Key safety vs Backup : History of a bad day (key-restoration problem)

[David Shaw]

On Wed, Oct 31, 2007 at 07:26:15PM -0500, Robert J. Hansen wrote:
> > Does anyone see a good use case (aside from the cool-trick
> > factor) to using secret sharing in paperkey?
> 
> Yes.  E.g., I may wish to give shares to my best friend and my cousin.
> This way, even if their homes and/or offices are broken into, or one of
> them misplaces/loses their share, I don't need to worry about where that
> copy is: I just have the other person burn their share and issue two
> more.

Makes sense, especially if you are printing out the secret key with no
passphrase (as if there was a passphrase, then even multiple lost
copies shouldn't matter).  Given the "backup of last resort"
mentality, I think that printing the secret key without a passphrase
can be a real benefit, and secret sharing can make that a bit more
safe.

David