The quest to liberate $300k of bitcoin from a zip file

PLUS: The best WIRED stories from this month a year ago.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 08.05.21 In the fall of 2019, former Google security engineer Michael Stay got a weird message on LinkedIn. A total stranger had lost access to a zip file containing his bitcoin private keys—and wanted Stay's help getting $300,000 back. Decades earlier, Stay published a paper detailing a technique for breaking into encrypted zip files, and the stranger needed his expertise. Stay estimated it would cost $100,000. The stranger took the deal. Read the story of a guy who wouldn't let a few quintillion possible decryption keys stand between him and his cryptocurrency, plus more of the best WIRED stories from this month a year ago, below.   The Quest to Liberate $300,000 of Bitcoin From an Old Zip File The story of a guy who wouldn't let a few quintillion possible decryption keys stand between him and his cryptocurrency. The Best Stories From This Month, Last Year The Furious Hunt for the MAGA Bomber Scarred by trauma and devoted to Trump, a man began mailing explosives to the president's critics on the eve of an election. Inside the race to catch him. Frog Eats Beetle. Beetle Crawls Through Guts to Escape Regimbartia attenuata doesn't take too kindly to being eaten. Once locked inside a frog's maw, it turns around and starts heading for the exit. The Tragic Physics of the Deadly Explosion in Beirut A blast injury specialist explores the chemistry—and history—of explosions like the one captured in videos that swept across the world. 9 Apps to Boost Your Phone's Security and Privacy Android and iOS are getting better about protecting your data and device. But if you're looking for an extra line of defense, these can help. What If the Big Bang Was Actually a Big Bounce? New computer simulations model an alternate way of thinking about the cosmos: as a cyclic universe that has no beginning or end. The NSA's Tips to Keep Your Phone From Tracking You The National Security Agency has shared a three-page primer on how to limit your location data exposure. They would know! GET WIRED Summer Sale! Ending Soon: Get WIRED for $10 $5. You can't see into the future, but you can subscribe to WIRED. Subscribe now.           This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.