Owner incapacity — software wallet 2014

Survives

Case description

A Bitcoin miner who suffered a stroke in July 2014 had their entire wallet infrastructure on an air-gapped laptop in their home office. Family members who needed to access household funds could not locate the wallet or determine whether insurance policies could be redeemed. The laptop required a passphrase only the incapacitated owner knew.

Custody context

Stress condition	Owner incapacity
Custody system	Mobile or software wallet
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2014
Country	Unknown

Structural dependencies observed

Single point of failureHardware device required

Outcome interpretation

Access remained 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 owner incapacity

68 cases involve owner incapacity 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.