Imagine a $220 million fortune sitting just out of reach. That's the reality for one man locked out of his Bitcoin wallet. Stefan Thomas, a German-born programmer living in San Francisco, has become the poster child for crypto password woes. He went viral this week after a New York Times profile revealed his unsettling dilemma: The password to unlock his Bitcoin fortune is locked away in an IronKey.
The $220 Million Password Problem: Stefan Thomas and His Bitcoin Fortune
A 33-year-old software developer has $220 million locked away in 'Iron Key,' but he's unfortunately forgotten his password. IronKey is a highly secure USB drive that uses AES-encryption technology. The in-built encryption allows users only ten attempts at typing in a correct password. The drive becomes forever encrypted after the ten wrong attempts, and the content therein is wiped. This is Stephen Thomas’s current situation.
That's exactly what happened to Stefan Thomas, a computer programmer from San Francisco. The password he can't remember will let him unlock a small hard drive, known as an IronKey SAN FRANCISCO. He bought the digital currency when it was just $2 per bitcoin and then lost his password. Today, they're worth significantly more, leaving Thomas a would-be multi-millionaire teetering on the edge of complete loss.
A San Francisco programmer has two guesses left to figure out a password to his digital wallet that contains $220 million worth of Bitcoin. Stefan Thomas, a former Ripple Labs executive, has almost certainly lost over 7,002 bitcoin (BTC), worth well over $220 million. He has two guesses left to figure out a password that is worth, as of this week, about $220 million.