This generator creates random private keys within a specific range and checks for a match with the address:
1BY8GQbnueYofwSuFAT3USAhGjPrkxDdW9
Bitcoin Challenge Transaction - For privacy, keys are not displayed by default.
Almost a decade ago, when Bitcoin was still an obscure and undervalued digital currency, a mysterious individual launched what is now known as the Bitcoin Puzzle.
You can use this script from Any device: Computer, smarphone, tablet and so on. You can run it from any unused device for instance to run this script and hunt for the puzzle 67 key. To solve the puzzle, you need to systematically examine the range of potential private keys and verify their balances.
In January 2015, a series of 256 Bitcoin transactions were made, each sending a specific amount to separate wallets. The first wallet received 0.001 BTC, the second got 0.002 BTC, the third 0.003 BTC, and so on, up to the 256th wallet, which received 0.256 BTC. At that time, the total amount of 33 BTC was worth approximately $5,000.
Over the years, additional transactions adjusted the balances of these wallets. In 2017, funds from wallets 161 to 256 were redistributed to lower-numbered wallets. Then, in 2023, someone—possibly the original creator—infused another 900 BTC into wallets numbered 66 and above, following a similar incremental pattern. Altogether, the total value locked in these wallets exceeds $27 million today.
The objective is deceptively simple: derive the private keys corresponding to the known public addresses of these wallets. However, due to the nature of Bitcoin's cryptographic algorithms, you can't just reverse-engineer a public key to find its private counterpart. Brute-forcing all possible combinations is also computationally infeasible—at least, that's the conventional wisdom.
But here's the twist: the puzzle's creator intentionally limited the complexity of each private key. For the first wallet, the private key could be any number between 0 and 1. This means you only need to test two possibilities. You calculate the public key for each and compare it to the known wallet address. If there's a match, you've cracked the key and can access the funds.
The complexity increases exponentially with each subsequent wallet. The second wallet's private key ranges from 2 to 3 (2 possibilities), the third from 4 to 7 (4 possibilities), and so on. By the time you reach wallet #160, the range spans from \(2^{159}\) to \(2^{160} - 1\), encompassing over 73 octillion possible keys—a number exceeding the estimated count of atoms in the universe.
Due to the manageable complexity at the lower levels, the first 66 private keys were found relatively quickly. Here are the first few solved wallets:
00...001BgGZ9tcN4...Z26SAMH00...031CUNEBjYrC...4wpP326Lb00...0719ZewH8Kk1P...EiCjTRaZMZQA00...081EhqbyUMvvs7...D6YKfPqb7e00...151E6NuFjCi2...q84zJeBW3kSo, what's the catch? The increasing complexity makes it practically impossible to solve the higher-level wallets using standard computational methods. However, that hasn't stopped determined individuals from trying. Techniques like parallel computing, optimizing algorithms in Python, and even leveraging Apple's Metal API to tap into the full power of Apple Silicon have been employed to speed up the process—sometimes achieving nearly 100x speed improvements.
The Bitcoin Puzzle is more than just a quest for digital treasure; it's a fascinating intersection of cryptography, mathematics, and computer science. It challenges our understanding of computational limits and invites us to push the boundaries of what's possible.
Are you ready to take the plunge and see how deep the rabbit hole goes?
Note: This article is for informational purposes and reflects a synthesis of publicly available information about the Bitcoin Puzzle.