BIP44 mnemonic to private key

rinayhiron

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Jul 30, 2024
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The process of converting BIP44 mnemonics to private keys involves a series of complex algorithms and steps that ensure that the conversion from mnemonics to private keys is secure and verifiable. The following is a detailed description of the general process of converting BIP44 mnemonics to private keys:

BIP44 mnemonic overview

BIP44 mnemonics are a set of words used to represent randomly generated seed values, which are converted to seeds through a deterministic algorithm, and then the seeds are used to generate the private and public keys of cryptocurrencies. BIP44 mnemonics are a key component in hierarchical deterministic wallets (HD Wallets), supporting multi-currency, multi-account and other functions.

General steps for converting mnemonics to private keys

1. Normalized encoding:
First, the mnemonics and salts (usually "mnemonic" plus the password set by the user, which may not be used if there is no password) are normalized, such as using NFKD (Normalization Form KD) for character standardization.

2. Hash and key derivation:
Using the PBKDF2 (Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2) algorithm, combined with the HMAC-SHA512 hash function, the normalized mnemonic and salt are hashed multiple times (usually 2048 times) to generate a 512-bit seed.
This seed is the basis for the subsequent generation of private and public keys.

3. Private key extraction:
From the 512-bit seed, directly extract the first 256 bits as the private key. In the BIP32/BIP44 standard, private keys are usually represented in formats such as hexadecimal or WIF (Wallet Import Format).
Although the last 256 bits have specific uses in BIP32 (such as generating child private keys and public keys), they are usually not directly used in the process of direct conversion to private keys.

4. Verification:
The generated private key can be verified in a variety of ways, such as using the private key to generate the public key, and then checking whether the public key can be correctly identified and used on the blockchain.

Notes

BIP44 mnemonics are another form of plaintext private keys, which makes it easier for users to remember complex private keys. However, since the mnemonics themselves are not encrypted, there are certain security risks, so they must be kept properly to avoid leakage.
When using mnemonics, users are advised to combine passwords or salts to increase security to prevent the mnemonics from being maliciously guessed or cracked.
The private key is the core of cryptocurrency security, and once leaked, it will lead to the theft of funds. Therefore, you must be extra careful when handling private keys and mnemonics.

Conclusion

The process of converting BIP44 mnemonics to private keys is a complex algorithmic process involving multiple steps such as normalized encoding, hashing, and key derivation. Through this process, users can recover private keys from easy-to-remember mnemonics and control their cryptocurrency assets. However, since the security of private keys and mnemonics is critical, users must take strict security measures when handling this sensitive information.

Mnemonic to private key