2 BTC Reward / Electrum.dat password recovery (have seed)

[sage55]

Reward has been upped to 2 BTC.

Here is my seed: 8d3kJQ7jPs+OjaQ10qxVoHGDGqHIv9rMCnQW64Q5eJ6tDctzf5ZeiN2oHKEzQFEs0Y+9yntOTDr7OMBpl//FPg==

 Hey all,

I've got an electrum.dat wallet file from 2013. I do have the seed.

The issue is that I've forgotten the password, however, do have an idea on what it might be.

There is an amount of BTC I've put in cold storage back in 2013. Then I imported (not swept) the cold storage private keys to this old wallet back at the same time.

Unfortunately, I'm unable to access these imported private keys now due to forgetting the password.

I'm still able to access all data from an older version of Electrum; Just not able to access my imported keys due to a password wall.

If there is anyone that can crack this I'm offering a 1 BTC bounty/reward.  

If you don't necessarily want to crack the pass but can walk me through it (i.e. JTR Jumbo) then the reward stays the same.

**PM me or reply to this thread. Any help is greatly appreciated!**

P.S. I own this wallet and have the seed. These imported private keys are from cold storage; these keys are not 'swept'. I need my password to access them. This is the reason for the 1 BTC reward.

P.S.S. Not looking for 'tips' or cracking wallets in general. Looking for a specific solution to my conundrum.

If anyone can help will post results and BTC reward transfer. Also, will keep anonymity at your discretion.  Thank you!

[unamis76]

If you think you know at least some of the password, you may want to try btcrecover. There's a tutorial on the github page. BTW, there's an Electrum subforum, you might want to try and post there instead.

[unamis76]

All you need is the seed. Download the latest electrum and click file>new/restore.

Then name your wallet.
Select "standard wallet"
"I already have a seed"
And paste the seed in the next box.

Then follow the rest of the steps and your coins should be recovered.

The user is looking for recovery of imported keys, as stated, those aren't included in the seed.

[sage55]

I'll offer this up as well - If you do not know an exact solution, but can point us all in the right direction, I'll reward .01 BTC per well-written and coherent post relating to this issue at hand.

This can only be awarded after a solution is found.

Believe me, fellas, I'm frustrated.  

[sage55]

If you think you know at least some of the password, you may want to try btcrecover. There's a tutorial on the github page. BTW, there's an Electrum subforum, you might want to try and post there instead.

Thank you unamis76 - I've read through BTCRecover and cannot get it to work. Do you think it will help here?

[cr1776]

If you think you know at least some of the password, you may want to try btcrecover. There's a tutorial on the github page. BTW, there's an Electrum subforum, you might want to try and post there instead.

Thank you unamis76 - I've read through BTCRecover and cannot get it to work. Do you think it will help here?

It should help since it works with Electrum and you have ideas about the password. You probably know, but whatever you do, don’t send anyone your wallet file.  And make a backup or two of it now prior to messing with it.

What didn’t work?

[unamis76]

If you think you know at least some of the password, you may want to try btcrecover. There's a tutorial on the github page. BTW, there's an Electrum subforum, you might want to try and post there instead.

Thank you unamis76 - I've read through BTCRecover and cannot get it to work. Do you think it will help here?

Yes, I think it can probably help. What troubles are you having setting it up?

[sage55]

Honestly

Have been a mess through JTR and BTRecover. Just trying to figure out a solution to this. That is why I'm posting a bounty.

[HCP]

So if I am understanding correctly... you have an old Electrum wallet file from when Electrum used to allow storing "non Seed" private keys in the same wallet file as "seeded" private keys... You have the seed but you can't remember the password to this file, so you can recover the coins contained in the "seeded" addresses, but not the imported addresses?

As unamis76 has stated, your best option is probably btcrecover. If you are having issues getting btcrecover working, it might also be possible for you to use the "extract" scripts that btcrecover offers (https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/blob/master/docs/Extract_Scripts.md#usage-for-electrum), so that other users can attempt to find your password for you WITHOUT needing a copy of your wallet file. In essence they get a short snippet of the wallet file, that will enable btcrecover to test passwords for correctness but contains no useful wallet info.

To use the extract script, you just need to have Python 2.7 installed... https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/blob/master/docs/INSTALL.md#python-27

download the appropriate Electrum extract script:

Electrum 1.x: https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/raw/master/extract-scripts/extract-electrum-halfseed.py
Electrum 2.x: https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/raw/master/extract-scripts/extract-electrum2-partmpk.py

Usage of the script is decscribed here: https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/blob/master/docs/Extract_Scripts.md#usage-for-electrum

After you have the extract, you would be able to provide anyone attempting to crack it, hints on what the password is likely to be, they could create a token file... and start using btcrecover to try and crack it.

Alternatively, for the amounts you're talking about, you might want to contact Dave at Wallet Recover Services (https://walletrecoveryservices.com/)... he seems to have a fairly solid reputation for be legit: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=240779.0

[sage55]

This is very close to a solution and thank you! I'm not touching those D/L links out of safety. However, provide a public donation address and I will send .01 btc for your effort. Once a total solution is found:

P.S. Bounty is to walk me through this or find a total solution.

[Borisz]

Hello,

I am joining to the others and am fairly confident that btcrecover can help you. If you indeed have an idea of what the password might be then you want a token file. This is nicely explained on https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/blob/master/TUTORIAL.md#the-token-file.

If, however, you do not want to go the route as mentioned by HCP and give a part of your wallet file to anyone to have a go at it, then you have to do it on your own.

I would approach it in the following way
Step 1.
Write down everything about the password on a sheet of paper. For example: contained full words, any special characters, where could these be roughly, did it start or end with a special character/phrase or word. Also quite important, how long was the password? The exact length is ideal, otherwise you have to do more iterations and more preparation in step 3. If you know the password had the word "cat" in it, but was 30 characters long, well...good luck. If you combined 2-3-4 "standrad passwords" that you use, but don't remember exactly the order or if anything was capitalized, maybe a few special symbols, then your chances are vastly improved.
Step 2.
Create a copy of your wallet file and work with that. Always keep a copy somewhere safe.
Step 3.
Head over to the tutorial linked above and see what you need. Since it is well explained there and I have no information on your password, I cannot help you with anything specific, but you definitely want to look at a "token file".
Btcrecover can mix and match whole words that you know for sure appear in the password; even if you don't know if you capitalized it or it was at the end of beginning.
The remainder of the password where you have no info has to be filled out with wildcards. A clever use of these, e.g. if you know that it was all lower case or all numerical, can also greatly imporve your chances.
You have to spend most of your time on this part where you have to cleverly assemble the input parameters to tell the software what to do later. With well-defined parameters you can be relaxed that running btcrecover for x minutes/hours/days was not a waste of time and you will get something at the end.
Step 4.
Start crunching with btcrecover. This is also well explained in the guide and again without knowing anything about your password and possible hardware, not much can be helped.
If you have indeed "an idea of what the password might be" and fairly decent hardware for number crucnhing, your chances are good.

Good luck!

[HCP]

This is very close to a solution and thank you! I'm not touching those D/L links out of safety. However, provide a public donation address and I will send .01 btc for your effort. Once a total solution is found:

P.S. Bounty is to walk me through this or find a total solution.

No worries... glad to help where I can... my address for future reference is: 16qkTAUmtCdBYfXXKKGKqD8pAYtL1T5pqV

As for the links, they're all github... and all found under the btcrecover repo: https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover

As for a total solution, you're basically down to creating a "token" file for btcrecover... and then setting it going and hoping for the best... was your password likely to be long and complicated? or relatively simple? At the end of the day... that, and the "quality" of your token file is likely to determine the chances of wallet recovery.

[susila_bai]

I am also using Electrum desktop wallet for windows and i think if you have the seed key with you then you dont need the password because when you install the electrum wallet that time it ask to create new wallet or import the wallet with seed key and when you insert the seed key your wallet is generated and it ask you to input the password newly so your old password dont work. This is what i am using this way and restoring my electrum wallet in other places and access my address. So i think you are missing something in the seed key. Try this option and see that you are getting your solutions.

[unamis76]

This is very close to a solution and thank you! I'm not touching those D/L links out of safety. However, provide a public donation address and I will send .01 btc for your effort. Once a total solution is found:

P.S. Bounty is to walk me through this or find a total solution.

We can guide you, but we need to know exactly in what steps you got stuck while setting up btcrecover. If you follow the tutorial on their github page you should be able to set it up quickly.

To begin with you should download the program:

Code:

wget https://github.com/gurnec/btcrecover/archive/master.zip

And then unzip it

Code:

unzip master.zip

You should then install needed dependencies. You can begin with python, first check if it already installed with:

Code:

python --version

If it's not installed and if you use Ubuntu I think you can install it in a very straightforward way

Code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python

Then off to coincurve

Code:

sudo pip install coincurve==5.2.0

If this returns an error you probably don't have pip, install it like this... Otherwise just skip this

Code:

sudo easy_install pip

or

Code:

sudo apt-get install python-pip

Then PyCrypto

Code:

sudo apt-get install python-crypto

After this you should have everything needed. I don't remember the last time I used this tool, but after a quick read on the instructions I think this is all that's needed. Do this and post if you have any issues. After this, we can proceed.

[AdolfinWolf]

I am also using Electrum desktop wallet for windows and i think if you have the seed key with you then you dont need the password because when you install the electrum wallet that time it ask to create new wallet or import the wallet with seed key and when you insert the seed key your wallet is generated and it ask you to input the password newly so your old password dont work. This is what i am using this way and restoring my electrum wallet in other places and access my address. So i think you are missing something in the seed key. Try this option and see that you are getting your solutions.

No, it won't work since OP is looking for private keys that have later been imported to the wallet, and those aren't going to be included in the normal seed.

With the  seed you will only be able to recover the private keys that have been created with the seed/wallet, not the imported ones.

[Digital_Currency_LTD]

"Have been a mess through JTR and BTRecover. Just trying to figure out a solution to this. That is why I'm posting a bounty."


I think this will not help. I tried it some times and not worked for me.

[sage55]

I am also using Electrum desktop wallet for windows and i think if you have the seed key with you then you dont need the password because when you install the electrum wallet that time it ask to create new wallet or import the wallet with seed key and when you insert the seed key your wallet is generated and it ask you to input the password newly so your old password dont work. This is what i am using this way and restoring my electrum wallet in other places and access my address. So i think you are missing something in the seed key. Try this option and see that you are getting your solutions.

No, it won't work since OP is looking for private keys that have later been imported to the wallet, and those aren't going to be included in the normal seed.

With the  seed you will only be able to recover the private keys that have been created with the seed/wallet, not the imported ones.

^ This is exactly my quandary. This is an imported key to a main wallet that was never SWEPT. Realistically, I could release this wallet seed to the internet for the password?

[unamis76]

I am also using Electrum desktop wallet for windows and i think if you have the seed key with you then you dont need the password because when you install the electrum wallet that time it ask to create new wallet or import the wallet with seed key and when you insert the seed key your wallet is generated and it ask you to input the password newly so your old password dont work. This is what i am using this way and restoring my electrum wallet in other places and access my address. So i think you are missing something in the seed key. Try this option and see that you are getting your solutions.

No, it won't work since OP is looking for private keys that have later been imported to the wallet, and those aren't going to be included in the normal seed.

With the  seed you will only be able to recover the private keys that have been created with the seed/wallet, not the imported ones.

^ This is exactly my quandary. This is an imported key to a main wallet that was never SWEPT. Realistically, I could release this wallet seed to the internet for the password?

As stated before, and as you've said, the funds were never swept, so they're not backed up with that seed. If you have nothing there, you could release it and that would be of no help for recovering the funds you want. Have you tried any recovering tools so far (including the one stated above)?

[DannyHamilton]

I am also using Electrum desktop wallet for windows and i think if you have the seed key with you then you dont need the password because when you install the electrum wallet that time it ask to create new wallet or import the wallet with seed key and when you insert the seed key your wallet is generated and it ask you to input the password newly so your old password dont work. This is what i am using this way and restoring my electrum wallet in other places and access my address. So i think you are missing something in the seed key. Try this option and see that you are getting your solutions.

No, it won't work since OP is looking for private keys that have later been imported to the wallet, and those aren't going to be included in the normal seed.

With the  seed you will only be able to recover the private keys that have been created with the seed/wallet, not the imported ones.

^ This is exactly my quandary. This is an imported key to a main wallet that was never SWEPT. Realistically, I could release this wallet seed to the internet for the password?

I don't have a lot of experience with Electrum, but if you haven't solved it yet by this weekend I'll grab the source code and take a look at how it encrypts the seed.

Would you mind sending me a message letting me know everything you can remember about the password?

For example:

• Definite size range? (I'm guessing it is more than 3 characters long and less than 130 characters long, but can you narow it down any more than that?)
• Are you likely to have used a password generator, or do you think you came up with it on your own?
• Do you think it might have had any numeric digits?
• Do you think it might have had any upper case characters?
• Do you think if might have had any lower case characters?
• Do you think it might have had any punctuation or other "special characters"?
• Do you think it might have had any spaces or tabs?
• Are there any passwords that you thought were right until you tried them and discovered they didn't work?
• If you didn't use a password generator, then is are there any common methods you would typically use to create a secure password?
• If you didn't use a password generator, then do you think it is likely to have any correctly spelled words in the password?
• If you didn't use a password generator, then do you think it is likely to have any intentionally mis-spelled words in the password?
• If you didn't use a password generator, then do you think it is likely to have anything meaningful to you in the password (birthdate, acronym, first letters of words in a sentence, etc)?
• Is there anything else you can think of that the password would definitely have (or definitely NOT have)?