Crypto CEO dies with the password to unlock $200+ million of customers' Bitcoin

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/02/04/crypto-ceo-dies-with-the-passw.html

“After Gerry’s death, Quadriga’s inventory of cryptocurrency has become unavailable and some of it may be lost,” said his widow.

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I don’t want to laugh at anyone’s pain, here, but of course this is noteworthy because the money-should-be-unfettered types who are into crypto currency did not effectively vet their not-really-a-bank service. They didn’t actually do the due diligence stuff that free markets supposedly incentivize.

What does the market say planning for the future is worth? More than $145 million, apparently.

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psst…

it’s password123.

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I said a thumb drive - that’s an actual thumb!

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Have they tried looking for a Post-it note on the bottom of the laptop?

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“Nobody’s gonna put their money in Fred’s Bank. Hi! I’m Fred! I have a bank!”

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Will someone think of all the illegal gambling, arms sales, child pornography and human trafficking which will not be going on due to this glitch!

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Life lesson: If you need to encrypt everything, such that forgetting your password will lock you out your entire digital existence, then always be sure that you have the password to get back in written down and safely stored with your other important documents.

This fucking goes double if you are running a business out of the encrypted device.

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For future reference:


http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/

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iirc something like this was a plotline on the later, even campier seasons of prison break

I think (and hope) some folks will miss me when I die. But not nearly as many as miss that guy and, for the most part, not nearly as much.

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Can someone who knows about how these things work explain if we are able to discern whether the money is, in fact, in these accounts and/or when the last time someone accessed them?

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Is it wrong that I think this is hilarious? I mean tragedy + distance = comedy. That’s my excuse.

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I was thinking Silicon Valley.

Among the many things I don’t understand about cryptocurrency: Since I’ve got my own password to lock my own wallet, what’s the advantage of “storing” my “coins” in someone’s server, and why can’t I access them using my own password, just like I do for my bank checking account?

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Because the cllllllllloud?

Yeah, there’s a lot I don’t get here, either.

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A new take on “the dog ate my homework.”

“Our dog ate your money. But before that, it died.”

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