We’ve all lost passwords to something or other at some point in our lives, but what could be scarier than losing the password to a Bitcoin wallet? After all, with the current value of Bitcoin well over RM27,000 (US$6,536), that will hit you right where it hurts. If you’re looking for a way to recover your lost Bitcoin Wallet Password, read on!
Thankfully, a company named Passware has now released Passware Kit, which recovers passwords for popular Bitcoin wallet services: Blockchain.com (known previously as Blockchain.info) and Bitcoin Core.
Bitcoin is the first and number one ranked decentralized peer-to-peer digital payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen.
When Bitcoin Wallet Passwords are Lost or Forgotten
According to Blockchain.com support, they cannot help their users regain access to their wallets if they have lost or forgotten their passwords. “This is because we don’t have access to your wallet or your wallet password.” When bitcoins are lost, unless the user recalls or recovers their password, they “remain dormant forever as there is no way to uncover the private key(s) that would allow them to be spent again.”
“Law enforcement worldwide recognizes that cryptocurrency gives criminals nearly unlimited access to anonymous money movement,” claims Dmitry Sumin, CEO of Passware. “For computer forensics investigating cases of contraband transactions, extortion, money laundering, and tax evasion these areas are the primary areas of criminal activity involved in cryptocurrency exchange. In addition, Bitcoin makes theft of the cryptocurrency easy for criminals. With no central customer hotline or way to force a password reset, recovering suspects’ passwords was nearly impossible until the latest release of Passware Kit.”
How to Recover your Bitcoin Wallet Password
To recover the password, Passware Kit needs the wallet file, which typically is named wallet.aes.json (for Blockchain.com wallet) or wallet.dat (for Bitcoin Core wallet), and is normally stored on a suspect’s computer or can be downloaded from the wallet site.
The software achieves the speed of 500,000 passwords per second on a single graphics processing unit (GPU). This speed is further accelerated with use of distributed computing (the Passware Kit Forensic license includes five Passware Kit Agents).
Other features of Passware Kit Forensic 2018 v2 include:
- instant decryption of Apple File System (APFS) disks via analysis of iCloud or iTunes backups;
- password removal for QuickBooks 2018 databases;
- acquisition of iOS 12.0 backups from iCloud;
- improvements to core Passware Kit modules: Encryption Analyzer and Dictionary attack.
Passware’s solution is designed for computer forensics and crime investigators and is included exclusively in the Forensic edition of the Passware Kit. Although available for purchase by anyone, its pricing is expected to regulate the target audience.
So How Much Will It Cost to Recover YOur Bitcoin Wallet Password?
Passware Kit Forensic is available directly from Passware and a network of resellers worldwide. The price is $995 with one year of free updates.