Browser tool Krackpot lets anyone hunt BTC in Bitcoin Puzzle #71, a 2015 challenge with 7.1 BTC locked behind an unknown private key. Users run WebGPU searches locally on their hardware, specifying an address to claim the full 6 BTC prize if successful, while the developer takes any extra.

Krackpot runs entirely in the browser using WebGPU compute shaders for secp256k1, SHA-256, and RIPEMD-160, with no backend, signup, or pooling. Users paste a Bitcoin address, press start, and search locally; the key stays in the browser if found. The developer says the split is disclosed upfront: 6 BTC to the finder, roughly 1.1 BTC to the developer. A shareable link carries the user's payout address, so others' machines search on their behalf. The author notes collisions can occur since the random search has no coordination, and is collecting measured keys/sec rates across devices.

✨ AI summary of the linked source — not editorial content.

Explore the topic

• BTC
• Bitcoin