A massive fortune is about to be lost!..
$800 million on a USB... Two final attempts to unlock Bitcoin...
German programmer Stefan Thomas sits on a massive fortune estimated at around $800 million stored on a small USB, with only two final attempts left to unlock a Bitcoin wallet containing 7002 digital coins. The loss of the password put him at risk of losing his wealth forever, in one of the strangest predicaments in the history of digital currencies.
In 2011, Stefan Thomas, who was living in San Francisco at the time, presented a short video titled "What is Bitcoin?" explaining this emerging currency to the public. His reward was 7002 Bitcoins, which were worth less than $7,000 at the time, but today equate to nearly $800 million.
Thomas transferred the coins to a digital wallet secured by an IronKey S200 device, a USB known for its strict encryption. But the tragedy of his life began when he lost the paper on which he had written the password. The device allows only ten attempts, and he has consumed eight incorrect attempts, leaving him with only two attempts before it permanently locks and erases everything.
Security breach
In late 2023, the cybersecurity company Unciphered announced that it had found a way to bypass the stringent protection of the IronKey device, allowing for unlimited attempts to guess passwords. The team described its success as "landing on the moon," after managing to reset the security mechanism through complex techniques including microscopy and error injection.
This discovery seemed like a potential savior for Thomas, but surprisingly he rejected the offer. The reason being that he had already committed to previous arrangements with other experts, including the company Naxo, which specializes in digital forensics, and the famous hacker Chris Tarnowski, according to "Daily Galaxy."
Why did he say no?
Thomas's decision was not easy. Since his story became media material, he has been inundated with offers from companies and adventurers claiming they could unlock the device. He now prefers to work quietly with trusted parties rather than entering an open race filled with risks and opportunists.
The psychological burden of a frozen fortune
The impact was not only financial but left a heavy psychological toll. Thomas admitted that he lived for years with anxiety and depression, even resorting to therapy after waking up every night thinking about his trapped wealth. However, over time he began to cope with the situation with greater inner peace, considering what happened a "very expensive life lesson." Today he continues his activities in blockchain-related projects, trying to look to the future instead of chasing the past, according to "Wired" magazine.
The open-ended conclusion
Stefan Thomas's story encapsulates the paradoxes of the digital currency world: a massive fortune that can disappear in an instant due to a lost password. With only two attempts left, the world watches to see if he will succeed in reclaiming his frozen treasure or if the 7002 Bitcoins will become a lost legend in the blockchain archive.
