It is a fully functional method of encrypting a seed phrase. Each glyph represents one letter of a seed word. The value of the glyphs remains arbitrary until they are assigned a letter by the user based on a seed phrase they have generated. Once assigned, the letters are stamped into the custom seed plate in a scrambled order, each matching its associated glyph. The painting is the key that decrypts the order of the letters, and thus the seed phrase.
Since the letters are scrambled on the seed plate, the words are unrecognizable. This provides additional security, since anyone finding the seed plate would have a hard time decrypting it without the painting. If one chose to use two of the custom seed plates to encrypt a 24 word seed phrase, 12 words on each plate, it would be impossible to crack without both of the plates and the painting. Anyone looking at the painting would not be able to decrypt it without the seed plate. In order to decrypt the seed phrase, one needs both the painting and the seed plate, making this a type of seed XOR.
If the seed plate is used to encrypt an address that contains bitcoin, it must of course still be securely hidden. What is interesting, is that the painting itself can be displayed publicly, and without knowing what value the glyphs have been assigned, the chance of someone cracking a seed phrase that has been encrypted to it is the same as randomly guessing any 128-bit private key.
It seems like a working solution, but it seems a bit complicated, looking forward to try out your ideas soon. Keep up the good work👍
It’s a very simple substitution cipher:)
You can try it out with this photo below, just print this out on a piece of paper: https://i.nostr.build/5GR8z.png
Generate a 12 word seed and match your seed to the glyphs in the grid on the right, and then fill in the blank squares with your letters in the glyph on the left:)
I understand that this is a substitution, but the introduction of 44 new symbols is inconvenient for users.
In fact, I currently use a credit card-sized metal card, with a one-to-many substitution table on the card face, and then switch the substitution set through the rules I define, as long as the rules are kept secret, your plaintext will be safe no matter the ciphertext is displayed publicly, or the card face and ciphertext are displayed at the same time. FYI.
This is designed as a functional art piece not as a daily rider or main stack long term storage. I would not recommend anyone encrypt their long term savings to a painting on the wall.
I’d be interested to see what you are using though as I am always fascinated by practical ways of encrypting plain text seeds.
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