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Author Topic: Seeing the same recieve address on an altcoin.  (Read 497 times)
tom_o (OP)
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June 07, 2013, 01:37:20 PM
 #1

If for example, I noticed someone using terracoin had the same receive address as my bitcoin one, could I use my bitcoin private key on the terracoin network to spend all of that person's coins? Surely this could work as they both use the same algorithm to derive the public key from the private one.

Seems like quite a big security flaw, although ridiculously unlikely to happen, it could..
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June 07, 2013, 01:41:07 PM
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if both coins share the same prefix, then yes.

such an event is almost statistically impossible. you're more likely to win the lottery 10 times in a row.

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June 07, 2013, 01:42:02 PM
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Don't all coins have their own prefix in the address? Like BTC starts with 1, LTC with L and so on? Or is this prefix not considered while deriving keys?
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June 07, 2013, 02:06:04 PM
Last edit: June 07, 2013, 06:10:43 PM by jackjack
 #4

if both coins share the same prefix, then yes.
Even if not the same prefix

Own address: 19QkqAza7BHFTuoz9N8UQkryP4E9jHo4N3 - Pywallet support: 1AQDfx22pKGgXnUZFL1e4UKos3QqvRzNh5 - Bitcointalk++ script support: 1Pxeccscj1ygseTdSV1qUqQCanp2B2NMM2
Pywallet: instructions. Encrypted wallet support, export/import keys/addresses, backup wallets, export/import CSV data from/into wallet, merge wallets, delete/import addresses and transactions, recover altcoins sent to bitcoin addresses, sign/verify messages and files with Bitcoin addresses, recover deleted wallets, etc.
tom_o (OP)
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June 07, 2013, 05:46:34 PM
 #5

Don't all coins have their own prefix in the address? Like BTC starts with 1, LTC with L and so on? Or is this prefix not considered while deriving keys?

if both coins share the same prefix, then yes.
Even if not the prefix

Is the prefix missed out in calculation then?
jackjack
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June 07, 2013, 06:10:55 PM
 #6

Don't all coins have their own prefix in the address? Like BTC starts with 1, LTC with L and so on? Or is this prefix not considered while deriving keys?

if both coins share the same prefix, then yes.
Even if not the prefix

Is the prefix missed out in calculation then?
Yes
Where you send the coins isn't the address but the hash160 of the public key (ie step 3: 010966776006953D5567439E5E39F86A0D273BEE in the wiki example)
The prefix is only added in step 4

See https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=220946.msg2343066#msg2343066

Own address: 19QkqAza7BHFTuoz9N8UQkryP4E9jHo4N3 - Pywallet support: 1AQDfx22pKGgXnUZFL1e4UKos3QqvRzNh5 - Bitcointalk++ script support: 1Pxeccscj1ygseTdSV1qUqQCanp2B2NMM2
Pywallet: instructions. Encrypted wallet support, export/import keys/addresses, backup wallets, export/import CSV data from/into wallet, merge wallets, delete/import addresses and transactions, recover altcoins sent to bitcoin addresses, sign/verify messages and files with Bitcoin addresses, recover deleted wallets, etc.
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