Author: Gregory Maxwell 2011-07-04 20:59:07
Published on: 2011-07-04T20:59:07+00:00
Gavin Andresen, the lead developer of Bitcoin, sent an email on July 4th, 2011 discussing the creation of an encrypted wallet with the release of version 0.4 and later of the Bitcoin software. This new functionality allowed for the creation of a "wallet_e.dat" file that would be encrypted to protect user's private keys. To further increase security measures, the original "wallet.dat" file would be truncated and its file permissions would be set to 000, preventing any older versions of Bitcoin or wallet backup scripts from accessing it.However, concerns were raised about the possibility of unencrypted keying material still being present on the disk after this process was completed. As a solution, it was suggested that the old file should be rewritten before erasing it and replacing it with a placeholder file. This would decrease the likelihood of any sensitive information being left behind.Overall, this email highlights the ongoing efforts by the Bitcoin community to improve security measures and protect users' funds.
Updated on: 2023-05-18T16:26:25.895353+00:00