Bitcoin puzzle hides wallet key in Genesis Block data

An unidentified Bitcoin user embedded a 255‑byte message in block 963,629 on August 22, announcing a wallet puzzle whose private‑key material is claimed to be derived from the Genesis Block created by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Transaction details

The transaction that carries the puzzle is 500 bytes long and includes an OP_RETURN output containing the 255‑byte payload. It paid a miner fee of 250 satoshis, equivalent to a fee rate of 0.60 satoshis per virtual byte, making the on‑chain publication inexpensive.

Creator’s claims

The author, who remains anonymous, stated that the wallet’s entropy is “extremely low” because all inputs needed to reconstruct the private key are present in the Genesis Block. No private backup is required, according to the claim. The message does not disclose the specific derivation formula, the identity of the creator, or a complete solution.

Genesis Block as a source of data

The Genesis Block (block 0) contains publicly known values such as its hash, timestamp (1231006505), nonce (2083236893), Merkle root, and the headline “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.” Any of these values could be used in a key‑generation process, but the exact selection and transformation remain unknown.

Current status

Galaxy Research identified the transaction on August 23, confirming that Foundry USA mined block 963,629 at approximately 19:45 UTC on August 22. No verified evidence shows that the puzzle has been solved or that any reward associated with the wallet has been moved. A future spend from the puzzle wallet would be required to demonstrate a successful derivation of the private key.

Context

Embedding data in Bitcoin transactions via OP_RETURN is a well‑known method for creating permanent, provably unspendable messages. This puzzle adds to a history of on‑chain messages ranging from tributes to timestamped records, but the presence of a claim on the blockchain does not verify its accuracy.