Why 12-Word Recovery Phrases Are the Perfect Standard for Bitcoin Backups
When it comes to securing your Bitcoin wallet, the recovery phrase is the cornerstone of your financial sovereignty. Traditionally, wallets offer either 12-word or 24-word recovery phrases, and many users believe that 24 words are inherently more secure. However, this perception is more myth than reality. For most users, 12-word recovery phrases provide all the security you’ll ever need. Here’s why we should make 12 words the standard and how they simplify and enhance the backup process.
Understanding the Cryptographic Security of Recovery Phrases
A recovery phrase, also known as a seed phrase, is a set of words that generates your private keys, which in turn secure your Bitcoin. The security of these phrases is tied to their entropy—a measure of randomness.
12 Words = 128 Bits of Entropy A 12-word recovery phrase has 128 bits of entropy, offering 2¹²⁸ possible combinations. This level of security is so astronomical that even the most advanced supercomputers would take billions of years to guess it through brute force.
24 Words = 256 Bits of Entropy Doubling the number of words increases the entropy to 256 bits. While this sounds like a significant improvement, it doesn’t translate into practical benefits. The real-world attacks on Bitcoin private keys and recovery phrases remain infeasible even at 128 bits of entropy.
Why 12 Words Are Sufficient for Bitcoin Security
No Real-World Advantage of 24 Words The primary security risk in Bitcoin lies in reverse engineering a private key from a public key, not in brute-forcing a recovery phrase. Even with a 12-word phrase, the time required to guess the correct combination remains equivalent to attempting to solve the Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithm Problem (ECDLP), which is considered computationally impossible.
Compatibility Across Wallets Most Bitcoin wallets that generate 24-word recovery phrases can seamlessly export them to 12 words. This makes it easier to manage and store backups while maintaining the same cryptographic security.
Simplified User Experience Managing, storing, and verifying 12 words is much more user-friendly than handling 24 words. Shorter phrases reduce the chances of errors during the setup or recovery process, making Bitcoin more accessible to both beginners and advanced users.
Focus on Real-World Risks The largest cause of Bitcoin loss is not theft but improper backup practices, such as losing the recovery phrase or storing it insecurely. By simplifying the process with 12 words, users are more likely to adopt effective and reliable backup strategies.
Backing Up 12 Words: The Role of QR Codes
For Bitcoin users looking to secure their recovery phrases, durable backup methods are essential. Pre-perforated QR codes in ABS plastic offer an innovative and practical solution:
Longevity: ABS plastic can last thousands of years, resisting environmental degradation.
Ease of Use: Perforate the white spaces with a thumbtack to encode your recovery phrase. No specialized tools required.
Redundancy: Store multiple QR backups in different locations to further safeguard against loss or damage.
You can learn more about this solution and purchase your QR code backup kit here.
Expert Opinions on 12 Words
The Bitcoin community increasingly recognizes the practicality and sufficiency of 12-word phrases. Foundation Devices, a leading developer of hardware wallets, advocates for making 12 words the standard to simplify backups and reduce user error. As noted in their blog post “Make 12 Words the Standard”:
“The security of a 12-word seed phrase is roughly equivalent to that of the underlying private key in Bitcoin, and any additional theoretical security gained through using a longer seed phrase has no impact on real-world attacks.”
This aligns with the broader consensus that focusing on proper backup practices and redundancy is far more important than increasing the number of words in a recovery phrase.
Conclusion: Let’s Make 12 Words the Standard
A 12-word recovery phrase offers uncompromised security, ease of use, and greater accessibility for Bitcoin users. By simplifying backups, reducing errors, and maintaining robust cryptographic protection, 12 words strike the perfect balance between practicality and security.
If you’re ready to secure your Bitcoin with an easy-to-manage backup solution, consider using pre-perforated QR codes for your 12-word recovery phrase. They’re durable, user-friendly, and compatible with all major wallets.
Let’s embrace the simplicity of 12 words and set a new standard for Bitcoin backups.