1
Can I generate a bitcoin address with my RSA private key?
Explain also how and why.
Generate address with RSA private key
Answers
5
Not directly. You'd first have to convert your RSA private key into an secp256k1 ECDSA private key (a 256 bit value between 0x1 and 0xFFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFE BAAE DCE6 AF48 A03B BFD2 5E8C D036 4140). You could do this by using a SHA256 hash of your RSA private key as your ECDSA private key. Then you could import that hash (as a number) into a Bitcoin program that allows importing private keys.
However, I strongly recommend against this. Use your RSA key for the things it was designed for. Use a Bitcoin program for generating new Bitcoin private keys. Haphazardly mixing different crypto together almost always reduces your security.
Ok, thanks you just saved my bitcoins! :) – tor – 2015-01-17T18:41:35.987
You can generate bitcoin private key with everything (even with a quarter coin) and create address. The question you should ask youself will be how should you spend funds from this address – amaclin – 2015-01-17T14:51:37.170
HOW can I generate the address with my RSA key thats the question – tor – 2015-01-17T14:56:01.707
@tor you can use RSA key in bit format and then use it as number input for generating new private key. – Marek – 2015-01-17T15:44:14.090
OK, the answer is: (1) take your RSA key (2) generate random 256-bit number (3) use this number as your bitcoin private key (4) generate your public key from private key (5) generate address from your public key. This is the way how to generate address with your RSA key – amaclin – 2015-01-17T15:44:44.423
1(2) generate random 256-bit number. Then its not from the rsa key – tor – 2015-01-17T15:50:06.683
You asked how to generate "with" private key. Not "from" private key :) I agree with the answer below by David A. Harding that you should not use your RSA key for bitcoin. Take a random number instead. – amaclin – 2015-01-17T16:56:55.983