Trezor lifts password ceiling after Coldcard’s $100M wallet thefts
The update follows security concerns, including Coldcard vulnerabilities and a reseller device warning.
Quick Look
Hardware wallet maker Trezor increased the maximum length of optional wallet passphrases from 50 to 128 characters, citing enhanced security needs following recent industry vulnerabilities and a reseller hardware warning.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Trezor increased its wallet passphrase limit following recent security incidents involving other hardware wallets and a reseller warning.
Hardware wallet maker Trezor has increased the maximum length of optional wallet passphrases from 50 to 128 characters.
On Sunday, Trezor said the change is available in its Trezor Suite with updated device firmware. Older firmware still limits passphrases to 50 characters.
According to Trezor, a passphrase acts like an additional password that users set alongside their wallet’s recovery phrase. An attacker who obtains the recovery phrase would still need the correct passphrase to access funds in that wallet.
Trezor cited the Coldcard attacks in July, when a firmware flaw caused some devices to generate recovery phrases with insufficient randomness, allowing attackers to reconstruct them. Trezor said strong, unique passphrases protected some affected users.
The update follows a separate warning involving Trezor’s own devices.
On Friday, the company advised customers who bought wallets from former authorized reseller CryptoBilis since March to move their funds to new wallets.
An Indonesian customer reported a suspected implant inside a Trezor Safe 5 that could capture on-screen information, including recovery phrases, and transmit it over a cellular network. Trezor said Friday it had not examined the device and had received no reports of related losses.
Open Questions
- What did Trezor's examination of the suspected compromised device reveal?
- How many customers were affected by the CryptoBilis reseller incident?
