Getting the Private Key Associated with a Coinbase Multi-Sig Vault Address
When you create a multi-sig vault on Coinbase, you receive two important pieces of information: the public master key in the extended BIP32 format and the private key in the Wallet Import Format (WIF) notation. In this article, we will walk you through extracting the private key associated with a Coinbase multi-sig vault address.
Understanding the Public Master Key
A public master key is a 24-byte string that contains the private keys of multiple addresses. This key is in the extended BIP32 format, which includes:
- Public master key (256-bit integer)
- Parent fingerprint (128-bit hexadecimal string)
- Child index (2-4 bytes representing the number of children)
The parent fingerprint and child index are used to identify each key address. The 24-byte public master key is divided into two parts: the first 20 bytes represent the private keys for multiple addresses, while the next 4 bytes contain additional information about those addresses.
Deriving a Private Key from a Public Key
You can extract the private key associated with your Coinbase multi-sig storage address as follows:
- Convert the public master key to hexadecimal: Convert the 24-byte public master key to hexadecimal**: Use a hexadecimal master key or an online tool (such as [WhatIsMyWallet]( to extract its hexadecimal representation.
- Remove the master fingerprint and child index: The first 20 bytes of the hexadecimal representation contain the private keys for multiple addresses, while the next 4 bytes are used to identify those addresses. Remove these two parts from the hexadecimal string.
- Convert the resulting substring to WIF format
: Use a WIF parser or online tool (such as [WIF-Parser]( to convert the remaining 16 bytes from hexadecimal to WIF format.
Example
Assuming your master public key is:
0x1234567890abcdef0123456789abcdef
By removing the parent fingerprint and child index, you get:
abcdef0123456789abcdef
Converting this substring to WIF format using a parser or online tool will give you the private key in WIF format.
Example Private Key
The resulting private key in WIF format might look like this:
1234567890abcdef
This is just an example of how to derive the private key associated with a Coinbase multi-sig vault address. Remember that the private key should never be stored publicly as it could be used for malicious purposes.
Conclusion
Deriving the private key associated with a Coinbase multi-sig vault address requires a basic understanding of public key cryptography and wallet formats. By following these steps, you can extract the private key from your public master key and use it to unlock your Coinbase resources. Remember to keep your private keys safe to prevent unauthorized access to your funds.
Additional Resources
For more information on BIP32 Extended Format and WIF notation, see:
- [Wallet Import Format (WIF) Specification](
- [BIP32 Extended Key Format](
- [Coinbase Multi-Sig Vault Documentation](