Bitcoin Forum

Bitcoin => Electrum => Topic started by: Arvie on November 20, 2017, 12:58:12 PM



Title: Retrieve private key from Electrum / Nano S
Post by: Arvie on November 20, 2017, 12:58:12 PM
I need to export private keys for a pre-fork sweep of BTC to BTG. I use Electrum 2.9.3 with Nano S. Electrum menu does not show the option of Wallet/Private keys/Export.

How can this be arranged?

Greetz!





Title: Re: Retrieve private key from Electrum / Nano S
Post by: mocacinno on November 20, 2017, 01:02:02 PM
I need to export private keys for a pre-fork sweep of BTC to BTG. I use Electrum 2.9.3 with Nano S. Electrum menu does not show the option of Wallet/Private keys/Export.

How can this be arranged?

Greetz!





you can always use this tool, if nothing else works:

https://www.ledgerwallet.com/support/bip39-standalone.html

1) download the sourcecode of this app (look at the "Offline Usage" section)
2) disconnect your pc from the interwebs
3) run the tool (open the main html file you downloaded in step 1)
4) enter your seed (mnemonic)
5) look at the derived addresses/private keys, copy the ones you need on a CLEAN drive
6) reboot, reconnect to the internet, import the private keys
7) consider your hardware wallet as compromised...


Title: Re: Retrieve private key from Electrum / Nano S
Post by: Arvie on November 20, 2017, 05:06:25 PM
Thanks Mocacinno

Nice piece of software.

Why do you state: "consider your hardware wallet as compromised..."

Greetz

Roland


Title: Re: Retrieve private key from Electrum / Nano S
Post by: mocacinno on November 21, 2017, 06:39:46 AM
Thanks Mocacinno

Nice piece of software.

Why do you state: "consider your hardware wallet as compromised..."

Greetz

Roland

Well, once you export even a single private key and store it unencrypted on a device that's online, there is a very remote possibility it was/is compromised.
An attacker that steals this private key, and gets his hands on your xpub, can (theoretically, so i'm told) work back to calculate your xprv...

It's basically just being paranoid, but i wouldn't want a single private key derived from my xprv from my hardware wallet ever to touch an online device... Odds are extremely small something bad will happen, but still, there is a very remote possibility.