Estate access failure — software wallet (2015)

Blocked

Case description

A probate attorney documented a 2015 case in which a client's estate included references to Bitcoin on personal computers but no documentation of which software, which addresses, or which exchanges were used. The estate spent six months attempting to reconstruct the holdings from email records, browser history, and forum post history before concluding the amount was indeterminate.

Custody context

Stress condition	Documentation absent
Custody system	Mobile or software wallet
Outcome	Blocked
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2015
Country	Unknown

Structural dependencies observed

Undocumented procedureSingle point of failure

What this illustrates

Nobody had written down how to get back in. That knowledge existed only in the owner's head. Access was not recoverable.

Outcome interpretation

Access was not possible under the reported conditions.

Source

Publicly Reported

Evidence type

Forum post

Evidence link

https://medium.com/@wayne_huang/rsa-2015-panel-bitcoin-s-future-threats-expert-s-roundtable-based-on-150-case-studies-92cc35e68e30

Related cases involving documentation absent

193 cases involve documentation absent 572 cases involve mobile or software wallet View archive statistics →

This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents. Submit a case

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Framework references

Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority

Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.

Professional Scope Boundary Matrix

What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.

The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody

How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.