The correct password was found after approximately 12 hours of GPU computation and 40

Survives

Case description

A user contacted Wallet Recovery Services in early 2023 seeking help with an Electrum wallet encrypted in 2016. The wallet.dat file was intact. The user remembered the password was based on a phrase from a favourite book, mixed with numbers. Wallet Recovery Services ran a targeted dictionary attack using phrases from the identified book combined with number patterns typical of the period. The correct password was found after approximately 12 hours of GPU computation and 40 million attempts—a recovery made feasible by the user's specific memory of the password construction pattern.

Custody context

Stress condition	Passphrase unavailable
Custody system	Desktop Software Wallet
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2023
Country	International

Structural dependencies observed

Technical specialist required

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible under the reported conditions.

Source

Privately Reported

Evidence type

News article

Evidence link

https://www.bankrate.com/investing/how-to-recover-lost-bitcoins-and-other-crypto/

Related cases involving passphrase unavailable

217 cases involve passphrase unavailable 25 cases involve desktop 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.