Topic: How? Security of private keys (Read 2475 times)

The only reduced security is if some noob looks at the beginning and doesn't compare the rest of the string to see whether the rest of the address is legit.

Is using a vanity address ANY less secure than using a regular one since the scope decreases?

Even that estimate is too low, because there is no big flashing sign that says HEY YOU GOT A USEFUL PRIVATE KEY!

You have to add time to test each and every key you generate if your goal is to find one with money in it, which increase the time by another order of magnitude...

lol yeah, i thought it was wrong. meh

there are 160 bits in a btc address. so its: 2**160 seconds you have to wait. so its about 10**93 years.

EDIT: my math failed to, i used ln instead of log. correct is ~10**40 years

Will it still be the case if the address has been spent before?

Or the hashing function that's used could get more computationally intensive.


There are lots of different private keys for each bitcoin address.  If you can find any one of them then you can spend the coins at that address.  The problem is that it's too hard to find any them.

So the addresses will be get longer sometime in the future?

The problem is that it is two many bits... we are dealing with exponential functions here, boys.

Vanitygen already runs on gpu.

Yes, it can be strengthened.

BUT then again, bitcoin was designed when mining was astonishingly slow on the cpu. Now we are already 10000X faster, can bitcoin be strengthened if in 5 years GPUs can crack a key in a month?

Ah, yeah, not going to get 'all of them' by any means. There are still [sick huge number] divided by 58^5 [aka small number] of address.

Ok I kinda get it now. Just seemed so easy to vanitygen all the valid 1mtgox addresses quickly.

dude, that IS the protection.
hoping to get someones private keys like this is like hoping quantum effects randomly teleport you into fort knox.

No protection at all, the coins belonging to that address would be lost.

I think the best way to think of it is this:

If you eventually find a collision (millions of years with any reasonable amount of resources) the expected amount you will find is [enormous number of keys, call it 10^20] divided by [total bitcoins] = less than one satoshi (tiniest bitcoin unit).

Compare to: Regular identity theft, car accident on the way to the bank, etc.

Hmm ok, but on the off chance we before generate the same address, private leys will be identical right? Theres no protection?

(My math probably isn't right)

You can generate 1 address a second.

86,400 seconds in a day = 86,400 keys a day.

26 bits in a btc address, 403291461126605635584000000 permutations.

so 403291461126605635584000000/86400 = 4667725244520898560000 days.

So, you wanna wait

1.27882883411531467397260273972602739726027397260273972602739726027397260273972 6027397260273972602739726027397260273972602739726027397260273972602739726027397 260273972602739726027397260273972602739726027*(10**19) years?

I didn't think so.

Theres a 1 in 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 chance you will get it.

No?