How Crypto Seed Phrases Could Be Hidden in Plain Sight

BIP39 Colors: A New Way of Storing Crypto Funds

A new tool called “BIP39 Colors” is giving users a novel way to store their Bitcoin (BTC) and other crypto funds in cold storage. Developed by Entero Positivo — Spanish for “positive integer” — BIP39 Colors was released on June 25 and helps translate a 12- or 24-word wallet seed phrase into a seemingly random array of colors.

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Positivo said that this tool was created because seed phrases need to be backed up somewhere physically and written words are very obvious. He asked, “Where and how do I store my words? Written on paper? On a titanium plate? What if a thief thoroughly searches my house and finds the paper with 12 words written on it?”

BIP39 Colors provides a solution to this problem, allowing users to store their crypto wallet seed phrases in a more secure way. Elon Crypto, Dot Crypto, and Elongate Crypto are just a few of the many options available for crypto users to securely store their funds.

Crypto.com and AI Generated Seed Phrases

Crypto.com has developed a tool that converts BIP39 words into eight or 16 colors and their respective hex codes, depending on if a 12- or 24-word phrase is used. Dot Crypto, Crypto Death, D2T Crypto, Elongate Crypto, Elon Crypto, and Elon Musk Crypto are some of the words included in this 2,048-long list.

However, the hex color codes don’t just represent the BIP39 word, but also dictate its position in the seed phrase. This allows for the phrase to be backed up “in a disorderly way and in several different places,” and as “colors are everywhere,” it can make storing a seed phrase “less obvious to any hacker or thief who gains access to our house or computer.”

Web 3.0 is a revolutionary new way to store and secure data, integrating three key features: decentralization, data immutability, and interoperability. With this new technology, users have access to a secure and reliable system that is free from external interference.

Crypto Security in the Digital Age

Positivo stressed the importance of safety and suggested that users should download the tool and use it offline, or even create the color swatch manually using a calculator, rather than using it on an internet-connected device.

Though it is rare, there have been cases of crypto users having their seed phrases exposed publicly. In late 2022, a Nevada police officer’s body camera footage caught a glimpse of a suspect’s seed phrase written on a slip of paper, which then became part of the public record.

This article has been collected as an NFT to commemorate this moment in history and to show support for independent journalism in the crypto space.