[XMR] Monero - A secure, private, untraceable cryptocurrency

[canonsburg]

Can someone explain how to decrypt the .keys file?

Specifically, the load_keys function within the wallet2.cpp in the source. Can explain the logic behind it and the procedure. (Not that fluent in C)

void wallet2::load_keys(const std::string& keys_file_name, const std::string& password)
{
  wallet2::keys_file_data keys_file_data;
  std::string buf;
1 bool r = epee::file_io_utils::load_file_to_string(keys_file_name, buf);
  THROW_WALLET_EXCEPTION_IF(!r, error::file_read_error, keys_file_name);

  // Decrypt the contents
2 r = ::serialization::parse_binary(buf, keys_file_data);
  THROW_WALLET_EXCEPTION_IF(!r, error::wallet_internal_error, "internal error: failed to deserialize \"" + keys_file_name + '\"');
  crypto::chacha8_key key;
3 crypto::generate_chacha8_key(password, key);
  std::string account_data;
  account_data.resize(keys_file_data.account_data.size());
4 crypto::chacha8(keys_file_data.account_data.data(), keys_file_data.account_data.size(), key, keys_file_data.iv, &account_data[0]);

.....

I labeled some lines of the code above:

1. Loads the data file into a memory buffer

2. Parses the memory buffer into a data object

3. Derives a chacha8 decryption key from the password (this uses the CryptoNight slow hash for key stretching, which greatly limits the possibility of brute forcing).

4. Decrypts the data using the decryption key

The unlabeled lines in the code are error checking, memory management, etc.

Ok, that clears some things up.

But what do you mean by 2. "Parse the memory buffer into a data object"?
I can read the .keys file in and store it as a string but how do I do the 2nd step of parsing? What type of characters is it stored as?

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[smooth]

Can someone explain how to decrypt the .keys file?

Specifically, the load_keys function within the wallet2.cpp in the source. Can explain the logic behind it and the procedure. (Not that fluent in C)

void wallet2::load_keys(const std::string& keys_file_name, const std::string& password)
{
  wallet2::keys_file_data keys_file_data;
  std::string buf;
1 bool r = epee::file_io_utils::load_file_to_string(keys_file_name, buf);
  THROW_WALLET_EXCEPTION_IF(!r, error::file_read_error, keys_file_name);

  // Decrypt the contents
2 r = ::serialization::parse_binary(buf, keys_file_data);
  THROW_WALLET_EXCEPTION_IF(!r, error::wallet_internal_error, "internal error: failed to deserialize \"" + keys_file_name + '\"');
  crypto::chacha8_key key;
3 crypto::generate_chacha8_key(password, key);
  std::string account_data;
  account_data.resize(keys_file_data.account_data.size());
4 crypto::chacha8(keys_file_data.account_data.data(), keys_file_data.account_data.size(), key, keys_file_data.iv, &account_data[0]);

.....

I labeled some lines of the code above:

1. Loads the data file into a memory buffer

2. Parses the memory buffer into a data object

3. Derives a chacha8 decryption key from the password (this uses the CryptoNight slow hash for key stretching, which greatly limits the possibility of brute forcing).

4. Decrypts the data using the decryption key

The unlabeled lines in the code are error checking, memory management, etc.

Ok, that clears some things up.

But what do you mean by 2. "Parse the memory buffer into a data object"?
I can read the .keys file in and store it as a string but how do I do the 2nd step of parsing? What type of characters is it stored as?

The keys file consists of a C++ object that is converted to a binary format using the boost serialization framework.

The object in question is defined here:

https://github.com/monero-project/bitmonero/blob/master/src/wallet/wallet2.h#L152

[aiwe]

How about merged mining for Monero and Aeon?   Glad they also are funding miner, not only Monero community.

Sent few coins. I'm just started mining so don't have much.

[smooth]

How about merged mining for Monero and Aeon?   Glad they also are funding miner, not only Monero community.

They are separate algorithms and independent chains.

There are a few coins you can merge mine with XMR theoretically but I don't know how much support for that there is any more since those coins have negligible value.

[aiwe]

I see. I mine on Minergate on few PCs at my reach because of convenient software and do merged mining of either MCN or FCN which I dump  for XMR when collected enough minimum

Hope they include new AMD GPU miner into their shiny app as they did with Nvidia.

[smooth]

I see. I mine on Minergate on few PCs at my reach because of convenient software and do merged mining of either MCN or FCN which I dump  for XMR when collected enough minimum

You and everyone else. That's exactly why they aren't worth anything.

Hope they include new AMD GPU miner into their shiny app as they did with Nvidia.

Most likely I would guess.

[aiwe]

Subjectively payout there seems to be a bit bigger than on others that I tried so I sticked with it.

[1337leet]

Hey guys,

is there a wallet available which offers a graphical UI like the Bitcoin Wallets?

[Bagatell]

I see. I mine on Minergate on few PCs at my reach because of convenient software and do merged mining of either MCN or FCN which I dump  for XMR when collected enough minimum

You and everyone else. That's exactly why they aren't worth anything.

Hope they include new AMD GPU miner into their shiny app as they did with Nvidia.

Most likely I would guess.

I sure hope not. I'm not going to make accusations without hard evidence, but I am going to say, I *really* don't like that pool.

Their hash calculator told me I would earn the princely sum of $25 pa. 

[akaman]

is there a wallet available which offers a graphical UI like the Bitcoin Wallets?

See https://getmonero.org/getting-started/choose for current options. There is no 'official' wallet yet. Alternatively, you could use https://mymonero.com, or run a node locally with simplewallet (command line).

[dEBRUYNE]

Another update from ShenNoether (NobleSir) regarding Confidential Transactions (CT) for Monero:

edit 12/15/2015: I'm starting to play around with some c/c++ stuff that will help me implement this thing for real - I'll probably take a couple weeks off for xmas holidays though starting next week, so expect no updates dec 17-jan 4

All updates & links are in this thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3pw30d/ringct_for_monero_updated_versions/

Another one:

edit 12/17/2015: I have updated the draft on eprint.iacr.org in response to some knock-off versions of this math showing up without citation.

Link: http://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1098

And another update:

edit 1/6/2016: Coded a version of the MG sigs with improved readability. Next up is the c++ version.

Link: https://github.com/ShenNoether/MiniNero/commit/a761fbf2bda5a4bf135ad4d48266aa9857c1e11b

We also had this interesting update last week:

Section 4.4 can be found here -> https://www.overleaf.com/read/qzgytbyyxvyf

Interesting comment from Shen about multisig

yep - very likely will be implemented in conjunction with the ring ct stuff

Following the "written up" link in the Ring CT post, section 4.4 of the paper describes how to implement "Ring multisignature". Some of the other CryptoNote coins have multisig, but only with 0 mixin.

Very nice work being done on the crypto front.

So soon™ I guess? :-P

[smooth]

Hey guys,

is there a wallet available which offers a graphical UI like the Bitcoin Wallets?

I think the best maintained one at the moment is lightWallet: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=903579.0

Alternately the MyMonero web wallet, with the usual caveats about web wallets (though this particular one at least does not by design send your private keys to the server): https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=903579.0

Also, Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ionicframework.monerowallet116498&hl=en

[XMRChina]

Another update from ShenNoether (NobleSir) regarding Confidential Transactions (CT) for Monero:

edit 12/15/2015: I'm starting to play around with some c/c++ stuff that will help me implement this thing for real - I'll probably take a couple weeks off for xmas holidays though starting next week, so expect no updates dec 17-jan 4

All updates & links are in this thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3pw30d/ringct_for_monero_updated_versions/

Another one:

edit 12/17/2015: I have updated the draft on eprint.iacr.org in response to some knock-off versions of this math showing up without citation.

Link: http://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1098

And another update:

edit 1/6/2016: Coded a version of the MG sigs with improved readability. Next up is the c++ version.

Link: https://github.com/ShenNoether/MiniNero/commit/a761fbf2bda5a4bf135ad4d48266aa9857c1e11b

We also had this interesting update last week:

Section 4.4 can be found here -> https://www.overleaf.com/read/qzgytbyyxvyf

Interesting comment from Shen about multisig

yep - very likely will be implemented in conjunction with the ring ct stuff

Following the "written up" link in the Ring CT post, section 4.4 of the paper describes how to implement "Ring multisignature". Some of the other CryptoNote coins have multisig, but only with 0 mixin.

Very nice work being done on the crypto front.

So soon™ I guess? :-P

Ring CT and Ring multisig will elevate the profile of Monero to the point where it can no longer be ignored. The longer we move forward while bitcoin argues about block size the more bitcoin maximalists that will convert to Moneroism.

[dEBRUYNE]

This is worrisome -> https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3zrvs8/bitpay_is_actively_cooperating_with_chainalysis/

[MoneroMooo]

luigi11111 pointed out that the recent update to the wallet generator to use custom entropy was broken in the way it got entropy from the user seed. A fix is now up on github. Since this had to be changed anyway, 10k iterations of Keccak are used to derive the seed from the user entropy, as suggested by smooth earlier.

Unfortunately, this means that the same string will yield a different seed, and therefore address, than the previous version. So if you did generate an address using custom entropy in the last few days, you should recreate it.

Thanks luigi1111.

[languagehasmeaning]

luigi11111 pointed out that the recent update to the wallet generator to use custom entropy was broken in the way it got entropy from the user seed. A fix is now up on github. Since this had to be changed anyway, 10k iterations of Keccak are used to derive the seed from the user entropy, as suggested by smooth earlier.

Unfortunately, this means that the same string will yield a different seed, and therefore address, than the previous version. So if you did generate an address using custom entropy in the last few days, you should recreate it.

Thanks luigi1111.

This is a dangerous issue. Thank you for finding and correcting it so quickly.

[dEBRUYNE]

luigi11111 pointed out that the recent update to the wallet generator to use custom entropy was broken in the way it got entropy from the user seed. A fix is now up on github. Since this had to be changed anyway, 10k iterations of Keccak are used to derive the seed from the user entropy, as suggested by smooth earlier.

Unfortunately, this means that the same string will yield a different seed, and therefore address, than the previous version. So if you did generate an address using custom entropy in the last few days, you should recreate it.

Thanks luigi1111.

This is a dangerous issue. Thank you for finding and correcting it so quickly.

To be clear, this only applies to the custom entropy that was added last week. If you just use the normal entropy, you don't have to worry about anything.

[cryptonic21]

luigi11111 pointed out that the recent update to the wallet generator to use custom entropy was broken in the way it got entropy from the user seed. A fix is now up on github. Since this had to be changed anyway, 10k iterations of Keccak are used to derive the seed from the user entropy, as suggested by smooth earlier.

Unfortunately, this means that the same string will yield a different seed, and therefore address, than the previous version. So if you did generate an address using custom entropy in the last few days, you should recreate it.

Thanks luigi1111.

This is a dangerous issue. Thank you for finding and correcting it so quickly.

Thanks luigi1111. Thanks MoneroMooo!

[ph.amracyshop]

I like to mine with wallet.

[canth]

Confidential Transactions - controversial and difficult in Bitcoin:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/3zv7rt/confidential_transactions_might_kill_bitcoin/

I often don't find common ground with Luke-Jr, but his thoughts seem pretty much on the money here:

[–]luke-jrLuke Dashjr
I wouldn't worry about it. For better or worse, CT isn't likely to be considered for Bitcoin's main blockchain any time soon. Contrary to recent assertions, it is not softfork-able, and would be controversial to add as a hardfork due to the proof sizes (at least).

TLDR; HODL Monero. It's going to be difficult for Bitcoin to directly integrate privacy features in the near future.