21 BTCallinvain wallet theft (2011)
In plain words
An early miner's wallet file was stolen from his computer; 25,000 BTC moved out overnight. The first big theft in Bitcoin's history.
What happened
An early miner's wallet file was stolen from his computer; 25,000 BTC moved out overnight. The first big theft in Bitcoin's history.
What happened to the coins
Never recovered.
See also
- Hardware walletA hardware wallet is a small device that keeps your private keys offline and signs transactions inside itself. Even if your computer is infected, the keys never leave the device.
- Seed phraseA seed phrase is a list of 12 or 24 ordinary words that can recreate all the keys of a wallet. Whoever has the words has the bitcoin, so write them on paper or metal and never type them into a website.
- Proof of reservesAn exchange's attempt to show it holds the customer coins it owes.
- Hot / cold walletHot: keys on an internet-connected device. Cold: keys kept offline.
References
- bitcointalk.org bitcointalk.org