Documentation absent — software wallet (2021)

Constrained

Case description

A September 2021 estate case involved an estate attorney who had been appointed to manage a Bitcoin inheritance. The attorney found the deceased had maintained a complex system of BTC storage described only in highly personalised shorthand notes. Three Bitcoin forensics firms were engaged over nine months before the shorthand was decoded.

Custody context

Stress condition	Documentation absent
Custody system	Mobile or software wallet
Outcome	Constrained
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2021
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. Whether full access was ultimately possible is unclear, but significant delay or outside intervention was involved.

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.

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

← All cases

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.