9190c17fa3a13695717c93affc3b2

da5f36fc7254e811d8e4fe2f392d92cbafc9190c17fa3a13695717c93affc3b2 = 5KUTbinicuwmMzu3SmCHiPMLncR4eEGb25dt39C7hFTqr7WG9iZ

5KUTbinicuwmMzu3SmCHiPMLncR4eEGb25dt39C7hFTqr7WG9iZ = 1F4yU9ZgTUxA4egLbvihGzxSWfAXqBnnfj empty wallet.

Huh

itod

legendary

Activity: 1974

Merit: 1077

^ Will code for Bitcoins

Quote from: Prospero on June 28, 2014, 03:57:23 PM

Quote from: Prospero on June 28, 2014, 03:57:23 PM

I have to underline one important thing: Almost all posters in this thread are operating under assumption that private key must be 52 characters long, starting with '5' and following by 51 characters. This is completely wrong. It's just a WIF representation of the private key, one of many formats private key can have. Essentially, private key is any integer starting from 1 and ending with 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141, see explanation here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key.

I believe this wrong assumption was started by incorrect naming of the textboxes on the brainwallet.org website, which name 'WIF representation' as 'Private Key', while the real private key is what they call 'Secret Exponent'. In ECDSA cryptographic sense that integer is just the number of times we dot-multiply Generator point with itself, and X and Y coordinate of the resulting point being our public key.

So, people, you are wasting time looking for a 52-character string starting with '5', you should be looking for a number.

Hi, and thanks for adding but I think you might be wrong....
First of all 51 char priv keys start with 5.
52 char prib keys start with K or L (believe me I found quite a few).

Last, I don't believe (personally) that we are looking for something like that, I think we are looking for a keyword or key-prhase that will reveal the priv key.
But that is just my opinion.

None the less, thanks for adding Wink

nope, itod is right. a private key is just a number which can be represented in different encodings, WIF being only one of them.

For sure, but 51 char key starts with 5, 52 char key starts with K or L.
There are also 44 char keys and mini-keys but like i said I don't believe we are looking for that now Wink

I don't know why you believe what you believe, but I guarantee you private key is a number that can be any length (while being in range) and start with arbitrary digit (hex or decimal). You can still search only those starting with '5', but you will not solve the puzzle that way Wink

Other assumption is that we are looking for a keyphrase, like "correct horse battery staple". That is much more reasonable than one discussed above, but you have to keep in mind that is just one of the possibilities.

S4VV4S

hero member

Activity: 1582

Merit: 502

Anyways, guys and girls,
sorry I need to get some shut eye.
I am too tired and I got a headache....
And Alice isn't helping....... (hint, hint)

S4VV4S

hero member

Activity: 1582

Merit: 502

I have to underline one important thing: Almost all posters in this thread are operating under assumption that private key must be 52 characters long, starting with '5' and following by 51 characters. This is completely wrong. It's just a WIF representation of the private key, one of many formats private key can have. Essentially, private key is any integer starting from 1 and ending with 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141, see explanation here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key.

I believe this wrong assumption was started by incorrect naming of the textboxes on the brainwallet.org website, which name 'WIF representation' as 'Private Key', while the real private key is what they call 'Secret Exponent'. In ECDSA cryptographic sense that integer is just the number of times we dot-multiply Generator point with itself, and X and Y coordinate of the resulting point being our public key.

So, people, you are wasting time looking for a 52-character string starting with '5', you should be looking for a number.

Hi, and thanks for adding but I think you might be wrong....
First of all 51 char priv keys start with 5.
52 char prib keys start with K or L (believe me I found quite a few).

Last, I don't believe (personally) that we are looking for something like that, I think we are looking for a keyword or key-prhase that will reveal the priv key.
But that is just my opinion.

None the less, thanks for adding Wink

nope, itod is right. a private key is just a number which can be represented in different encodings, WIF being only one of them.

For sure, but 51 char key starts with 5, 52 char key starts with K or L.
There are also 44 char keys and mini-keys but like i said I don't believe we are looking for that now Wink

EDIT: don't get me wrong itod, it's just that I have a feeling the we are looking for a keyword.
Like I said thatnks for adding

Prospero

full member

Activity: 194

Merit: 100

I have to underline one important thing: Almost all posters in this thread are operating under assumption that private key must be 52 characters long, starting with '5' and following by 51 characters. This is completely wrong. It's just a WIF representation of the private key, one of many formats private key can have. Essentially, private key is any integer starting from 1 and ending with 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141, see explanation here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key.

I believe this wrong assumption was started by incorrect naming of the textboxes on the brainwallet.org website, which name 'WIF representation' as 'Private Key', while the real private key is what they call 'Secret Exponent'. In ECDSA cryptographic sense that integer is just the number of times we dot-multiply Generator point with itself, and X and Y coordinate of the resulting point being our public key.

So, people, you are wasting time looking for a 52-character string starting with '5', you should be looking for a number.

Hi, and thanks for adding but I think you might be wrong....
First of all 51 char priv keys start with 5.
52 char prib keys start with K or L (believe me I found quite a few).

Last, I don't believe (personally) that we are looking for something like that, I think we are looking for a keyword or key-prhase that will reveal the priv key.
But that is just my opinion.

None the less, thanks for adding Wink

nope, itod is right. a private key is just a number which can be represented in different encodings, WIF being only one of them.

itod

legendary

Activity: 1974

Merit: 1077

^ Will code for Bitcoins

I have to underline one important thing: Almost all posters in this thread are operating under assumption that private key must be 52 characters long, starting with '5' and following by 51 characters. This is completely wrong. It's just a WIF representation of the private key, one of many formats private key can have. Essentially, private key is any integer starting from 1 and ending with 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141, see explanation here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key.

I believe this wrong assumption was started by incorrect naming of the textboxes on the brainwallet.org website, which name 'WIF representation' as 'Private Key', while the real private key is what they call 'Secret Exponent'. In ECDSA cryptographic sense that integer is just the number of times we dot-multiply Generator point with itself, and X and Y coordinate of the resulting point being our public key.

So, people, you are wasting time looking for a 52-character string starting with '5', you should be looking for a number.

Hi, and thanks for adding but I think you might be wrong....
First of all 51 char priv keys start with 5.
52 char prib keys start with K or L (believe me I found quite a few).

Last, I don't believe (personally) that we are looking for something like that, I think we are looking for a keyword or key-prhase that will reveal the priv key.
But that is just my opinion.

None the less, thanks for adding Wink

No, i'm not wrong, see the link from Bitcoin wiki I've posted. Private key doesn't have to start in any particular way, I quote:

Quote

Range of valid private keys

Nearly every 256-bit number is a valid private key. Specifically, any 256-bit number between 0x1 and 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141 is a valid private key.

The range of valid private keys is governed by the secp256k1 ECDSA standard used by Bitcoin.

So, you can not know how private key may start, or how long it is, as long as it is smaller than 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141. Anyone who is looking for a '5', 'K', or 'L' as a start of a private key is doing it wrong.

S4VV4S

hero member

Activity: 1582

Merit: 502

Quote from: Prospero on June 28, 2014, 03:18:10 PM

I have to underline one important thing: Almost all posters in this thread are operating under assumption that private key must be 52 characters long, starting with '5' and following by 51 characters. This is completely wrong. It's just a WIF representation of the private key, one of many formats private key can have. Essentially, private key is any integer starting from 1 and ending with 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141, see explanation here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key.

I believe this wrong assumption was started by incorrect naming of the textboxes on the brainwallet.org website, which name 'WIF representation' as 'Private Key', while the real private key is what they call 'Secret Exponent'. In ECDSA cryptographic sense that integer is just the number of times we dot-multiply Generator point with itself, and X and Y coordinate of the resulting point being our public key.

So, people, you are wasting time looking for a 52-character string starting with '5', you should be looking for a number.

Hi, and thanks for adding but I think you might be wrong....
First of all 51 char priv keys start with 5.
52 char prib keys start with K or L (believe me I found quite a few).

Last, I don't believe (personally) that we are looking for something like that, I think we are looking for a keyword or key-prhase that will reveal the priv key.
But that is just my opinion.

None the less, thanks for adding Wink

itod

legendary

Activity: 1974

Merit: 1077

^ Will code for Bitcoins

I have to underline one important thing: Almost all posters in this thread are operating under assumption that private key must be 52 characters long, starting with '5' and following by 51 characters. This is completely wrong. It's just a WIF representation of the private key, one of many formats private key can have. Essentially, private key is any integer starting from 1 and ending with 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4141, see explanation here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key.

I believe this wrong assumption was started by incorrect naming of the textboxes on the brainwallet.org website, which name 'WIF representation' as 'Private Key', while the real private key is what they call 'Secret Exponent'. In ECDSA cryptographic sense that integer is just the number of times we dot-multiply Generator point with itself, and X and Y coordinate of the resulting point being our public key.

So, people, you are wasting time looking for a 52-character string starting with '5', you should be looking for a number.

S4VV4S

hero member

Activity: 1582

Merit: 502

Quote from: S4VV4S on June 28, 2014, 01:29:58 PM

~~Who is the troll that made the new TX?~~

Nevermind, the OP updated the bounty therefor it's real - for now.....

I disagree. blockchain shows it was relayed by ip 46.28.204.51, instead of directly through blockchain like the other transactions and it uses a different miner's fee.

The bounty has been updated here Wink

Krona Rev

full member

Activity: 129

Merit: 100

Quote from: shorena on June 28, 2014, 02:19:01 PM

Quote from: Krona Rev on June 28, 2014, 02:16:31 PM

Quote from: S4VV4S on June 28, 2014, 01:29:58 PM

Quote

Update 6/28:

Do not rely solely on Users for solves, double check solves for user errors: #checkuser404

OP made no mistakes.

confirmed:

- Public Address has been solved: 1HXUobwcB19cGDrghuh42HDdJdJvrJUEra

- embedded morse code: "They cannot attack what they DO not see," has been solved.

No more clues. Good Bye and Good Luck.

Oh god. This shit is getting tense.

Where is this message from?

OP, it has been updated.

Thanks. Based on the checkuser404 clarification in the update, I'm even more skeptical of my YT/Snow Crash hypothesis. Oh well. Given that I'm now seeing Cody Wilson and Amir Taaki when I close my eyes, maybe it's time I stepped away from this for a while.

Prospero

full member

Activity: 194

Merit: 100

~~Who is the troll that made the new TX?~~

Nevermind, the OP updated the bounty therefor it's real - for now.....

I disagree. blockchain shows it was relayed by ip 46.28.204.51, instead of directly through blockchain like the other transactions and it uses a different miner's fee.

Prospero

full member

Activity: 194

Merit: 100

Quote from: mirth23 on June 28, 2014, 01:07:34 PM

threshold noise folding: http://imgur.com/d5YK3nO

Look at all the information now visible in the black borders. This jibes with the "do not see" hint.

S4VV4S

hero member

Activity: 1582

Merit: 502

Quote from: shorena on June 28, 2014, 02:19:01 PM

Quote from: Krona Rev on June 28, 2014, 02:16:31 PM

Quote from: Krona Rev on June 28, 2014, 02:16:31 PM

Quote

Update 6/28:

Do not rely solely on Users for solves, double check solves for user errors: #checkuser404

OP made no mistakes.

confirmed:

- Public Address has been solved: 1HXUobwcB19cGDrghuh42HDdJdJvrJUEra

- embedded morse code: "They cannot attack what they DO not see," has been solved.

No more clues. Good Bye and Good Luck.

Oh god. This shit is getting tense.

Where is this message from?

OP, it has been updated.

Start DOing....

OP, you haven't answered my question.....
rdgrn
sos

or

PB
?

shorena

copper member

Activity: 1498

Merit: 1528

No I dont escrow anymore.

Quote

Update 6/28:

Do not rely solely on Users for solves, double check solves for user errors: #checkuser404

OP made no mistakes.

confirmed:

- Public Address has been solved: 1HXUobwcB19cGDrghuh42HDdJdJvrJUEra

- embedded morse code: "They cannot attack what they DO not see," has been solved.

No more clues. Good Bye and Good Luck.

Oh god. This shit is getting tense.

Where is this message from?

OP, it has been updated.

Krona Rev

full member

Activity: 129

Merit: 100