Thread by @ChristopherA

At @BlockchainComns we believe that multisig offers superior #SmartCustody over using Shamir's Secret Sharing (which was recently implemented as part of @Ledger Recover). Unfortunately, there are few practical alternatives to sharding a seed, and multisig is complex. 🧵… [1/13]

https://twitter.com/ChristopherA/status/1659061319004454913

The first obstacle to multisig is that our experience is that they are too complex for normal usage. We know that even professionals using one of our well-tested secure scenarios find the hour it takes is too long. [2/13] github.com/BlockchainComm…

The second obstacle is that true multisig really is available only for Bitcoin. There are multi-account smart contracts that resemble cryptographic multisig, but they don't offer the same level of hardware security, and each transaction costs gas. [3/13] shivanisb10.medium.com/multisig-contr…

The advantage of Shamir Secret Sharing cryptography is it can be used for any secret, not just private keys. Thus it can also be used to secure Ethereum keys, NFTs, other blockchains, etc. But you do still have to be very careful: [4/13]

https://twitter.com/ChristopherA/status/1659061357764046848

Our CSR (Collaborative Seed Recovery) open source project in the Gordian Developer community at @BlockchainComns is meant to make Shamir's Secret Sharing more accessible and safer while keeping the door open for a future that includes multisig. [5/13] github.com/BlockchainComm…

CSR addresses some of the limitations of Shamir's Secret Sharing by allowing multi-modal, automated authentication, by implementing progressive recovery revelation, and by recognizing reconstruction as the most vulnerable point in the process. [6/13] github.com/blockchaincomm…

CSR also allows for more secure storage of shares through SSKR's support for multilevel sharding [7/13] github.com/BlockchainComm…

Finally, CSR works to improve usability by getting things started with a simple QR code and ensure consent by asking for permission step by step. No need to find some specific button in yet another wallet UX, the flow takes you through the scenario to successful completion [8/13]

We hope to see the first commercial implementation of CSR this year, but ultimately it's just a stepping stone. In the future CSR will be able to adapt to new techniques that include VSS, MuSig2 and FROST. [9/13]

Our ultimate goal is to evolve CSR into Collaborative Key Management (CKM), which will take advantage of Multi-Party Computing (MPC), so that the seed on your device combines with others on the net to dynamically reconstruct your key as needed. [10/13] github.com/BlockchainComm…

Then, if a hardware device maker makes a change that it can share out your seed, that might be OK. Because one single seed can no longer be a single point of compromise. (And ensuring it's not a point of failure also remains important for resilience!) [11/13]

However, CSR (and more than that CKM) still lies in the future. If you are a wallet customer, demand your vendor to get involved with CSR. If you are a dev interested in working with us on these initiatives, join the Gordian Developer community. [12/13] blockchaincommons.com/subscribe.html

We also need your financial support — it is through sponsors like these that we've been able to get to where we are today: blockchaincommons.com/sponsors.html Become a patron of @BlockchainComns to help ensure these possibilities become reality! [13/13] github.com/sponsors/Block…