Hidden Message in Bitcoin's 963,629 Block
An unidentified Bitcoin user has embedded a 255-byte message in block 963,629 on Aug. 22, announcing a wallet puzzle whose private-key material is allegedly derived from the network's first block, the Genesis Block. The message, revealed by Galaxy Research on Aug. 23, was placed in an OP_RETURN output—a mechanism that allows users to create provably unspendable outputs carrying arbitrary information.
Block 963,629 was mined by Foundry USA at approximately 19:45 UTC on Aug. 22, according to independent block data. The transaction itself was 500 bytes and paid a miner fee of 250 satoshis, at a rate of 0.60 satoshis per virtual byte, making the on-chain message inexpensive to publish.
Galaxy Research, the initial reporter, described the payload as an "oversized OP_RETURN" because the 255-byte message represented more than half the transaction's raw size.
The Puzzle's Claim: Low Entropy
The embedded message, quoted by Galaxy Research, states: "I created a Bitcoin puzzle using information from Satoshi's Genesis Block to generate a wallet. The entropy is extremely low. I did not even need to make backups—everything required was already in the first block. Good luck!" This claim aligns with reports that the author deliberately used public information from the Genesis Block, mined 17 years ago, to generate the wallet's private key material.
Entropy refers to the randomness in creating private keys. A secure wallet uses a large, unpredictable set of possible values. The author's claim of "extremely low" entropy suggests the key is derived from well-known public data, narrowing the guessing range. However, as highlighted by analysts, the message alone does not reveal the creator's identity, derivation formula, or complete solution.
Clues and Paid-Clue Mechanism
The puzzle uses data from the Genesis Block, which was mined 17 years ago. Potential clues include the Genesis Block's hash and the text "The Times 03/Jan/2009," a famous string often associated with Satoshi Nakamoto. The Genesis Block's hash is 000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f, with a timestamp of 1231006505 and a nonce of 2083236893.
The creator, according to Crypto News, also implemented a paid clue mechanism. The rules, as explained, are that users send Bitcoin transactions to a specified wallet address and receive clues in return, with larger transfers yielding more precise clues.
No Verified Solution Yet
Some reports present a more cautious assessment. The message on-chain was in block 963,629, noting that authors claim the Genesis Block's original 50 BTC subsidy is unspendable due to a quirk in Bitcoin's implementation. Solvers would need to identify the exact selection and processing of Genesis Block data to derive the private key. A verifiable solution would be an outgoing transaction signed by the private key, though such a transaction could also come from the creator. As of publication time, no verified solution or author identity had been confirmed.
This distinction is important: the puzzle is separate from the original 50 BTC block subsidy, which remains unspendable. The task for solvers is to reproduce the derivation process from the public Genesis Block data, but until a solution is proven, the puzzle remains open.