<p>If LBC is somehow able to guess anyone's private key, regardless of how the private key is normally stored and generated, then yes, they can just spend the coins. All you need is the private key, it does not matter how the key was obtained.</p>

<p>Of course this is impossible to do in practice with today's technology. The range of possible private keys is incredibly large, much larger than a human can imagine. If the private keys were generated with sufficient randomness (which Ledger Nano S's do as they have a True Random Number Generator), then the probability of generating a private key that is in use is so small that it is effectively zero.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-03T03:29:32.213Z
2018-05-03T03:29:32.213Z
Ava Chow
<p>Let's say the <a href="https://lbc.cryptoguru.org/about" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Large Bitcoin Collider</a> manages to guess the private key of a particular Nano Ledger S. Can they then 'spend' or 'steal' the Bitcoins on the Nano or 'send' them to another wallet? </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-02T21:01:52.360Z
No, because it can't break any private key at all (if generated correctly).
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-02T21:59:45.083Z
What do you mean it can't break any private key at all ? I've read they have already 'guessed' several private keys.
DCH
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-02T22:03:33.703Z
Only ones created by broken software. It is computationally infeasible to break an actual randomly generated key.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-03T12:10:02.743Z
Wow .... didn't know that. So why are people at LBC trying ??? Are there that many private keys that are created by broken software ?
DCH
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-03T17:53:05.323Z
I believe they're just having fun spreading nonsense.
Pieter Wuille
<wallet><private-key><coldstorage><ledger-hardware-wallet><hardware-wallet>
Can the Large Bitcoin Collider project 'break' into offline hardware wallets like the Nano Ledger S?
DCH
# Can the Large Bitcoin Collider project 'break' into offline hardware wallets like the Nano Ledger S?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-02)

Let's say the [Large Bitcoin Collider](https://lbc.cryptoguru.org/about) manages to guess the private key of a particular Nano Ledger S. Can they then 'spend' or 'steal' the Bitcoins on the Nano or 'send' them to another wallet?

**Tags:** wallet, private-key, coldstorage, ledger-hardware-wallet, hardware-wallet

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: No, because it can't break any private key at all (if generated correctly).  
> **username_0**: What do you mean it can't break any private key at all ? I've read they have already 'guessed' several private keys.  
> **username_1**: Only ones created by broken software. It is computationally infeasible to break an actual randomly generated key.  
> **username_0**: Wow .... didn't know that. So why are people at LBC trying ??? Are there that many private keys that are created by broken software ?  
> **username_1**: I believe they're just having fun spreading nonsense.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-05-03. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

If LBC is somehow able to guess anyone's private key, regardless of how the private key is normally stored and generated, then yes, they can just spend the coins. All you need is the private key, it does not matter how the key was obtained.

Of course this is impossible to do in practice with today's technology. The range of possible private keys is incredibly large, much larger than a human can imagine. If the private keys were generated with sufficient randomness (which Ledger Nano S's do as they have a True Random Number Generator), then the probability of generating a private key that is in use is so small that it is effectively zero.


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