This is not a stake your Bitcoin address here thread,but an interesting reminder

[DdmrDdmr]

… at least for some of us …

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Felices Navidades y buena entrada de año a todos, o como he dicho en el foro en inglés:
Merit Xmas and a halving new year!
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
13upczNkBd7t3yP9Mp5Lg7bgX7ewKFYkjA
INEc8/k/5MS/zSs0PBQrM6G17+Uw5FEwBqQCQLZPwOP2BX799xcucW2ktWvehgAuGQJI46xyMrqxfP6LgCJ9QU8=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

On christmas eve, I though that it would be interesting to create a thread on my local board (see Felices fiestas, con un mensaje BTC firmado … resuelto - Happy holidays, with a signed BTC message … solved) where people could place their xMas greetings, using a signed message for it. To make it more interesting, ideally, people would be using their original BTC address used when (and if) they signed their message on the Stake your Bitcoin address here thread, which is important to evidence account ownership starting point in case we need to recover our account.

Now the interesting lesson some of us encountered there, and even more so me, was that signing a message from the original address after some time is not always that simple (nor user friendly), and that it is good exercise to perform every now and then.

In my specific case, I originally signed my message from a Ledger Nano S alongside the BTC Chrome app. Now that app is depreciated (although I still have access to it), and has been replaced by Ledger Live. Fine, let’s sign the message from there … where’s the damn option now ? … no where … it hasn’t been added to Ledger Live .. now what ? …

To cut a long story short, I ended-up installing Electrum (newbie here with it), and was unable to find my original Legacy address there (the address has 0 balance and 0 TXs historically). I played around with the derivation path (which I though was not part of the solution – and it wasn’t), the xPub, and a few other things, and still could not see my original address amongst the 20 displayed in the Electrum Legacy wallet by default. I tried to sign a message by manually feeding the address, and, if I recall correctly, Electrum stated that the address was not included in the wallet I had created.

It wasn’t, until I played around with the console that I got to finally see my address, after extending from 20 to 200 addresses by means of:

wallet.change_gap_limit(200)
wallet.synchronize()

After doing that, I could now see my original BTC address in the list of addresses in my Electrum wallet, and, at last, sign my xMas BTC message from my original BTC address (shown above).


Having said all that, this thread is not about a specific hardware/software wallet, but a gentle reminder to, perhaps, try out the Bitcoin Message signing process every now and then, especially after important updates or change of the wallet being used, or simply to remember the process. Ideally, trying out with the original address used in the Stake your Bitcoin address here thread.

Note: The informal formal thread to verify addresses should remain the same:  Stake your Bitcoin address here. This current thread you are on here does not guarantee quoting and verifying messages, and is intended solely as a reminder to a, what seems to me, good practice (+ xMas wishes).

[1713495348]

1713495348

[Lucius]

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Lucius, 27.12.2019
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1DAyhP7fFDqvNhtgh934WERFZ62ixixQ27
INzGmwhyBXc6HMBJ7LmufcTzNn52wfoaVYAat5gKF+zkBVlv3lfbJH8cwf+VoDkD2/egejrQVzygxVY1wFR9pWQ=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

I have to admit that I am in a similar situation as you, because I also used my last signed address from Ledger Nano S (and even worse I pick one change address), so gap limits in Electrum are only way to see that address and sign message.

I still have access to my old address/es private keys, but considering how important it is to have a private key in a completely secure environment, only the address that is part of the hardware wallet makes sense to me at this point (assuming, of course, that the seed and PIN are in a safe place).

[eddie13]

1vvSrTFiQY7akwbsv3iYPPe9mR3DsEbff
Happy Holidays!
eddie13 12/27/19
IPymZ5TqUfPQWz121+qMgXw0JckqJ3VfyJQdDis0ay3yapbQUcbsfkBSR5tKFL6YUL8snDIun+jFLE2WRD9oCcA=

I lost the PW to my electrum with my first original staked address in it but this one is plenty old and I restaked it quite a while back..

I think that having a staked address is good in more ways than just to recover a lost forum account.. It can be used to prove who you are for that and also anywhere else in the world, like on Telegram for example, and I think you should have one to properly sign contracts or deal agreements..

[DireWolfM14]

I made the uber-noob mistake with my first staked address.  I used an off-line machine to generate a paper private key, but then I imported it into my (then) Blockchain.info web wallet to sign a message with it.  

I've since deleted the private key from Blockchain.com's web wallet, but is it ever really deleted?  

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
27 DEC 2019
Feliz Navidad, y año nuevo.
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1Dt1Zu6jg5kqMFgGPtR7F9rMoSEwDqoFnH
HIEQqLu2GCLvjGbnOfcXUjYX2yvVBp7jV7bdGR/pRCPCFbFzYNwhbviQZfSxnHvNgnAffE2MGwLAmoHIAT1Wh2o=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Then I learned about Electrum and some good practices for keeping a desktop wallet secure.  My second staked address is from a desktop wallet that's only installed on a couple of well secured computers.

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
27 DEC 2019
Feliz Navidad, y año nuevo.
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
157v67atJjnx7Fdi2wmcBBpChugHNmDWup
ILkCe0MX0/Bq39kmx2mTjHs77SPIkhXUziH75YV8fX9ODRcWXyM1Nz+kdzVStnu+y1nsESU1EOa4YC+6Gc1GJFk=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Having my staked address from a desktop wallet is probably not the most secure method, but I've used plenty of address around here that are from very secure hardware wallets.  If I ever had to prove that I'm me it shouldn't be too hard, even if one of my staked addresses was hijacked.

[Welsh]

I have to admit that I am in a similar situation as you, because I also used my last signed address from Ledger Nano S (and even worse I pick one change address), so gap limits in Electrum are only way to see that address and sign message.

I still have access to my old address/es private keys, but considering how important it is to have a private key in a completely secure environment, only the address that is part of the hardware wallet makes sense to me at this point (assuming, of course, that the seed and PIN are in a safe place).

I'm currently undergoing a complete security revamp, as in the past my security hasn't been all that great, but still probably better than average. Including the environment that my private key was for my staked address was generated on. Therefore, I'll be looking to create a new private key shortly, as well as revisiting passwords, and the operating system that I use. I've hinted in the last few days that I'm making the move to Qubes OS because of its isolation features. However, I'd like to have my private key for my staked address to be completely separate to everything else.

At least most of my funds are stored in a secure environment, but I probably didn't treat my staked address with the same due diligence.

Therefore, you can probably expect me to change several things in the near future. Especially, my gmail account that I no longer use.

Staked address, email, and password.

[bitmover]

To cut a long story short, I ended-up installing Electrum (newbie here with it), and was unable to find my original Legacy address there (the address has 0 balance and 0 TXs historically). I played around with the derivation path (which I though was not part of the solution – and it wasn’t), the xPub, and a few other things, and still could not see my original address amongst the 20 displayed in the Electrum Legacy wallet by default. I tried to sign a message by manually feeding the address, and, if I recall correctly, Electrum stated that the address was not included in the wallet I had created.

It wasn’t, until I played around with the console that I got to finally see my address, after extending from 20 to 200 addresses by means of:

Personally, I believe that using a hardware wallet to sign a message here in the forum is like killing an ant with an atomic bomb (I don't know if this expression exists in English, it is common in Portuguese)

You don't need all that security for that. And as Welsh said, a good idea is to have the staked address completely separated from your funds.

I have the seed and private key of my staked address noted down in a paper, and that key is now imported into my mobile wallet. If I need to sign a message again from that address I can just paste that seed in iancoleman.io, get the private key, and sign it using any software. Ofc I would never do that using my ledger nano seed, but it is very convenient to do with a 0 balance address.

I know other members here do that as well

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
hey DdmrDdmr. merry Christmas and a happy new year for you too!
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1QHHA6n5pNc9Ci9jLwREeNMEjpvPjj51Fj
ILSNOc0QnX5Ixpu+uj/0jF2IinvkpC3VHi8ABRUlXs7hFfaCh2NFj9QbQSzcl1KVChFQVUQkZ/d2TsInnP59pU8=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Especially, my gmail account that I no longer use.

Which email are you using now? Protonmail?

[philipma1957]

I never understood signed message idea 💡.

my 1J address in my profile has been there for a long time and somewhere some place I staked it.

but why a message to prove control.

Why not deposit  0.00000025 btc in it and take 0.00000025 out of it.

shows you control it the same as a message.

when you want to prove you are still you

add back 0.00000025 and with draw 0.00000025

shows you still control address.

is not this not just as good as signing the address? or am i missing something.

[DireWolfM14]

I never understood signed message idea 💡.

my 1J address in my profile has been there for a long time and somewhere some place I staked it.

but why a message to prove control.

Why not deposit  0.00000025 btc in it and take 0.00000025 out of it.

shows you control it the same as a message.

when you want to prove you are still you

add back 0.00000025 and with draw 0.00000025

shows you still control address.

is not this not just as good as signing the address? or am i missing something.

A signed message is free and doesn't require time for confirmations.  Otherwise I agree, sending pre-discussed amount could just as easily be used as proof.  I seem to recall this being suggested to someone who had lost their account but had only used exchange addresses on the forum.

[Coding Enthusiast]

Here is a small puzzle to solve in the holiday. Try to figure out what is interesting about this message and receive up to 20 merits from me. There is 2 interesting parts, 10 merit per part
Happy 2020 everyone.

This shall have its own topic https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5213659.0

[LoyceV]

I made the uber-noob mistake with my first staked address.  I used an off-line machine to generate a paper private key, but then I imported it into my (then) Blockchain.info web wallet to sign a message with it.  

I've since deleted the private key from Blockchain.com's web wallet, but is it ever really deleted?

What I did was worse: I accidentally copied my private key into my Google search field, and for sure they still remember it!
That's why I "unstaked it and staked a new one.
I'm not signing a "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" though, I prefer to unlock my wallet as little as possible.

[SM23031997]

I made the uber-noob mistake with my first staked address.  I used an off-line machine to generate a paper private key, but then I imported it into my (then) Blockchain.info web wallet to sign a message with it.   

I've since deleted the private key from Blockchain.com's web wallet, but is it ever really deleted?

What I did was worse: I accidentally copied my private key into my Google search field, and for sure they still remember it!
That's why I "unstaked it and staked a new one.
I'm not signing a "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" though, I prefer to unlock my wallet as little as possible.

You got another reason to create a fancy custom address.

How to sign a message from the ledger without exposing any data to third party tools?

[Lucius]

How to sign a message from the ledger without exposing any data to third party tools?

The simplest way is to combine Ledger + Electrum, since Ledger Live is not supporting message sign. I don't see how this would compromise your data, private keys never leave Ledger Nano. I don't think there's any better and safer way to sign a message when it comes to Ledger, and for sure this is not an old Chrome app which can only be an extra option.

[DireWolfM14]

I made the uber-noob mistake with my first staked address.  I used an off-line machine to generate a paper private key, but then I imported it into my (then) Blockchain.info web wallet to sign a message with it.  

I've since deleted the private key from Blockchain.com's web wallet, but is it ever really deleted?

What I did was worse: I accidentally copied my private key into my Google search field, and for sure they still remember it!
That's why I "unstaked it and staked a new one.
I'm not signing a "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" though, I prefer to unlock my wallet as little as possible.

Okay, yeah, that's worse.  I don't feel so bad anymore. 

Even if you think you're using a "private" service, anything posted on the internet is, or potentially could be exposed to the whole world.  If it's google, then it's almost a certainty.

[roycilik]

I made the uber-noob mistake

It just like me
I have made Telegram animated sticker for Bitcointalk members
Link: https://t.me/addstickers/BitcointalkAnimated
something like this:

It looks like the telegram changed the dimensions of the sticker

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Just for fun...
I have made an animated sticker for Bitcointalk members
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
bc1q52qke6vz3rvvvxl6xspke9ejy2cqtr82qx8xt2
ILiXgthNEenFg28ckqVgYcljJ20sA1UnKcgQUW3L1pVMXSZ9TtFOha+rphH0KBhz7iUfbvjnu4uT8r3AQjbChQM=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

[CucakRowo]

This address was created via brainwallet (newbie knowledge):

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
I'am CucakRowo. One of expensive things in the world.
I want to secure my existence in this forum.
Please verified me. Thank you.
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1DBzYjBW1xMn648aG5GwKESTfRmav21Jc8
G3oiG+AfOMI2tuoh+chaR8eBur/abLWTGqd611H95nNGIqJALU0RMpBjva6EoMHrycSwc9gdYlSXoi9BmbTt4qg=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Then i learn about electrum wallet (around mid August 2019). Since then, i use electrum to help verify sign message on this thread. When i had difficulty verifying this address , then my knowledge is increasing. finally i can know what is P2SH address. (  touched   ).
Since then, i decide that i don't want to use above sign message again. Now, here's my current stake address :

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Today, 29 December2019. This sign message is belong to CucakRowo (ID: 1932205). And i am is the owner of CucakRowo account.
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
3AuiUT5qX4D92soSE7nk6QvfwMUehYZu11
IHGdIK75OEfYoK7XjW0Iv7ppdYD0y8G8Ns8hI3Nq7PdMSgCc7TgqT7UszMsHr7L5V9K9WVnJ/eDtitpw2VS8pwg=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

My story about BTC sign message and BTC wallet address was pathetic and hilarious. (    )

[duesoldi]

When I signed up I created a wallet with electrum specifically for the address to be published in my profile.
DdmrDdmr's suggestion to try every now and then to use it to sign a message is really useful:

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Today is December 29th 2019.
Best wishes for a happy 2020 to all from duesoldi
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1ELnG6goiKTS7PJqNgdnn7q32Xa5icGigu
IAGjYteTv6jVfeCcGWdm//rTQ6/KYKy/fqCQFvpFjYeTGNvsd/A700tGxGdbZQBo3aKTE+CpYv3K0+o5F79SzGA=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

[NeuroticFish]

but a gentle reminder to, perhaps, try out the Bitcoin Message signing process every now and then

Interesting enough, I've done that exercise just about one month ago, just I was not thinking that far others could need/use an advice try this themselves.
But you did think on giving the advice, hats off for that!

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Happy Holidays and Wonderful New Year!
NeuroticFish, 29 Dec 2019
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1KBKTnYoyQ3hc4mBmF4iytwn7AotiMEDRJ
IGSnUnPl2Qk3mE6rnJtDzdoU5fJR3Alffa8Tc63/GScHAk+i0nOzIAHUW4fciRFKZTBkZ2TmUV+NJKtyaeVrVFo=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

[gentlemand]

It was so long ago I have no idea what my staked address is and it's probably part of a seed that's been long since discarded. I'll have to have a new year spruce up.

Wouldn't want to start the new year with my account dropping messages like 'Dear, I liking the bit coins for we make excellent profitings' with no way to stop it.

[hacker1001101001]

I created a vinatiy address to be staked with my account, even used it many times on the forum but just forgot to stake it on the Stake Your Bitcoin Address thread. Thanks for the reminder @DdmrDdmr.

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Today is December 30, 2019. Wishing Bitcointalk Community a Prosperous and Full of Bitcoin (not alts) New Year 2020 !
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1JAYESHqohMYvXS4Do6ZNEYJiwZ588MVKi
G0BCCSZGvZQnmCE4c6n8Nx8zvZVFT1+butsfPbFF7ka1QvCEfIxO5jsigJI014lZVpVMHkq0+t3EBrvVtf8Xydo=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

[VB1001]

Code:

-----BEGIN BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----
VB1001 Happy New Year 2020 bitcointalk.org 12/30/2019 08:45
-----BEGIN SIGNATURE-----
1PCm7LqVkhj4xRpKNyyEeekwhc1mzK52cT
IDQyIoJhgcTC7SFBf1Syz6yPIh6JP7NlqmCA2JYUNJUEY7APxYUiOPBUdyESKC1D7NGuUih+V1etpsZJm7rQuF8=
-----END BITCOIN SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Thanks for remembering, these are details that we overlook and you have to know if everything works correctly in case you have to use it for real.