Passphrase unavailable — software wallet (2025)

Blocked

Case description

A 2025 case involved a Samourai Wallet user who had set a BIP39 passphrase and used the wallet's privacy features. The wallet had been on a phone that died with a failed battery. The holder had the seed phrase but not the passphrase. Because the Samourai implementation used the passphrase to derive the xpub key that funded the wallet, without the passphrase none of the on-chain activity was visible on the base derivation path. A recovery specialist confirmed there was no computational shortcut—the passphrase could be any string, and the holder had no memory of it or any notes about it. The funds remained inaccessible.

Custody context

Stress condition	Passphrase unavailable
Custody system	Mobile or software wallet
Outcome	Blocked
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2025
Country	United States

Structural dependencies observed

Single point of failure

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

Evidence link

https://cointelegraph.com/news/lost-your-crypto-password-or-seed-phrase-here-s-what-actually-works-in-2025

Related cases involving passphrase unavailable

217 cases involve passphrase unavailable 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.