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Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

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Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#201
post #2

Discussion thread here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1306983.msg64526037#... Bitcoin puzzles are private keys with just a few unknown bits so that anyone can bruteforce them to collect a reward. Puzzle 66 contained 66 unknown bits and had 6.6 BTC deposited into it by the initial puzzle creator. The private key was 0x000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000002832ed74f2b5e35ee or 256 bits with mostly ze…

I think you're mixing up the concept of entropy. The entropy is the measure of randomness in the data and with more entropy, the harder cryptographic schemes are to break. Going back to your comment, the asserted 130 bits of entropy in the key would be harder to break than 65 bits.

I'm also unclear on where you got the 'multiple of 5' bit about. It seems the keys corresponding to numbers divisible by 5 were used in a spend transaction by the puzzle creator. Using those addresses in spend transactions reveals the public key and saves compute that would be wasted hashing. It also enables direct attacks using Pollard's rho (which someone already posted a link for above).

Src: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1306983.msg51466379#... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollard%27s_rho_algorithm_for_...

Another interesting discussion on bitcointalk about using Pollard's kangaroo: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5244940.0

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the puzzle idea is that, if you could figure out a weakness in the hash, you could claim it faster than the brute force approach. So each prize that's claimed "on schedule" supports the idea that there aren't any widely known shortcuts. Obviously if you found a shortcut in the hash you might do other things first, but I think that's the idea.

Hmm yeah if I cracked Bitcoin then last thing I'd do is claim a prize that gave away the fact that I'd cracked Bitcoin.

What would you do?

I'd claim the prize, sell for USD, then watch BTC crash

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#203
post #2

Discussion thread here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1306983.msg64526037#... Bitcoin puzzles are private keys with just a few unknown bits so that anyone can bruteforce them to collect a reward. Puzzle 66 contained 66 unknown bits and had 6.6 BTC deposited into it by the initial puzzle creator. The private key was 0x000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000002832ed74f2b5e35ee or 256 bits with mostly ze…

It seems #125 is already solved? If so don't they have the power to solve #67, 68, 69?

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#204
post #194

Whoever solved it left a rather intriguing, albeit slightly mocking, message: TX input: Code: 1FuckUmT5yBAvozf6gT8GRQVbJ7iBDUnrH TX outputs: Code: 1Jvv4yWkE9MhbuwGU66666666669sugEF 0.00000001 1YouAreSoDumbLoL666666666667K5aR4 0.00000002 1WhatWereUThinking6666666662wkqq1 0.00000003 1YouDeserveNothing6666666665sbbBC 0.00000004 1YouEpicFaiLure66666666666688GSDA 0.00000005 1BitchAssLoser66666666666669dBUVg 0.00000006 1An…

It's not particularly intriguing, he is trash talking the competition.

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#205
post #81
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the risk of sounding snarky: It wasn’t. It does however, answer the question. “We” do not need to change our allocation strategy whatsoever because “we” didn’t allocate any resources towards this and “we” aren’t the arbiter of what others can or cannot do with their resources.

"We" as in "us humans".

You have my permission. This is snark.

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#206
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m a relatively smart person, probably above average, but glad bitcoin hasn’t taken over banking because I don’t understand any of this.

You don't need to. Most of us will never understand the complexity of banking either

You mean the one where someone else pays a higher ATM fee and scoops my cheque deposit? We can talk about reduced bits in the puzzle vs a regular transaction but when you need to consider how you are going to safely claim your money as if you are laundering you have to admit this is a little nuts.

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#207
post #194

Whoever solved it left a rather intriguing, albeit slightly mocking, message: TX input: Code: 1FuckUmT5yBAvozf6gT8GRQVbJ7iBDUnrH TX outputs: Code: 1Jvv4yWkE9MhbuwGU66666666669sugEF 0.00000001 1YouAreSoDumbLoL666666666667K5aR4 0.00000002 1WhatWereUThinking6666666662wkqq1 0.00000003 1YouDeserveNothing6666666665sbbBC 0.00000004 1YouEpicFaiLure66666666666688GSDA 0.00000005 1BitchAssLoser66666666666669dBUVg 0.00000006 1An…

It's not particularly intriguing, he is trash talking the competition.

that it's relatively self aware, in particular about energy consumption concerns, is mildly intriguing i think

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#208
post #194

Whoever solved it left a rather intriguing, albeit slightly mocking, message: TX input: Code: 1FuckUmT5yBAvozf6gT8GRQVbJ7iBDUnrH TX outputs: Code: 1Jvv4yWkE9MhbuwGU66666666669sugEF 0.00000001 1YouAreSoDumbLoL666666666667K5aR4 0.00000002 1WhatWereUThinking6666666662wkqq1 0.00000003 1YouDeserveNothing6666666665sbbBC 0.00000004 1YouEpicFaiLure66666666666688GSDA 0.00000005 1BitchAssLoser66666666666669dBUVg 0.00000006 1An…

Was this left by the person who solved it or the one who stole the prize? See below: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41549946

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#209
post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't need to. Most of us will never understand the complexity of banking either

You mean the one where someone else pays a higher ATM fee and scoops my cheque deposit? We can talk about reduced bits in the puzzle vs a regular transaction but when you need to consider how you are going to safely claim your money as if you are laundering you have to admit this is a little nuts.

The only reason that this opportunity exists to swoop in and forge a transaction is that the reward in question is a reward for fundamentally breaking a weak version of the cryptography underlying the BTC blockchain, the technqiue for which happens to have a second mathematical weakness.

No other transactions are subject to this weakness, and it's this puzzle which proves that.

Re: Bitcoin puzzle #66 was solved: 6.6 BTC (~$400k) withdrawn

#210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> processed the now known public key from which the private key can be recovered in 2^33 operations (2^(n/2)) So anybody that has sent a transaction can have their private key cracked just from their public address? How is this considered secure? That's absurd...

Well this isn't a normal key. It's a key with extremely reduced entropy for the sake of the puzzle. Most of the private key is already known and is in fact all zero. So this would not be possible with a normal Bitcoin transaction with regular entropy.

But I guess this means that all Bitcoin transactions have half the entropy we think they do?
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