What can I use Bitcoin miners for other than mining?

[SikoSoft]

Correct me if I am wrong, anyone, but I believe you could use them for brute-force password cracking.

Since SHA256 is an encryption standard used in cryptography far more outside of Bitcoin, you could (presumably) use the hardware to brute-force and crack encrypted data/passwords that use this encryption standard.

Yes you're wrong.

Care to elaborate?

[1714832040]

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[1714832040]

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[1714832040]

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[1714832040]

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[SikoSoft]

Correct me if I am wrong, anyone, but I believe you could use them for brute-force password cracking.

Since SHA256 is an encryption standard used in cryptography far more outside of Bitcoin, you could (presumably) use the hardware to brute-force and crack encrypted data/passwords that use this encryption standard.

You can only crack password with GPU.... but you can use it to heat your swimming poool..

I've played with password-cracking in the past and have never used anything other than a CPU, so on this basis alone your statement is incorrect.

Can you provide a technical explanation for why you arrived at this conclusion?

If the ASIC chip is designed to create hashes for the SHA-256 encryption standard, and an application uses SHA-256 encryption for passwords or arbitrary data encryption, why would it not be suitable? After all the scenario remains the same: generating hashes in an attempt to brute-force a solution.

[ChuckBuck]

Correct me if I am wrong, anyone, but I believe you could use them for brute-force password cracking.

Since SHA256 is an encryption standard used in cryptography far more outside of Bitcoin, you could (presumably) use the hardware to brute-force and crack encrypted data/passwords that use this encryption standard.

Yes you're wrong.

Care to elaborate?

LOL, you're questioning the BitcoinTalk moderator and lead developer of CGMiner, the most used mining software on all ASIC hardware miners?

Balls, man, you got 'em!  

[SikoSoft]

Correct me if I am wrong, anyone, but I believe you could use them for brute-force password cracking.

Since SHA256 is an encryption standard used in cryptography far more outside of Bitcoin, you could (presumably) use the hardware to brute-force and crack encrypted data/passwords that use this encryption standard.

Yes you're wrong.

Care to elaborate?

LOL, you're questioning the BitcoinTalk moderator and lead developer of CGMiner, the most used mining software on all ASIC hardware miners?

Balls, man, you got 'em!  

I was unaware that there are some people we don't question 'round here. ;P

It wasn't my aim to be a dick in my questioning, rather I am sincerely curious. As a technical person myself, I need to understand why something isn't possible if someone says something it isn't. It wasn't my intent to agitate or act cocky to anyone, so my apologies if that's how it was perceived. I'm just genuinely interested to know why.

On another note I didn't realize it was him (though I still would have posed the question knowing it was ). So on that point: thanks for the awesome piece of software.

[-ck]

ASIC mining hardware only does a double sha256 hash (never used in anything except bitcoin mining) of a piece of data that is in block header form that you modify according to certain rues and only returns "yes it has this many zeroes in it". So unless the password you wish to crack is a block header and your definition of cracking it is finding out that the sha256(sha256()) hashed result of a modified string of data has 16 zeroes in it (which tells you nothing about what the original password is), then you cannot crack a password.

No, there are only 4 other valid uses for asic bitcoin mining hardware besides mining: Door stop, book end, paper weight and boat anchor. The choice depends on the weight and size of the miner.

[SikoSoft]

ASIC mining hardware only does a double sha256 hash (never used in anything except bitcoin mining) of a piece of data that is in block header form that you modify according to certain rues and only returns "yes it has this many zeroes in it". So unless the password you wish to crack is a block header and your definition of cracking it is finding out that the sha256(sha256()) hashed result of a modified string of data has 16 zeroes in it (which tells you nothing about what the original password is), then you cannot crack a password.

No, there are only 4 other valid uses for asic bitcoin mining hardware besides mining: Door stop, book end, paper weight and boat anchor. The choice depends on the weight and size of the miner.

Hahaha, wow thanks for clearing that all up for me.

Much obliged!

[ChuckBuck]

No, there are only 4 other valid uses for asic bitcoin mining hardware besides mining: Door stop, book end, paper weight and boat anchor. The choice depends on the weight and size of the miner.

5th: Space Heater?  These things produce a ridiculous amount of heat!

[Rubber Ducky]

You can export it as e-waste to third world countries where child labourers will hack at in order to extract some value. In doing so they will become poisoned, the water supply will become poisoned and all the babies that are born there will have deformities.

[williamj2543]

Heating, calculate your heating cost and efficiency, see if bitcoin miners are more cost friendly for you. Also you could generate some satoshi. Who knew you could make money off of heating.

[Rubber Ducky]

There is another thing you could do. You could put in a catapult and fling it at an ASIC manufacturer. A large enough catapult and it might just reach China.

[TD131]

White noise machine to fall asleep.. 

[bumpusee]

heater

[TD131]

heater

Plug in a miner in a non-ventilated room and you'll easily raise the temperature by 15 degrees!

[Arctic]

No, there are only 4 other valid uses for asic bitcoin mining hardware besides mining: Door stop, book end, paper weight and boat anchor. The choice depends on the weight and size of the miner.

ROFL   

[david wilson]

I will recommend doorstop.

[Bitcoin++]

Shoe dryer and food defroster

[majeis]

Does growing drug need heat?

This is my favorite post from the paperweight thread.

[TradersWay.JC]

I heated up a slice of pizza on the heat sink of my old Antminer S1.

[evansearle42]

I heated up a slice of pizza on the heat sink of my old Antminer S1.

Its so unhealthy... it might be cancerous..

[TradersWay.JC]

I heated up a slice of pizza on the heat sink of my old Antminer S1.

Its so unhealthy... it might be cancerous..

Pizza was wrapped inside of aluminum foil. Actually heated it quite nicely but it took a little while.