Bitcoin puzzle worth $50,000 solved after nearly three years

[alyssa85]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42944290

A secret code hidden in a painting that gave access to an online wallet containing Bitcoin worth $50,000 (£35,500) has been cracked after nearly three years.

The artwork, by Rob Myers and @coin_artist, who uses a pseudonym, was first published online in early 2015.

A code contained within it revealed a private key that granted its discoverer access to the wallet full of bitcoins.

And the bitcoins were finally removed from the wallet last week.

Technology website Motherboard reported that a 30-year-old programmer had claimed the funds after searching online for puzzles to do with crypto-currencies.

Motherboard added that the programmer said they lived in a country where it was "not safe" to own Bitcoin and therefore wanted to keep their name secret.

Here is the painting:

[slothtrooper]

Nice, I bet he is happy, if he really exists or maybe it was just a easy way to get some publicly and not have to pay a bean

[paolo099]

there was a topic here with loads of reply, a lot of discussion going on, calculation and many theory.
It was amazing to read all the answers and i was amazed this was such an hard puzzle who really took 3 years to be solved.
Prop to them!

[ChickenDuck]

Why didn’t that guy public his solution to find the secret key? Then we all know how great he is to crack this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42944290

A secret code hidden in a painting that gave access to an online wallet containing Bitcoin worth $50,000 (£35,500) has been cracked after nearly three years.

The artwork, by Rob Myers and @coin_artist, who uses a pseudonym, was first published online in early 2015.

A code contained within it revealed a private key that granted its discoverer access to the wallet full of bitcoins.

And the bitcoins were finally removed from the wallet last week.

Technology website Motherboard reported that a 30-year-old programmer had claimed the funds after searching online for puzzles to do with crypto-currencies.

Motherboard added that the programmer said they lived in a country where it was "not safe" to own Bitcoin and therefore wanted to keep their name secret.

Here is the painting:

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/176FE/production/_99889959_torchedhearts.jpg

[alyssa85]

there was a topic here with loads of reply, a lot of discussion going on, calculation and many theory.
It was amazing to read all the answers and i was amazed this was such an hard puzzle who really took 3 years to be solved.
Prop to them!

It says in the article that the winner solved it after searching online for help.

I wonder if he was in that thread and found the answer after reading everyone's contributions?

[RodeoX]

That is such a cool project. Is there a link to the private key somewhere? It would be interesting to see the relationship betwwen the key and the image.

[felicanoma]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42944290

A secret code hidden in a painting that gave access to an online wallet containing Bitcoin worth $50,000 (£35,500) has been cracked after nearly three years.

The artwork, by Rob Myers and @coin_artist, who uses a pseudonym, was first published online in early 2015.

A code contained within it revealed a private key that granted its discoverer access to the wallet full of bitcoins.

And the bitcoins were finally removed from the wallet last week.

Technology website Motherboard reported that a 30-year-old programmer had claimed the funds after searching online for puzzles to do with crypto-currencies.

Motherboard added that the programmer said they lived in a country where it was "not safe" to own Bitcoin and therefore wanted to keep their name secret.

Here is the painting:

wow ... it's a very brilliant idea to put the code in a painting, I think the progamer is so smart that I can see something in something.
this made me so motivated to keep my secret key in such a spectacular way so that my grandchildren would know my privacy key.

[jseverson]

That's pretty incredible. That must have taken a lot of dedication. Glad to see it paid off for the programmer. I must also say, this piece of news is a very welcome breath of fresh air among all the negativity surrounding crypto lately.

What isn't clear to me is, was the Bitcoin in the puzzle worth $50,000 in 2015, or is it worth $50,000 right now? $50k amounts to around 6 Bitcoins at the moment, and with Bitcoin being at $350ish in early 2015, that would only be worth around $2,100 then which IMO is a little low for such an elaborate puzzle. The puzzle HODL'd though and generated massive profits lmao.

[gordeevaar]

there was a topic here with loads of reply, a lot of discussion going on, calculation and many theory.
It was amazing to read all the answers and i was amazed this was such an hard puzzle who really took 3 years to be solved.
Prop to them!

$50000 reward for 3 years effort ? Isn't it too much ? They would have made more if they were just involved with Bitcoin investing instead of solving that puzzle.

[charliegengos]

Wow! he's very motivated for a thing that can be done after 3 years. Well he's rewarded for it. Lesson learned " Just don't give up "

[Imfinnabeon]

This is why Bitcoin can't be stopped people, it isn't just digital money. Bitcoin is data and you can recreate it any which way all you need is something you can code into including paintings and emojis! 

[Clement Kaliyar]

Wow, i did not know that there was a big puzzle which is worth such a huge amount and where was it published,i do not remember any thread regarding this here in this forum,i would have tried to crack the code even though it is tough,it is a really cool news that the puzzle is solved after three years,is there any more puzzles like these,if so please provide some information regarding that.

[superteshi]

No worth anymore bitcoin and forks free falling.
It took long solve because creators of puzzle dishonest about requirements.

[fiulpro]

I don't think that the guy who purchased those Bitcoins 3 years before and gave this puzzle to the world ..is Happy with this 😂since the value of Bitcoins have increased a lotttt !
He could have just solved it himself by creating a fake name or something, who knows if he did !
Anyways I do think whoever this guy is..  his intelligence paid off.. SO WELL!

[jakelyson]

I was following this puzzle for a while, but I got frustrated and gave up. It would be great if the solution could be published so I could at least know where I have gone wrong. Congratulations to the lucky guy.

[Taki]

That is such a cool project. Is there a link to the private key somewhere? It would be interesting to see the relationship betwwen the key and the image.

Really it is! It is very interesting case of bitcoin reward which I have ever heard. Now as many of others I would like to see the answer to imagine all the work he done more fullfilly.

[z38630610]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42944290

A secret code hidden in a painting that gave access to an online wallet containing Bitcoin worth $50,000 (£35,500) has been cracked after nearly three years.

The artwork, by Rob Myers and @coin_artist, who uses a pseudonym, was first published online in early 2015.

A code contained within it revealed a private key that granted its discoverer access to the wallet full of bitcoins.

And the bitcoins were finally removed from the wallet last week.

Technology website Motherboard reported that a 30-year-old programmer had claimed the funds after searching online for puzzles to do with crypto-currencies.

Motherboard added that the programmer said they lived in a country where it was "not safe" to own Bitcoin and therefore wanted to keep their name secret.

Here is the painting:

I am interested in puzzles. I solved 2000 pieces puzzle in last time but it would be very hard for solving with bitcoin code. I prefer to continue with my easy hobby. Congratulations for the programmer.

[BelieveInBitcoin]

Well done to him. I'm often sceptical that these puzzles are real, but it seems this one really was.

[LeonardoDiCrypto]

That's a nice story. Of course by watching at the picture I cannot see anything which I would be able to read as binary code - it would be nice if there would also be a step by step precise information of which bits of the picture mean exactly what.

[Crypto Piece]

there was a topic here with loads of reply, a lot of discussion going on, calculation and many theory.
It was amazing to read all the answers and i was amazed this was such an hard puzzle who really took 3 years to be solved.
Prop to them!

Can you, please, point to the thread?