Seed Phrases Concealed as Colors: A Novel Approach to Enhancing Security

According to an anonymous developer known as Entero Positivo, Bitcoin and crypto seed phrases can now easily be hidden in plain sight using colors. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Positivo explained that conventional methods of storing seed phrases are too obvious, prompting him to devise a way to potentially change how users hold their funds in cold storage.

Positivo recently released a tool called "BIP39 Colors" on June 25, which allows users to transform their 12- or 24-word seed phrases into an array of colors that appear random and inconspicuous. The project is 100% open-source and works by converting the BIP39 words, which are a list of 2,048 words used to generate seed phrases, into eight or 16 colors along with their hex codes. The tool generates a unique color palette that represents the position of each word in the seed phrase.

Using colors makes the storage of seed phrases less obvious to potential hackers or thieves who may gain access to someone's physical space or computer. By scattering the colors in a disorderly manner and storing them in different places, it becomes more challenging for unauthorized individuals to identify and decipher the seed phrase.

Positivo advises users to exercise caution and avoid using the tool on an internet-connected device. Instead, it is recommended to download and utilize the tool offline. Alternatively, users can manually create the color swatch using a calculator for added security.

While many believe that this is not as secure as traditional means of storing your phrase, it doesn't hurt to brainstorm different methods of security. Having more options to store private keys makes the security of the ecosystem more robust as a whole, and who knows, maybe this sparks an idea for someone else or is used as a building block for more advanced solutions.

The motivation behind developing this method stems from the fact that traditional seed phrase storage methods, such as writing the words on paper, can be easily spotted and recognized by anyone familiar with crypto. Positivo aims to provide a new approach that enhances the security and obscurity of storing crypto wallet seed phrases. You can save the colors in any order, to further decentralize the potential points of failure, using CSS files, png images, or through print-outs at home.  

BIP39 Colors translates a BIP39 mnemonic to colors and viceversa.

Check out the tool :https://t.co/IGrq8LlCXu

- It obfuscates your mnemonic phrase
- You can save each color independently without any order (at home, in css files, png images, ...)
- Color codes are… pic.twitter.com/Td2sm3igVt

— Entero Positivo (@EnteroPositivo) June 25, 2023

Final Thoughts

It is worth noting that there have been instances where seed phrases were accidentally exposed publicly, emphasizing the importance of adopting secure storage practices. With the rise of quantum computing, finding solutions like this could be hugely advantageous to the security of our coins. The more options that we have to store our sacred seed phrases, the harder it will be for potential bad actors to identify that it is, in fact, the keys to a wallet - so initiatives like this can be extremely helpful to the community as a whole.