Video - How I Slowly Revealed Private Keys To a BTC wallet!

[ideas500k.com]

I run an experiment for the https://bitcoinroot.com/ project where I slowly revealed the unknown characters to my topped up Bitcoin wallet's private keys. With 14 characters still to go somebody managed to crack it.

The prize was $25 and this brings a big concern. Are Bitcoin private keys sage if somebody can crack 14 characters so easily with such a small prize at stake? What if big IBM supercomputers were to be applied for cracking private keys?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEn5obPY5wU

[mrquackquack]

Right, its always a possibility and also the threat of the infamous quantum computer is still lurking around the corner but who knows? At this point in time unlikely not to say it can't be accomplished but highly unlikely.

[Negotiation]

I agree with you it is good news but it is difficult to say how much it will be possible at work  We all have to work carefully. I think this will work fine on a supercomputer as it will not be able to hold private keys if the quantum computer is operating new.

[Ucy]

I guess this was easy to crack because part of the private key is already known. But I wonder how something like this could be done profitably with lots of energy and computer power. I guess the person/persons who cracked it did it anyway with efficient/strong hardware whether profitably or not, used free/cheap energy, used computers that belong to others.

Keeping too much in one private still not a good idea though. Better to split(automatically/manually) large amounts into smaller amounts and recombine when needed. Could only cost more fees and probably slow the network. 

[mrquackquack]

My thoughts were to be how did they manage to actually crack it and if I were you I would simply ask them how they did it?