Good methods to obfuscate a paper wallet?

[Bizmark13]

I've printed a rudimentary paper wallet that's really just a private key and an address on a piece of paper. I keep it in a box under my bed. My concern is that if it went missing or someone broke into my house and stole it, my funds could be compromised. I doubt any thieves today would know what to do with a private key and would probably ignore it or throw it away but if Bitcoin becomes more mainstream, then the thieves of the future might realize what it is and figure out a way to spend it.

So how does one obfuscate a private key?

For example, a really basic method might be to pass the whole thing through a substitution cipher.

Or perhaps it might be possible to incorporate the private key into a coupon by scanning an existing coupon, embedding the private key into the space where the serial number is supposed to be, and printing it. Make sure the expiry date on the coupon is set to a date before the current date so that any thief who finds it will think it's worthless and won't try to redeem it.

Or find a really complicated-looking paper in a computer science journal and secretly stick your private key in the middle of all the code and equations so it doesn't look out of place before printing it.

Anyone got any other ideas?

[Lorenzo]

You could hide it in a barcode.

[DannyHamilton]

Create a 2 of 3 multi-sig.

Print out 3 separate paper wallets, each with a different 1 of the 3 possible addresses.

Store them in three different places.

If any 1 gets stolen, you can still recover the bitcoins with the other 2, and the thief can't do anything with the 1 they've got.


If you're really paranoid about it, create a 3 of 5 multi-sig, and store each paper wallet in a different place.

Now even if a thief manages to steal 2 of them, you can still recover the bitcoins and the thief can't do anything with the 2 they've got.

[BillyBobJoe]

Something I have found to be interesting and have been reading up on, have not actually used it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography

http://dottech.org/104672/windows-best-free-steganography-software-review/

[odolvlobo]

Use BIP-38 to encrypt the private key: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=872eSnlKUeg

[DrG]

You can use the above methods but ultimately you will want to use the method that is easiest for you to recover while being the hardest for a thief to use.  My house was burglarized last year so I redid my security for everything including my BTC.  I have my distributed around the world (worth it for me).  Wallets, such as Armory or Mycellium have what is called a M of N wallet - you need a certain number of pieces out of the total (as Danny noted).

Simple is making a 2 of 3 wallet.  Keep 1 piece at your house, 1 at best friends house, 1 at work or parents house.  Unless somebody has you at gunpoint the likelihood of 2 papers getting compromised is rare.

I live in earthquake country so I assume my house and everything within 50 miles of me will burn to the ground  - hence I went worldwide