Bitcoin Forum
May 08, 2024, 02:22:31 AM *
News: Latest Bitcoin Core release: 27.0 [Torrent]
 
   Home   Help Search Login Register More  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: How much computing power would be needed to crack one bitcoin adress?  (Read 1501 times)
stakhanov (OP)
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 175
Merit: 101


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 11:48:41 AM
 #1

I've been thinking, since all transactions are public, the balance associated with all public addresses is known. So an attacker could in theory concentrate all his computing power to try to find the private key associated to a single wealthy address.

How much computing power would be needed?
Advertised sites are not endorsed by the Bitcoin Forum. They may be unsafe, untrustworthy, or illegal in your jurisdiction.
1715134951
Hero Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1715134951

View Profile Personal Message (Offline)

Ignore
1715134951
Reply with quote  #2

1715134951
Report to moderator
MiningBuddy
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Activity: 927
Merit: 1000


฿itcoin ฿itcoin ฿itcoin


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 11:51:43 AM
 #2

See this thread: http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=26278

bcearl
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 168
Merit: 103



View Profile
July 07, 2011, 11:56:37 AM
 #3

You would have to break ECDSA with 256 bit keys. If you could do that, you could do a lot more than cracking Bitcoin addresses.

Misspelling protects against dictionary attacks NOT
stakhanov (OP)
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 175
Merit: 101


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:00:47 PM
 #4

You would have to break ECDSA with 256 bit keys. If you could do that, you could do a lot more than cracking Bitcoin addresses.

Thanks for the answer. And it does seem like a lot Smiley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptic_Curve_DSA
Gabi
Legendary
*
Offline Offline

Activity: 1148
Merit: 1008


If you want to walk on water, get out of the boat


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:02:04 PM
 #5

Quote
How much computing power would be needed?
Dunno, probably more than the total energy output of the sun for more than the age of the universe...


bcearl
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 168
Merit: 103



View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:08:58 PM
 #6

Quote
How much computing power would be needed?
Dunno, probably more than the total energy output of the sun for more than the age of the universe...



That's a worthless statement, because it depends on current computing technology and ECDSA-attacking algoithms.

Misspelling protects against dictionary attacks NOT
Gabi
Legendary
*
Offline Offline

Activity: 1148
Merit: 1008


If you want to walk on water, get out of the boat


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:13:58 PM
 #7

Well do you have an algorithm that make such attack feasible with less energy and time?  Cheesy

natman3400
Member
**
Offline Offline

Activity: 98
Merit: 10

firstbits: 1nathana


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:14:15 PM
 #8

I've been thinking, since all transactions are public, the balance associated with all public addresses is known. So an attacker could in theory concentrate all his computing power to try to find the private key associated to a single wealthy address.

How much computing power would be needed?
All of it.
Just had to say that.

Support the BitClip project:
http://bit.ly/vghQFK
Donate to bitclip: 1BCincd4sHM1ou5QcxZ4vc4hKzsxXCpQT
Dontate to me: 1NathanAubdutd4kW4VwfcEXEWvgkqEq7V
PGP key 1: http://goo.gl/TUIWe
PGP key 2: http://goo.gl/jrfaI
Proof both keys belong to me: http://goo.gl/dQSHl
bcearl
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 168
Merit: 103



View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:16:02 PM
 #9

Well do you have an algorithm that make such attack feasible with less energy and time?  Cheesy

I may have one before the universe ends. Or I may have a better computer that consumes less energy.

Misspelling protects against dictionary attacks NOT
Tronlet
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 224
Merit: 100


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:16:49 PM
 #10

It's just insanity to even think of it.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2^160

In plain numbers, that first output under "Result:" is what 2^160 is. 1,461,501,637,330,902,918,203,684,832,716,283,019,655,932,542,976.

Supposing that a quadrillion addresses have been generated (1,000,000,000,000,000), which is many magnitudes higher than the actual number generated, anyone trying to do this would have to try over 100 decillion addresses (100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) on average before getting a single address, and the chances that that address would contain nothing because of vanity address mining are quite huge.

I understand not assuming anything about the future's capabilities, but surely a limit must be drawn at some point, by the time we could even think to have such computational power bitcoin and everything like it (the Internet as we know it, countries, governments, the human body even) would probably be obsolete.

Basically, not worth worrying about. ECDSA is the most trusted hashing algorithm, as well, because its methods mean it can't be cracked like other hashing algorithms can, so there won't be a back door. At least not before the death of the Sun/some other incredible happening that will change humanity forever.

Gabi
Legendary
*
Offline Offline

Activity: 1148
Merit: 1008


If you want to walk on water, get out of the boat


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:18:07 PM
 #11

Well do you have an algorithm that make such attack feasible with less energy and time?  Cheesy

I may have one before the universe ends. Or I may have a better computer that consumes less energy.

Good luck

bcearl
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 168
Merit: 103



View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:19:59 PM
 #12

Well do you have an algorithm that make such attack feasible with less energy and time?  Cheesy

I may have one before the universe ends. Or I may have a better computer that consumes less energy.

Good luck

ECDSA -- like all crypto based on the discrete logarithm -- lives from the fact that there is no algorithm known to calculate the discrete logarithm efficiently. It is not proven to be hard. (Same is true for factorization by the way.)

Misspelling protects against dictionary attacks NOT
Gabi
Legendary
*
Offline Offline

Activity: 1148
Merit: 1008


If you want to walk on water, get out of the boat


View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:26:20 PM
 #13

It should resist quantum computers too right? Unlike factorization i mean

bcearl
Full Member
***
Offline Offline

Activity: 168
Merit: 103



View Profile
July 07, 2011, 12:28:03 PM
 #14

It should resist quantum computers too right? Unlike factorization i mean

No.

http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9508027

Misspelling protects against dictionary attacks NOT
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.19 | SMF © 2006-2009, Simple Machines Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!