BitcoinStu on Nostr: To guess a Bitcoin private key (256-bit number), the total number of possible private ...
To guess a Bitcoin private key (256-bit number), the total number of possible private keys is:
2^256, which is approximately:
115,792,089,237,316,195,423,570,985,008,687,907,853,269,984,665,640,564,039,457,584,007,913,129,639,936
This number is astronomically large. For context, the estimated number of atoms in the observable universe is about 10^80.
Even with powerful computing hardware and optimized software, the time required to guess a valid private key through brute force would be virtually infinite.
Regarding the guessing of a 12-word mnemonic phrase, the entropy is 128 bits, so the number of possible combinations is:
2^128, which is approximately:
340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456
Both numbers are incredibly large, meaning that brute-forcing either a Bitcoin private key or a 12-word mnemonic phrase is computationally infeasible.
2^256, which is approximately:
115,792,089,237,316,195,423,570,985,008,687,907,853,269,984,665,640,564,039,457,584,007,913,129,639,936
This number is astronomically large. For context, the estimated number of atoms in the observable universe is about 10^80.
Even with powerful computing hardware and optimized software, the time required to guess a valid private key through brute force would be virtually infinite.
Regarding the guessing of a 12-word mnemonic phrase, the entropy is 128 bits, so the number of possible combinations is:
2^128, which is approximately:
340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456
Both numbers are incredibly large, meaning that brute-forcing either a Bitcoin private key or a 12-word mnemonic phrase is computationally infeasible.