A Bitcoin investor using the alias cprkrn on the social media platform X has announced the recovery of 5 BTC that had been inaccessible for over 11 years, thanks to assistance from Anthropic’s AI tool Claude. The owner explained that the loss occurred after forgetting the password to his Blockchain.com wallet and losing access to backup files years ago, leaving the substantial sum stranded.
Nearly $400,000 Retrieved via AI
The recovered Bitcoin is valued at nearly $400,000, with BTC trading around $79,622 at the time of the incident. According to data from CryptoAppsy, the sum equaled approximately $398,000 when the story broke—an amount that captured the attention of the crypto community.
Cprkrn described the recovery process as beginning with a review of old notes and assorted wallet-related files from his former university computer. These documents were uploaded to Claude, which managed to identify an encrypted backup of an old wallet among the archived files.
AI Collaboration and the btcrecover Tool
According to the investor, Claude guided him in using the open-source recovery tool btcrecover, delving into the logic behind the forgotten password. Shared screenshots showed Claude analyzing the password recovery steps and evaluating how the encryption algorithm used by the tools operated.
The breakthrough came when the combination of a wallet key found in an old notebook and a password were matched, with Claude’s support, to the backup file. This allowed the user to decrypt the file and regain access to his private keys.
Following the successful retrieval, cprkrn revealed he had previously spent a total of $250 on several attempts with professional recovery services—all of which failed. He also disclosed that more than 3.5 trillion different password guesses had been attempted over the years in an effort to unlock the wallet.
Numerous Attempts and Technical Hurdles
Cprkrn recounted searching through two different Mac computers, two external drives, Apple Notes, email accounts, old Twitter messages, paper notebooks, and other archives. He used brute-force attacks with tools like btcrecover and Hashcat in these efforts.
The key to success was not breaking the seed phrase directly, but matching an old backup of the wallet with a former password. Because the private keys in Bitcoin wallets remain consistent even as encryption formats change, opening the backup proved to be the solution for regaining access to the funds.
Another crypto investor emphasized that Claude did not “threaten Bitcoin security.” Rather, the AI simply assisted in matching the legitimate user’s own files and password information during the recovery, offering technical support—not bypassing cryptographic security.
Rising Trend of AI-Based Crypto Rescue
The story rapidly went viral on X, viewed millions of times and sparking widespread interest from crypto investors, wallet services, and software developers. Many highlighted the potential of AI-powered tools to address technical challenges and software troubleshooting in the crypto sector.
However, debate also grew regarding the risks of uploading sensitive wallet backups, private keys, or seed phrases to AI platforms. Experts cautioned that crypto holders should fully understand the consequences and security implications before sharing personal information with such systems.
Cprkrn’s humorous social media posts also contributed to the buzz, including a lighthearted remark about naming his child after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in celebration of the return of the BTC.
The reactivation of long-dormant Bitcoin wallets has become a topic of growing interest, as owners continue to recover assets by unearthing old hard drives, backup files, or notebooks containing crucial wallet information.
Thanks to Claude’s thorough analysis of crypto files and identification of an encrypted backup, 5 lost BTC have finally been reclaimed after years. The episode highlights that alongside robust security, preserving personal digital archives is just as vital for crypto ownership.
