Post
Topic
Board Bitcoin Technical Support
Re: Are some private keys safer than others?
by
jackg
on 23/09/2017, 23:30:23 UTC
I don't see how any standard private key could get hacked in today's world.

I mean, in the future when quantum computing comes around we will definitely need to take that into consideration, but in the meanwhile there is not much to worry about if you use the standard private keys.

Even a quantum computer CAN'T get a private key from a bitcoin address because sha256 hash algorithm is quantum resistant.
However a quantum computer can get the private key from the public key, which is visible if you use bitcoin incorrectly and re-use your address. Public key becomes visible, when you have made a single spend action from your address.

All keys are "standard" private keys. Some of them can be weak. eg. "1", or any key that is too simple. If you generate a key truly randomly, then you can get a weak or a strong key.




Im not sure I understand this the way you do. I don't think you can generate private keys from a public key with the way you suggest. It's possible to get the private key by brute forcing to reveal every private key (which, in quantum computing would be considered a great accomplishment). It's unreasonable to imagine now, but one day it could be possible.

If I'm wrong here, can you help by posting a theoretical algorithm about how the private keys can be brute forced from a public key. Also, by public keys, that could be xpub, mpk or a bitcoin address as they are all technically public keys, although presumably this relates to xpub.