Unciphered Offers to Help Stefan Thomas Recover $244 Million Worth of Bitcoin
Cryptocurrency recovery firm Unciphered has extended a helping hand to former Ripple CTO Stefan Thomas in unlocking an IronKey hard drive that holds 7,002 Bitcoin, currently valued at $244 million. Thomas famously forgot the password to access the drive and has already attempted to unlock it 8 times without success. He now only has 2 attempts left before the data is erased.
Unciphered’s Solution to Unlock the Drive
In an open letter, Unciphered revealed their claim that they can bypass the attempt limit by exploiting a vulnerability in the IronKey wallet’s design. The company stated that they have successfully cracked similar drives in the past using reverse engineering and cryptanalysis. This claim is supported by Wired magazine, which reported that Unciphered unlocked one of their test IronKey devices after an astonishing “200 trillion tries.”
Potential Fees and Uncertain Decision
Although Unciphered offered their services to Thomas, they did not disclose their fees. However, they assured him that they possess both the technical expertise and legal means to assist him in recovering his lost Bitcoin fortune.
Thomas has not yet indicated whether he will accept Unciphered’s offer with his last two password attempts. Nevertheless, as the value of Bitcoin continues to rise, there is renewed interest in recovering inaccessible crypto wallets. It is estimated that approximately 29% of the Bitcoin supply may be lost forever.
Hot Take: A Chance to Recover Millions from a Forgotten Password
Former Ripple CTO Stefan Thomas faces a crucial decision as Unciphered offers its assistance in unlocking his IronKey hard drive containing $244 million worth of Bitcoin. With only two attempts left before potential data erasure, Thomas must weigh the benefits of accepting Unciphered’s claim of bypassing the attempt limit against the undisclosed fees. As the value of Bitcoin continues to soar, the urgency to recover inaccessible crypto wallets becomes more significant. Will Thomas take a chance and potentially regain his lost fortune, or will he be left with a forgotten password and a significant loss?