gistfile1.txt

You're right — brute-forcing is mostly a waste of resources.  
But since the weakest wallets have already been emptied, there aren’t many other viable options left.

### Brainflayer & Mnemonics  
- **Brainflayer**: This method (brute-forcing known wordlists or passphrases) has been largely exhausted.  
- **Mnemonic brute-force**: Generating keys from 12- or 24-word combinations (128-bit or 256-bit entropy) is computationally impractical at scale.

### RNG Bugs  
- The **2015 Java-Android RNG bug** has already been fully exploited — any low-entropy wallets from that era are gone.

### Software Vulnerabilities  
- **Reused 'R' values in digital signatures** allow recovery of private keys. This class of bugs is well known and already harvested.

### Weak Wallet Implementations  
- **Casascius Coins – Series 1**: Some of these are weak, using 22-character base58 mini private keys. Each valid minikey requires up to 256 SHA-256 checks.  
  - Brute-force speed: ~5,000 to 15,000 keys per thread.  
  - Many of these coins are being redeemed continuously — either by rightful owners or brute-forcers.  
  - Tracker: [https://casasciustracker.com/](https://casasciustracker.com/)

### Puzzles and Key Challenges  
- **Puzzle #64**: At current speeds (~200 Gigakeys/s using 100 GPUs), the expected time to solve is around 146 years.  
- **Puzzle #120**: Even with a Zettakey/s setup, it would take ~21 million years on average to solve. Current speeds are 1–10 Exakeys/s.

### Performance Comparison  
- **Against top 10,000 addresses**: ~Gigakeys/s per GPU  
- **Against top 10,000 public keys**: ~Terakeys/s per high-end server

If you know of a more effective method, feel free to share it.  
If you still think it’s a waste of time — that’s fine too. Just don’t participate.  

Most users are here out of curiosity, for fun, or on the off chance of a lucky hit.