Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-01162
Passphrase unavailable — Bitcoin Core (2023)
BlockedCase description
A software developer who had used a randomly generated 20-character password from RoboForm in 2016 to encrypt their Bitcoin Core wallet contacted recovery services in 2023 when the password could not be found in the RoboForm history. The RoboForm password manager had been uninstalled and its data cleared in a system rebuild in 2019. The randomly generated password left no brute-force starting point; without any part of the original password or the password manager's vault, the Bitcoin Core wallet was computationally unrecoverable.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Passphrase unavailable |
| Custody system | Desktop Software Wallet |
| Outcome | Blocked |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2023 |
| Country | International |
Structural dependencies observed
What this illustrates
The seed phrase was there, but the passphrase that unlocked it was gone. Both are required. Access was not recoverable.
Outcome interpretation
Access was not possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Privately Reported
Evidence type
News article
Related cases involving passphrase unavailable
217 cases involve passphrase unavailable
25 cases involve desktop software wallet
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This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents.
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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.
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