What does a Bitcoin private key look like? SSL private key: how to create and find it
What types of address templates can be given to vanitygen for appropriate selection?
Can make selections for simple prefixes and regular expressions. The prefix is the line with which the address begins. When an address with a given prefix is selected, Vanitygen checks that such a prefix is possible in principle and will provide an estimate of the difficulty of such a selection. By default, the prefix is case-sensitive, but you can use the –i switch to perform a case-insensitive search. Regular expressions are filtering patterns. They are very powerful and can be used to match prefixes, suffixes, keys of varying lengths and character sequences, etc. To use regular expressions, specify the –r switch. Unfortunately, regular expression matching is very slow and complexity greatly affects the speed of searching for keys. Therefore, regular expressions should only be used if it is really required. Regular expressions will not work effectively with oclvanitygen, since currently oclvanitygen cannot work with regular expressions on GPU.
How can I specify a list of templates?
Vanitygen can search a list of templates from command line or taken from a file using the –f switch. The source file must be formed so that each template comes with new line. Once vanitygen finds a match to a given pattern, it will stop searching for other matches to that pattern. To search for multiple matches, use the –k switch.
Can I use Vanitygen to find someone else's private key knowing it bitcoin address?
Certainly! In fact, Vanitygen is a key finding app. However, to find a completely matching bitcoin address, even using all the computing power on the planet, you will need an unacceptably large amount of time.
How can I build vanitygen from source?
All this is indicated in the INSTALL file in the source distribution.
What key retrieval speed can I expect from Device X?
Some rough estimates:
Dual-core desktop CPUs, 32-bit mode: 100-250 thousand keys/sec.
Dual-core desktop CPUs, 64-bit mode: 150-450 thousand keys/sec
Quad-core desktop CPUs, 32-bit mode: 200-400 thousand keys/sec
Quad-core desktop CPUs, 64-bit mode: 300-750 thousand keys/sec
NVIDIA GT200 GPUs: up to 6.5 million keys/sec
AMD Radeon 58XX, 68XX GPUs: up to 23.5 million keys/sec.
AMD Radeon 69XX GPUs: up to 19.5 million keys/sec.
vanitygen performs many large integer arithmetic operations, and running the utility on 64 bit system gives a significant increase in the speed of searching for keys, approximately 50% increase compared to 32-bit. For 64-bit Windows versions, provided that you are using a non-GPU, remember to use vanitygen64.exe.
Radeon 58XX is superior to Radeon 69XX. Oclvanitygen uses integer multiplication, and the Radeon 58XX performs multiplication in parallel with other operations. In the same amount of time, the Radeon 5830 will surpass the Radeon 6970.
In custom builds, CPU performance will be less than expected if OpenSSL libraries old version (<1.0.0d) либо не собирались с включённой оптимизацией.
How to protect the address generated by this program? Could someone figure out my private key and steal my BTC?
Vanitygen uses OpenSSL to generate random numbers. This is the same RNG (random number generator) used in bitcoin and most servers using HTTPS. They are considered to be well studied. On Linux, RNGs are taken from /dev/urandom. Guessing the private key for an address selected by vanitygen is no easier than guessing the private key generated by the bitcoin application itself. Vanitygen uses a random number generator to generate the private key and addresses by comparing the resulting addresses to the original template. It updates the private key after 10,000,000 unsuccessful guessing attempts (100M for oclvanitygen), or until a match is found
What options can be set using Vanitygen keys?
V Verbose output -q Quiet output -i Case-insensitive prefix search -k Keep pattern and continue search after finding a match -N Generate namecoin address -T Generate bitcoin testnet address -X
Is it possible to search for addresses together?
Private keys are one of the most important components of the cryptocurrency network and have been present in the system since its inception. Modern wallets relieve users of the need to understand the structure of private keys and their purpose. However, as practice shows, often people who actively use cryptocurrencies find themselves in situations that require basic knowledge about the structure and operating principle of the private key. Let us consider in detail this component of blockchain systems and its features. For example, let's take classic network- Bitcoin, which is essentially the basis for the vast majority of cryptocurrencies
On the Bitcoin network, a private key is simply a set of numbers from 1 to 1077. This range of numbers is so large that, using it in practice, it is actually infinite, and if a person had an infinite supply of time and could sort through a trillion private keys in one second, then selecting everyone would take a million times longer than the age of our universe. A large number of possible options The private key plays a critical role in protecting the Bitcoin network.
When you create a Bitcoin wallet on your computer, it creates special file, containing two entries: private key (private key, PRIV) and public key (public key, PUB). And if the private key is generated randomly, then the public key is created by receiving the hash sum from PRIV. Figuratively speaking, this is similar to an ordinary key that is inserted into a keyhole; if the private key matches the public key and when recalculated, these two indicators correspond to each other, then the network determines the cryptocurrency as belonging to specific user and provides the opportunity to complete the transaction.
Relationship between Bitcoin address and private key
A Bitcoin address is generated based on a public and private key. From the keys taken as a basis, a hash sum is calculated and an address is obtained in the form of a set of numbers and letters of the Latin alphabet.
The address is required in order to receive cryptocurrency or make a transfer to another user. Simply put, this is the path to the location of BTC in a kind of ledger. It is extremely important that it does not contain information about private and public keys; they are unknown to the network, so you need to store them in a safe place, inaccessible to anyone. Transferring an address to another user is absolutely safe for the owner of the wallet, since the hash sum is designed in such a way that it is impossible to obtain a public and, especially, a private key from it. All computers connected to the Bitcoin network know about the connection between public and private keys, which makes it possible to use the keys to sign transactions.
Transaction verification
Before a transaction is completed, transaction data, including the address, public and private key, are sent to the blockchain, which verifies the information received. The check consists of several stages:
- The blockchain checks whether there is a record of the user receiving a specific Bitcoin;
- The recipient's address is checked, if there is a typo in it, the transaction is cancelled;
- The digital signature provided by the owner of the btc is checked (checking the compatibility of the private key with the public key), and the operation is recorded in the blockchain.
After verification has been made in one block and the payment has been confirmed, the data is sent to other blockchain nodes, where the operation is repeated. After several blocks have confirmed the transaction, the payment is considered completed.
All transactions that have the correct signatures are accepted by the Bitcoin network and therefore anyone who owns someone else's private key can steal funds from the wallet. Attackers usually steal private keys from storage media (flash) or through communication channels. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to strict security measures when storing and transporting the private key. Software wallets contain private keys in their wallet file on the computer's hard drive in a standard directory, which is the main target of cybercriminals, therefore main task the owner of the cryptocurrency is the security reliable protection your private keys. Hardware solutions are great for this purpose, especially if the wallet contains a significant amount of cryptocurrency.
Conclusion
In simple words, blockchain is open network transmission of messages between users, which is protected powerful tool cryptography using public keys. Unlike other networks where only passwords and logins are used, the blockchain uses digital signatures, which are created after the interaction of unique public and private keys.
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It is critical that access to the private key SSL certificate but was completely under your control. If the private key is in safe place and is inaccessible to unauthorized persons, this guarantees security personal information all users of your site.
If you don't know where your private key is stored, this article will tell you where to find it if you need it, how to keep it secure, and how to create it. new key, in case of loss or compromise of the previous one.
Security of the SSL private key
Organizations that issue SSL security certificates do not have access to your private (or private) encryption key—and should not—since private keys are created at the user level, that is, on your server or computer. Even if you generate a CSR request and a private key on our website, you must save it to yourself, since key information is not stored on our server.
Two main factors on which it depends cryptographic security private key is the number and random sequence prime numbers used in its creation. Essentially, a private key is a file with a set of randomly generated numbers. The confidentiality of this information is a guarantee of the security of your key throughout the entire period of use of the SSL certificate.
To ensure the safety of your private key, you should only allow access to it to those within your organization who truly need it, e.g. system administrator, which installs the SSL certificate. It is also recommended that you change the private key (and reissue the corresponding SSL certificate) whenever an employee who had access to it leaves your organization.
How to find the SSL private key?
Your private key is created, as a rule, at the moment when you generate a CSR request, or immediately before it. If you use OpenSSL to manage your private keys (for example, you use Linux distributions Debian based or Red Hat), then when the OpenSSL req command is executed, the private key is usually stored in the same directory where the command was initiated.
If you are using the Microsoft IIS web server, then your SSL private key is stored in hidden folder on the server sending the request to issue an SSL certificate (also called Certificate Signing Request or CSR request for short). At correct installation, the server certificate will match the private key. If the private key is missing, this could mean:
- The certificate was not installed on the server used to generate the CSR request (relevant for Microsoft IIS servers and some others).
- A pending CSR request was dropped by the IIS web server.
- The certificate was installed using the Certificate Import Wizard, not through IIS.
Different devices and servers use different methods storing and creating private keys. It is often quite difficult to determine the location of the private key on the server. Reading the documentation for your device is the most quick way figure out where exactly the private keys are stored on your server.
How to create a private key?
If you couldn't find your SSL private key or haven't created one yet, you'll need to do so if you want to get an SSL certificate. Typically, the private key must be created on the server on which you plan to install the certificate. However, it must be created before generating a CSR request or together with it, if your device allows it. Some programs automate these tasks, which greatly speeds up the entire process.
To issue an SSL certificate, certification center“signs” your CSR request, which is why when you issue a certificate, they will talk to you specifically about generating a CSR request for an SSL certificate, and not about creating a private key. Here it is important for you to understand that creating a CSR request also implies creating a private key.
There is only one private key corresponding to a given CSR request. Therefore, if you have lost your private key (you did not save it or accidentally deleted it), you must initiate a reissue of the SSL certificate with a new private key. To do this, accordingly, you need to create a new CSR request.
SSL certificate providers must provide information about private key generation and CSR request. Instructions for creating a CSR request and private key can be found at our website.
You can also use service for creating a private key and CSR request on our website. To do this, you need to fill in the appropriate fields in the form in Latin according to the example, as shown in the image:
In the country field, it is important to indicate the abbreviated name of the country in capital letters. Next, you should fill in the city and region in which you live or in which your organization is registered, if you are ordering a certificate as entity. If you order OV SSL certificate with company verification or even more reliable EV SSL certificate with extended verification, it is important that the data filled in matches the information in your company's registration documents. If you order a simple certificate, this is not so important, the main thing is not to leave empty fields.
Also, when filling out the form, it is better not to use special characters, since not all certificate authorities accept CSR requests containing them. In field " Domain name» enter the domain for which you are issuing an SSL certificate. If you ordered