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Board Development & Technical Discussion
Re: Brute force private key tool?
by
jackjack
on 20/09/2013, 13:23:51 UTC
The thread is about brute forcing private keys, not about breaking secp256k1
I will try one more time.

This is the algorithm for "bute forcing" a public/private key pair:

    a) Keypublic = G, Keyprivate = 1
    b) Is Keypubic the key we are looking for?
    c) If yes Keyprivate is the one you are looking for so quit
    d) else Keypublic = Keypubic + G, Keyprivate = Keyprivate + 1
    e) goto b)

Note the following:

The operation Keypubic + G requires many mathematical steps
If you are looking for a Bitcoin address you have to do even more mathematical steps on each trial to hash the public key three times

Now consider this much easier problem, just Keyprivate = Keyprivate + 1

Imagine a physical device which simply counts the numbers from 1 to n where n is the largest possible private key, a simple 256 bit counter.  That is all it does is count.  It is only the simplest part of the algorithm described above.
This counter can be made using any possible future technology, it just has to obey the laws of physics and thermodynamics.

This perfect device will count a fast a physically possible using the lowest physically possible amount of energy to do it. 

How long would it take to just count from 1 to n? 

How much energy would it take?

BTW n = FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFF FFFFFFFE BAAEDCE6 AF48A03B BFD25E8C D0364141 

Hmm, yeah I know I've been saying this in many posts...
I was answering Nagan who said that breaking secp256k1 would help brute-forcing private keys