Address – What happens if a new hardware wallet generates an existing seed?
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I know 24^2048 (hell 12^2048) is a huge number and the chances of something like this happening are almost zero… but I’m still curious. What if you have a hardware wallet (or other seed generation mechanism)? Does it already exist or have you created a seed with BTC at the relevant address? It may not be immediately obvious to the user as it doesn’t require an internet connection (there is no way for the wallet to verify an existing address), but access is only possible if you connect your hardware wallet/seed to some wallet software. On that BTC? There appears to be no mechanism to prevent this.
again. me know this is so I don’t think it would be virtually impossible, but just for argument’s sake… Will I suddenly have free BTC?
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You will be able to spend other people’s money.
It’s like discovering that your front door key fits the lock on someone else’s door. This does not mean that theft is no longer legally considered theft.
So it’s not free money, it’s a means of committing theft.