{"id":14620,"date":"2026-10-18T14:45:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T14:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620"},"modified":"2026-10-18T14:45:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T14:45:49","slug":"claude-unpicks-an-nsa-mystery-behind-ethereum-passkey-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620","title":{"rendered":"Claude unpicks an NSA mystery behind Ethereum passkey security"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-cs-editorial-figure-scope=\"\" data-cs-editorial-quote-scope=\"\" data-cs-image-viewer-scope=\"\" data-single-article-content=\"\">\n<p>Anthropic said on Oct. 16 that Claude had helped reconstruct the public seed behind P-256, a NIST-standardized cryptographic curve supported for Ethereum passkey signing. The finding gives wallet builders new evidence about a longstanding concern over the curve\u2019s origins.<\/p>\n<p>The seed is a public design input used to derive a coefficient in the curve\u2019s equation. It is separate from the private signing credentials that authorize wallet activity. Anthropic says unexplained seeds supplied by the U.S. National Security Agency had fueled suspicion about deliberately weakened parameters.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s published recipe initializes the old C-library generator lrand48 with the timestamp for Aug. 16, 1997, at 01:52:34 UTC. The generator produces a sequence of candidate seeds. Advancing to candidate 1,842 returns the published P-256 value, providing a repeatable recipe for that public constant.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter shoggoth-infographic shoggoth-infographic-portrait wp-image-573443\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01.png\" alt=\"P-256 public-seed reconstruction from a 1997 timestamp and candidate 1,842, its separate role from wallet signing keys, EIP-7951 verification, and unresolved provenance questions.\" width=\"720\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01.png 1122w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01-768x960.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter shoggoth-infographic shoggoth-infographic-portrait wp-image-573443\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01.png\" alt=\"P-256 public-seed reconstruction from a 1997 timestamp and candidate 1,842, its separate role from wallet signing keys, EIP-7951 verification, and unresolved provenance questions.\" width=\"720\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01.png 1122w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/exec-0a475e85-47ea-4231-91c2-1f8b66868f01-768x960.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Anthropic says this makes deliberate backdoors less plausible. It describes no new attack or curve weakness and says users need take no action.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed\">\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__related-reading\">Related Reading<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cs-article-embed__title\">Vitalik Buterin urges calm as AI raises new fears over Bitcoin and Ethereum cryptography security<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"> <i class=\"fa-light fa-arrow-up-right\"\/> <\/span> <\/div>\n<p>The Ethereum connection runs through EIP-7951, which specifies verification of signatures using P-256, also called secp256r1. It names Apple Secure Enclave, Android Keystore and FIDO2\/WebAuthn devices as relevant hardware. This connects wallet authorization with signing capabilities built into devices and authenticators.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"cs-inline-newsletter-1\" class=\"cs-inline-newsletter cs-newsletter-brand\" data-newsletter-edition=\"catalyst\" data-inline-newsletter=\"\" data-newsletter-placement=\"article-midpoint\" aria-labelledby=\"cs-inline-newsletter-1-title\" aria-describedby=\"cs-inline-newsletter-1-copy\">\n<div class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__inner\">\n<div class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__content\">\n<div class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__editorial\">\n<p class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__eyebrow\">The Catalyst<\/p>\n<p class=\"cs-newsletter-frequency\">Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"cs-inline-newsletter-1-title\" class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__title\">Know what\u2019s moving crypto.<\/h2>\n<p id=\"cs-inline-newsletter-1-copy\" class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__copy\">Start with the stories that matter. Get the context behind the headlines and a clear view of what to watch next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cs-inline-newsletter__art\" aria-hidden=\"true\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cryptoslate-2020\/images\/catalyst-newsletter-scrapbook-v3.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cryptoslate-2020\/images\/catalyst-newsletter-scrapbook-v3.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>EIP-7951\u2019s motivation lists device-native signing, multifactor authentication and simpler key management as uses for account abstraction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed\">\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__related-reading\">Related Reading<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cs-article-embed__title\">Ethereum gets huge mainnet upgrade tomorrow \u2013 Here&#8217;s why you should care about ETH&#8217;s \u2018sloping side road&#8217;<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"> <i class=\"fa-light fa-arrow-up-right\"\/> <\/span> <\/div>\n<p>Ethereum\u2019s account documentation distinguishes private keys that sign transactions from public information used to verify them; contract accounts are controlled by code.<\/p>\n<p>EIP-7951\u2019s P256VERIFY operation takes a message hash, a signature and a public key, then checks the signature\u2019s validity. The reconstructed public seed is separate from those private signing credentials.<\/p>\n<p>P-256 also differs from secp256k1, the curve already used in Ethereum. The relevance is to P-256-compatible signing, rather than every Ethereum wallet.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-article-embed\">\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__related-reading\">Related Reading<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"cs-article-embed__title\">New Bitcoin upgrade catches hidden key leaks hiding the exact fix<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"cs-article-embed__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"> <i class=\"fa-light fa-arrow-up-right\"\/> <\/span> <\/div>\n<p>Anthropic reports that candidate 876 also yielded a prime-order curve of the required size, leaving selection criteria unclear. The number of generation runs and the origin of P-256\u2019s base point, a separate fixed mathematical point, remain unknown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>AI,Featured,Research,Technology,Wallets,Anthropic,ethereumAnthropic,ethereum#Claude #unpicks #NSA #mystery #Ethereum #passkey #security1792334749<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anthropic said on Oct. 16 that Claude had helped reconstruct the public seed behind P-256, a NIST-standardized cryptographic curve supported for Ethereum passkey signing. The finding gives wallet builders new evidence about a longstanding concern over the curve\u2019s origins. The seed is a public design input used to derive a coefficient in the curve\u2019s equation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3823,4486,31,2837,7451,7452,1676,7450],"class_list":["post-14620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ethereum","tag-anthropic","tag-claude","tag-ethereum","tag-mystery","tag-nsa","tag-passkey","tag-security","tag-unpicks"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Claude unpicks an NSA mystery behind Ethereum passkey security - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Claude traced P-256\u2019s public seed to a 1997 timestamp, adding provenance evidence for Ethereum passkey signing while selection questions remain.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Claude unpicks an NSA mystery behind Ethereum passkey security\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Claude traced P-256\u2019s public seed to a 1997 timestamp, adding provenance evidence for Ethereum passkey signing while selection questions remain.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-18T14:45:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ethereum-cryptography-timeline.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"\u884c\u653f\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u884c\u653f\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620\",\"name\":\"Claude unpicks an NSA mystery behind Ethereum passkey security - Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ethereum-cryptography-timeline.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-18T14:45:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/822778c5844e0d16d43dce6630f4f1bf\"},\"description\":\"Claude traced P-256\u2019s public seed to a 1997 timestamp, adding provenance evidence for Ethereum passkey signing while selection questions remain.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ethereum-cryptography-timeline.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ethereum-cryptography-timeline.webp\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/?p=14620#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Claude unpicks an NSA mystery behind Ethereum passkey security\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cryptonews.uk.com\/\",\"name\":\"Crypto News: Latest Cryptocurrency News and Analysis\",\"description\":\"Latest Crypto &amp; 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