Two cybersecurity researchers helped an anonymous user recover 43.6 Bitcoin (BTC) lost 11 years ago.
The user, known as Michael, set up a wallet in 2013 using RoboForm to generate a unique password, stored in an encrypted file. When the file became corrupted, he lost access to the wallet.
Michael contacted researcher Joe Grand in 2022 but was initially turned down. Persisting, he tried again in June 2023, and Grand, along with his friend Bruno, took on the challenge.
They discovered a vulnerability in RoboForm’s random number generator that linked passwords to their creation date and time, a bug fixed in 2015.
Using the date Michael moved the Bitcoins into his wallet, April 13, 2013, the researchers tested hundreds of passwords until finding the correct one, created on May 15, 2013. They successfully accessed the wallet and recovered the Bitcoins.
Michael rewarded Grand and Bruno with part of the stash when BTC was around $38,000. He sold some Bitcoins when the price hit $62,000 and currently holds 30 BTC, worth about $2 million, intending to keep them until the value reaches $100,000.
Image Credit: Pixabay
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