user50647: Are there any particular methods for computing the private key corresponding to an arbitrary bitcoin address? For example, I want to find the private key for this address to access the funds:     1KsFhYKLs8qb1GHqrPxHoywNQpet2CtP9t

user50663: The whole strength of the Bitcoin protocol is that the private key is inaccessible. Period!

user5406: In fact, it is one of the fundamental properties of digital signing algorithms that you cannot derive the private key from the public key (or the address which is a derivative of the public key). Without this property, digital signing would be pointless, as anyone could fake any signature.
The irreversibility of address derivation from the private key is one of the main security assumptions of the Bitcoin system.

50647: <p>Are there any particular methods for computing the private key corresponding to an arbitrary bitcoin address? For example, I want to find the private key for this address to access the funds:     1KsFhYKLs8qb1GHqrPxHoywNQpet2CtP9t</p>
 50663: <p>The whole strength of the Bitcoin protocol is that the private key is inaccessible. Period!</p>
 5406: <p>In fact, it is one of the fundamental properties of digital signing algorithms that you cannot derive the private key from the public key (or the address which is a derivative of the public key). Without this property, digital signing would be pointless, as anyone could fake any signature.</p>

<p>The irreversibility of address derivation from the private key is one of the main security assumptions of the Bitcoin system.</p>
