Stefan Thomas went viral this week after a New York Times profile revealed to the world his disturbing dilemma: the password to unlock his Bitcoin fortune is locked on a hard drive that gives users 10 attempts before cleaning it up . Thomas has only two more attempts.
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In an interview with ABC7 News on Wednesday, Thomas said it has now been nine years since he first realized he was out of his account, meaning he has had plenty of time to process it.
“There were a couple of weeks where I was desperate, I have no other words to describe it,” Thomas said, recalling how he felt when he learned he couldn’t find his password in 2012. a question about the your own assessment. What kind of person loses something so important? “
But “time heals all wounds,” he added, and over the years he said he has “made peace” with his loss.
“It was a really important milestone in my life, where I realized how I would define my own worth for the future,” he said. “It wouldn’t be about how much money I have in my bank account.”
This is all fantastic and altruistic, but losing $ 220 million ?! It will surely stress even the most genuine people.
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Thomas said that from the New York Times profile, hundreds of people around the world have contacted him with advice, some serious and others silly.
“One person suggested, have you tried the word ‘password’?” he joked. “Some people have recommended various media, psychics, prophets I could talk to. Some people suggest nootropic drugs to improve memory.”
So far, no one has been arrested.
Ian Sherr, general editor of CNET News, explained that Thomas’ situation is not so strange. “The way Bitcoin works and how this technology works is that everything is meant to be anonymous,” Sherr said. “But a lot of this data is hidden behind a specific password that you need to sign in to your account.”
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Sherr said there are a lot of people who bought Bitcoins years ago when they were worth very little, who typed their password somewhere “and just thought it wouldn’t be a thing.”
“And now it’s worth millions,” he said, “and they’re sitting there nodding to find out where that piece of paper is or what their password might have been.”
What is the best tip for storing and remembering passwords?
“We had CNET recommended that you use a password manager,” Sherr said. “This is a single application that is on your computer or phone and hides behind a password and is good.”
(Sherr, for example, said he uses a line of poetry).
The app then creates other passwords for you that are random and want to be very hard to crack. “It works really well, because you don’t have to remember anything anymore,” he said. “You only have one thing.”
Thomas said he decided to share his story in the hope that it will prevent others from making the same mistake he did. He said that if you get a digital wallet, make sure you have a plan to protect and remember your password.
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