A developer has announced a tool that may unlock a long-dormant cryptocurrency fortune. Known only as 'Stone Man,' the wallet holds 8,999 Bitcoin mined in 2010, currently valued at about $688 million, and has been considered lost for over a decade.
The tool, built using NVIDIA's CUDA parallel computing platform, is designed to brute-force the wallet's password. The developer claims the specialized software can efficiently test billions of combinations, making the previously hopeless task of cracking such an old wallet potentially feasible.
Lost Bitcoin wallets represent a persistent challenge in the crypto space, with estimates suggesting millions of coins are irretrievable. This particular trove, if recovered, would rank among the largest single-wallet recoveries ever, though skepticism abounds given the difficulty of the task.
The announcement has reignited debate about the security of early Bitcoin storage methods. While a successful recovery would be a windfall for the owner, it also raises questions about the long-term robustness of cryptographic safeguards used in the industry's infancy.
The developer has not provided a timeline for the recovery attempt or proof that the tool works on the specific wallet. The claim remains unverified, and past efforts to crack similar wallets have largely failed.