DIY Device | Users Craft Offline Seed Generator for BIP-39 Mnemonics
Edited By
Anna Wexler
An innovative group of individuals has developed a unique offline device named NYENYC (Not Your Entropy Not Your Coins), which generates a 24-word BIP-39 mnemonic using user-provided entropy like coin flips or dice rolls. This open-source gadget aims to eliminate concerns over trusting hardware wallets' internal entropy generation.
The Motivation Behind NYENYC
The impetus for creating NYENYC stems from a growing distrust among people surrounding the randomness produced by hardware wallets. Issues like the recent Coldcard entropy concern underscore how bugs in firmware can make the hardware random number generator (RNG) irrelevant. By taking entropy generation into the user's hands, NYENYC offers transparency and security, stating that the device generates no entropy itself.
"A bug anywhere in that path can make the hardware RNG irrelevant," explained the creator, emphasizing the need for visible and independent entropy.
How It Works
The device processes entropy through various modes. Users can either flip a coin or roll dice to generate bits, which are then transformed into BIP-39 words. The Von Neumann debiasing method allows outputs even from biased coins, provided the flips remain independent.
Coin Flips: Participants simply use a coin to generate bits.
Dice Rolls: Offers a more reliable bit source; a single six-sided die can yield about 2.5 bits per throw.
These bits are run through a basic PIC18F47K42 microcontroller, displayed on a simple LCD, and discarded when powered off. This simplicity ensures that any generated seeds don't persist beyond the immediate session, reducing risks.
User Concerns and Improvements
Feedback from forums highlighted two significant concerns.
Documenting Flips or Rolls: Writing down the results poses a risk, as physical notes could be exposed, allowing anyone to reconstruct the seed. One suggestion was to print results directly on the LCD, preventing risk from physical copies.
Bit Count and Independence: Critics pointed out that the Von Neumann process relies on independence in flips. An alternating series of outcomes could skew results. Thus, using dice may be more beneficial due to their inherent randomness.
"The device counts pairs, it doesn’t look for patterns. Real hands are nowhere near that bad, but at flip 800 they can get repetitive," warned a user.
Key Takeaways
🔍 Transparent Entropy Generation: Aiming to remove trust issues in hardware wallets.
🎲 Various Input Modes: Coin flips and dice rolls offer flexibility and choice.
📉 Risks of Writing Results: Users must be cautious about documenting results.
Remarkably, despite some apprehension regarding potential risks, many users seem optimistic about the project's impact on seed generation security, with calls for collaboration and enhancements flooding in from the crypto community. As discussions continue about self-sovereignty in the digital asset space, does NYENYC signify a paradigm shift in personal crypto security?
Future Outlook on Seed Security
There’s a strong chance that as NYENYC gains traction, we might see a surge in interest for similar open-source projects. Experts estimate around 60% of people value transparency in crypto security over convenience, pushing developers to create alternatives that prioritize user involvement in entropy generation. If successful, NYENYC could prompt hardware wallet manufacturers to rethink their security paradigms to regain consumer trust, potentially leading to a new standard in crypto wallet security solutions.
A Different Era of Trust
The rise of NYENYC may echo the early 2000s when people shifted from traditional banking to online banking, fueled by a growing demand for transparency and individual agency. Back then, technology allowed users to monitor their finances more closely, similar to how NYENYC empowers individuals with their own entropy generation. Just as the move to online banking unlocked new possibilities and customer complexities, this new seed generator could pave the way for a more secure and decentralized approach to managing digital assets.