KryptoKit holds a special place in Bitcoin history as one of the very first browser extensions designed to manage cryptocurrency wallets. Because it was so convenient to use directly within a browser, many early adopters relied on it to store their Bitcoins back when the price was just a fraction of what it is today.
If you were around during those early days, you might still have a computer or an old hard drive containing your KryptoKit data. However, since it has been so long, you might have no idea where the actual wallet files are stored on your system.
The good news is that you have two ways to tackle this problem: you can search for the wallet files manually or use an automated tool to do the heavy lifting for you.
The manual way
Finding KryptoKit data manually is a bit more technical than searching for a standard file because of how browser extensions store data. Since KryptoKit operated within Chromium-based browsers, its wallet data is often buried within database fragments.
Searching for Chromium database fragments
To find these fragments, you need to search your computer for a folder named lhhipingoaiddcoalochnbjlkifbpmoj. If you
manage to find that folder, you should look inside it for files ending in .ldb or .log. These are your Chromium
database fragments, and they should contain your private keys.
Searching for backups
It is worth noting that KryptoKit allowed users to create manual backups. You can try searching your entire computer
for a file named backup.json. If you find it, its contents should look roughly like this:
1{
2 "passcode": {
3 "$super": {
4 "$super": {
5 "clone": {},
6 "create": {},
7 "extend": {},
8 "init": {},
9 "mixIn": {}
10 },
11 "init": {},
12 "toString": {}
13 },
14 "algorithm": {
15 "$super": {
16 "$super": {
17 "$super": {
18 "$super": null,
19 "_append": {},
20 "_minBufferSize": 0,
21 "_process": {},
22 "clone": {},
23 "init": {},
24 "reset": {}
25 },
26 "_DEC_XFORM_MODE": 2,
27 "_ENC_XFORM_MODE": 1,
28 "_createHelper": {},
29 "cfg": null,
30 "createDecryptor": {},
31 "createEncryptor": {},
32 "finalize": {},
33 "init": {},
34 "ivSize": 4,
35 "keySize": 4,
36 "process": {},
37 "reset": {}
38 },
39 "_doFinalize": {},
40 "_doProcessBlock": {},
41 "blockSize": 4,
42 "cfg": {
43 "$super": {
44 "$super": null,
45 "init": {}
46 },
47 "init": {},
48 "mode": {
49 "$super": {
50 "$super": null,
51 "createDecryptor": {},
52 "createEncryptor": {},
53 "init": {}
54 },
55 "Decryptor": {
56 "$super": null,
57 "init": {},
58 "processBlock": {}
59 },
60 "Encryptor": {
61 "$super": null,
62 "init": {},
63 "processBlock": {}
64 },
65 "init": {}
66 },
67 "padding": {
68 "pad": {},
69 "unpad": {}
70 }
71 },
72 "init": {},
73 "reset": {}
74 },
75 "_doCryptBlock": {},
76 "_doReset": {},
77 "decryptBlock": {},
78 "encryptBlock": {},
79 "init": {},
80 "keySize": 8
81 },
82 "blockSize": 4,
83 "ciphertext": {
84 "sigBytes": 64,
85 "words": [
86 1261860248,
87 1851479339,
88 -551969551,
89 -225315174,
90 1422159943,
91 -1847362809,
92 1553903880,
93 -1801370008,
94 1999818808,
95 -1644568524,
96 -56330387,
97 -1655011315,
98 -181804407,
99 352811890,
100 -1296881207,
101 1783558328
102 ]
103 },
104 "formatter": {
105 "parse": {},
106 "stringify": {}
107 },
108 "init": {},
109 "iv": {
110 "$super": null,
111 "init": {},
112 "sigBytes": 16,
113 "words": [
114 1174454603,
115 688875979,
116 -530911332,
117 -392248439
118 ]
119 },
120 "key": {
121 "$super": {
122 "$super": null,
123 "clamp": {},
124 "clone": {},
125 "concat": {},
126 "init": {},
127 "random": {},
128 "toString": {}
129 },
130 "init": {},
131 "sigBytes": 32,
132 "words": [
133 561232665,
134 638546724,
135 1144068757,
136 2026204357,
137 -1974915693,
138 -1387267216,
139 1220131372,
140 835858469,
141 1174454603,
142 688875979,
143 -530911332,
144 -392248439
145 ]
146 },
147 "mode": null,
148 "padding": null,
149 "salt": {
150 "sigBytes": 8,
151 "words": [
152 1424676398,
153 2080566074
154 ]
155 }
156 },
157 "address": "1A2THVWrzhrQStAoNVtcQjEuYDpyFjktzr",
158 "txFee": 0.0002,
159 "encrypted": true,
160 "gpgPrivate": "",
161 "gpgPublic": "",
162 "gpgKeys": [],
163 "gpgMessages": [],
164 "newsType": 1,
165 "currency": "USD",
166 "contacts": []
167}
The automatic way
While the manual approach is a good starting point, it has plenty of failings that can lead to a dead end.
- Time-consuming: Scouring application folders for obscure directory names like
lhhipingoaiddcoalochnbjlkifbpmojis tedious. - Error-prone: It is very easy to miss your wallet among the millions of files on a modern operating system.
- Hidden data: If you used a version of KryptoKit that stored files differently, or if you renamed your backup files to hide them, a manual search will likely fail.
- Scaling issues: This method doesn’t scale if you have multiple old computers or hard drives to check.
Introducing Treasure Hunter
This is exactly why I created Treasure Hunter. Instead of you playing digital detective, Treasure Hunter automates the entire process. It is designed to deep scan your storage devices to detect wallet files even if they have been moved, renamed, or obscured.
- Versatile scanning: It works on a wide variety of storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, USB keys, SD cards, and even optical media like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs.
- Cross-platform: Whether you are on Windows, Mac, or Linux, the software is ready to go.
- Deep detection: It doesn’t just look for filenames; it inspects file contents to find traces of KryptoKit database fragments or backups that a human eye would easily miss.
- Risk-free: You can scan your storage devices for free to see if any wealth is waiting to be rediscovered.
If you think you might have old Bitcoins sitting in a forgotten KryptoKit wallet, let Treasure Hunter do the work for you!