What would you do if you generated a Bitcoin address which had 100btc in it.

[cassimares]

After reading this topic, I am going to generate 1million address a day...

[Phinnaeus Gage]

100 BTC X $230 = $23,000

I could buy 20 of these and profit a quarter million dollars.

[starsoccer9]

After reading this topic, I am going to generate 1million address a day...

lol, I was thinking about making software to to do this. Generate address and see if one address has any balance

[matosha]

Keep quiet till every bitcoin has been mined. Then BAM!!!! buy the world over

[MysteryMiner]

1st answer. And post it publicly about the insecurity if there is no other way for me to generate more such treasure filled addresses.

[drawingthesun]

After reading this topic, I am going to generate 1million address a day...

lol, I was thinking about making software to to do this. Generate address and see if one address has any balance

I think you can use VanityGen to do this.

I know that VanityGen can generate 200,000,000 addresses a second on my computer, but it would be slower if you had to compare with your local blockchain for a balance every time. Also my computer is slow.

[starsoccer9]

After reading this topic, I am going to generate 1million address a day...

lol, I was thinking about making software to to do this. Generate address and see if one address has any balance

I think you can use VanityGen to do this.

I know that VanityGen can generate 200,000,000 addresses a second on my computer, but it would be slower if you had to compare with your local blockchain for a balance every time. Also my computer is slow.

wow thats alot. Yea I was considering for my program to just generate like 100 address then check all 100 address for a balance. Then add those address to a long running address list. which is checked every 5mins or something

[drawingthesun]

wow thats alot.

NOTE: My math may be wrong!

Well if my computer can check 200,000,000/Sec then thats 17 trillion addresses per day.

Lets see how close I can get to guessing a private key.

addresses per sec * seconds * minutes * hours * days in the year * age of Earth * some other number to get us close to guessing all possible combinations.

200000000*60*60*24*365*4500000000*10000000000000000000000 = 2.8 x 10^47 (close to how many possible combinations would have to be checked (I think))

So my computer would have to run constantly for the age of the Earth times 10 thousand billion billion (note that about 3 times is already older than the known universe)

So my computer would be running past the heat death of this universe and probably still would have not guessed a key with a balance.

[starsoccer9]

wow thats alot.

NOTE: My math may be wrong!

Well if my computer can check 200,000,000/Sec then thats 17 trillion addresses per day.

Lets see how close I can get to guessing a private key.

addresses per sec * seconds * minutes * hours * days in the year * age of Earth * some other number to get us close to guessing all possible combinations.

200000000*60*60*24*365*4500000000*10000000000000000000000 = 2.8 x 10^47 (close to how many possible combinations would have to be checked (I think))

So my computer would have to run constantly for the age of the Earth times 10 thousand billion billion (note that about 3 times is already older than the known universe)

So my computer would be running past the heat death of this universe and probably still would have not guessed a key with a balance.

hehe you proved a point.

I was just saying alot as my pc only generates like 50million a sec and thats with my 2 gpus and cpu cracking away

[maursader]

I voted, but this seems like one of those topics where the OP states something along the lines of, "Let's just say you won the powerball lottery, and took home over $120 million USD after tax, what would you do?" - The reality of this question is that the chances of this happening is so slim, especially on a wallet that contains 100 BTC, imo, it makes this thread pointless. Not sure what you're looking for OP, but if it ever happens, the person who lost the 100BTC probably deserved it. End of story.

[DobZombie]

If that happened it would prove that fate exists and the universe would want me to have the 100btc

[exstasie]

I'd do the exact same thing if I were to find 100BTCs walking down the street...

Look to my left, then to my right, then pick up it and RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

[Shallow]

Pretty sure most would take it and thanks their lucky stars

[Abdussamad]

Reminds me of what happened to butter zone. Someone sent him a lot of BTC and he tried to contact that person for months:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=133122.0

They even wrote a white paper on it.

[drawingthesun]

After reading this topic, I am going to generate 1million address a day...

lol, I was thinking about making software to to do this. Generate address and see if one address has any balance

This has already been done.  Read this thread:  

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=107172.0

You can download the program and start searching.

You will never find one but if attempting impossible things is something you like to do, have at it.

Incorrect!

It is certainly possible to run that program and guess a correct key to gain Bitcoins.

Its infeasible sure, the likelihood of this working approaches the impossible but never ever touches it.

Impossible is defined as never able to be done under any circumstance.

Just because the key space is large and searching it may take a trillion trillion years does not make the task impossible.

[foggyb]

After reading this topic, I am going to generate 1million address a day...

lol, I was thinking about making software to to do this. Generate address and see if one address has any balance

This has already been done.  Read this thread:  

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=107172.0

You can download the program and start searching.

You will never find one but if attempting impossible things is something you like to do, have at it.

Incorrect!

It is certainly possible to run that program and guess a correct key to gain Bitcoins.

Its infeasible sure, the likelihood of this working approaches the impossible but never ever touches it.

Impossible is defined as never able to be done under any circumstance.

Just because the key space is large and searching it may take a trillion trillion years does not make the task impossible.

Also do not forget that even if you find a valid address, chances are much more than 99.99 % certain it is a wallet with no coins (generated by another vanitygen).

That's a small chance. But,, it can still happen..which kind of scares me.

If you're scared of this, then you sure as hell should stop using banks and credit cards.

Because the chance of someone guessing your credit card details, AND your online banking credentials (AND winning the Powerball twice in a row) is still much, MUCH larger than someone accidentally generating your bitcoin address.

The chance of an asteroid destroying earth or a nuclear war is way higher.
Or getting struck by a lightning...twice in a row.

There has been at least one person that got hit by lightning a half dozen times. The truth is the odds against address collision are so great we cannot comprehend the vastness. We don't have any way to grasp it.

[drawingthesun]

Also do not forget that even if you find a valid address, chances are much more than 99.99 % certain it is a wallet with no coins (generated by another vanitygen).

You are always finding valid addresses with VanityGen, however if you set VanityGen to find a solution for a full length address you would obviously make sure that address you are bruteforcing held Bitcoins.

Its logical to brute force against the largest address because its illogical to search for any other address due to time and energy requirements.

[Realpra]

what's the probability of an address collision?

Like pretty much impossible. I believe you would need some absolutely insane luck for that to happen.

Which is why I would report it as a bug on the forums (bad random gen.).

Whether I would take the money or not also I think I would not.

[Mitchell]

Well if someone has 50.000 bitcoins in one address, they deserve to be stolen.
Anyway, I picked:

Transfer the coins to a different address with a public message, telling the owner to contact me. If (s)he can prove ownership of the private key I will return the coins minus a small finder's fee.

[porcupine87]

Is it not possible to password protect the private key for transfers? Or some other solution?

No! To have the private key of an address proves that you are the owner of this address.