{"advisory_url":"https://blog.coinkite.com/coldcard-mk3-seed-generation-warning/","current_recommended_releases":[{"track":"Mk4/Mk5 standard","version":"5.6.3"},{"track":"Q standard","version":"1.5.3Q"}],"current_release_announcement_url":"https://blog.coinkite.com/coldcard-firmware-563-153q/","current_release_summary":"Mk4/Mk5 5.6.3 and Q 1.5.3Q retain the published seed-generation remediation, required user entropy, and seed-mixing verification. They add Codex32 and Shamir backups, optional Seed Vault names, PSBTv2 locktime support and parser hardening, firmware-install warnings, and message-signing fixes. Q also restricts signing and Key Teleport retry scans to expected QR types. These are specific controls, not a claim that every possible defect has been excluded.","direct_answers":[{"answer":"Published fixed releases remain available for every supported model and track: Mk2/Mk3 4.2.0 or later; Mk4/Mk5 standard 5.6.0 or later; Q standard 1.5.0Q or later; Mk4/Mk5 Edge 6.6.0X or later; and Q Edge 6.6.0QX or later. The current recommended standard releases are Mk4/Mk5 5.6.3 and Q 1.5.3Q. Updating firmware does not repair an existing affected seed.","question":"Is current COLDCARD firmware patched?"},{"answer":"The current recommended standard releases are Mk4/Mk5 5.6.3 and Q 1.5.3Q. They include the published seed-generation remediation and seed-mixing verification, plus firmware-install warnings, PSBTv2 hardening, and additional signing safeguards. No hardware wallet is risk-free. Verify the signed download before generating a seed, and follow the advisory migration guidance for an existing seed created on affected firmware.","question":"Is COLDCARD safe to use now?"},{"answer":"Yes. For any wallet intended to hold an amount whose loss would be materially harmful to its owner, use a strong, unique BIP-39 passphrase after the seed backup has been verified. Back up the passphrase exactly and separately from the seed, record the passphrase wallet's fingerprint, and complete a power-cycle and recovery test before depositing funds. \u201cMeaningful\u201d is personal, not a fixed bitcoin or fiat threshold. This is separate new-wallet guidance: a passphrase does not repair an existing affected seed.","question":"Should a COLDCARD wallet holding a meaningful balance use a passphrase?"},{"answer":"No. A firmware update corrects future seed generation but does not change or repair an existing seed. Follow the advisory's migration guidance unless its independent-dice exception applies.","question":"Does updating firmware change an existing seed?"},{"answer":"No. A strong, unique BIP-39 passphrase can add a barrier to use of the underlying seed, but it does not repair a seed generated on affected firmware. The advisory says passphrase users should migrate as soon as practical.","question":"Does a strong BIP-39 passphrase repair an affected seed?"},{"answer":"For the affected Add Dice Rolls workflow, the advisory says that at least 50 fair, independent, private rolls whose sequence was never recorded or exposed provide at least 128 bits of added entropy; 99 or more provide about 256 bits. If those conditions are satisfied, the seed is not considered at risk from this RNG issue alone. With fewer rolls or uncertain conditions, migrate.","question":"How do dice rolls affect the migration guidance?"},{"answer":"The published evidence does not establish a complete independent audit of every fixed firmware binary. Independent reviewers performed targeted checks: a real-device hardware-RNG test on Mk4 5.6.0, source review across the fixed release lines, hotfix-mechanism review, and a reproducible build plus dice-path trace for Mk4/Mk5 5.6.0. These checks validate their stated scopes, not the absence of all defects.","question":"Was the fixed COLDCARD firmware independently audited?"},{"answer":"This Security Status page is the living postmortem and remediation record for the July 2026 seed-generation incident. It tracks affected releases, current firmware, migration guidance, independent checks, and material corrections. A separate detailed technical postmortem remains in preparation.","question":"Where is the COLDCARD incident postmortem?"},{"answer":"In the July 2026 incident, a COLDCARD firmware bug weakened seed generation. Attackers regenerated the corresponding private keys offline and stole funds; the devices themselves were not remotely accessed or taken over. Fixed firmware corrects future seed generation, but it does not repair an existing affected seed. Users with an affected seed must follow the migration guidance unless the advisory's independent-dice exception applies. This page does not determine the cause of any individual reported loss.","question":"Was COLDCARD hacked?"},{"answer":"No. The older Mk2/Mk3 path was more severely weakened, but the official advisory also covers seeds generated on Mk4, Mk5, and Q before the fixed releases. The public record does not provide a complete model-by-model victim ledger, so it does not support claiming that no Mk4/Mk5/Q wallet was robbed.","question":"Did the incident affect only Mk2 and Mk3?"},{"answer":"We recommend moving long-term custody off legacy Mk2/Mk3 hardware and onto a current Mk4, Mk5, or Q. Mk2/Mk3 4.2.0 is the final release and can correctly generate a replacement seed, so a new device is not required for an urgent migration. Whatever model you use, install and verify current firmware before generating a seed. Replacing hardware or updating firmware does not repair an existing affected seed; move funds to a newly generated seed.","question":"Should Mk2/Mk3 owners move to a current COLDCARD?"},{"answer":"Because the incident does not erase what current COLDCARD does, just as feature depth does not erase the incident. In a named review of official product pages dated August 17, 2026, no alternative documented the same complete combination of four advanced roles. COLDCARD remains Bitcoin's most publicly scrutinized hardware wallet, with 30 security-relevant events and 13 coordinated-disclosure records in the published history. Those facts do not make COLDCARD risk-free or the right fit for every user.","question":"Why would someone still choose COLDCARD after the 2026 incident?"}],"downloads_url":"https://coldcard.com/downloads/all","existing_affected_seed_status":"migration_required_unless_advisory_dice_exception_applies","firmware_security_policy_url":"https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/blob/master/SECURITY.md","independent_validation":[{"evidence_type":"real-device instrumentation","finding":"Observed eight STM32 hardware RNG reads for the 32-byte seed request, confirming that the fixed seed-generation path reaches the hardware TRNG.","reviewer":"Shiny (@bigshiny0)","scope":"Mk4 firmware 5.6.0","url":"https://x.com/bigshiny0/status/2085548104158208393"},{"evidence_type":"source review","finding":"Confirmed the hardware RNG implementation, removal of the software fallback, and a build-time check that rejects the wrong implementation.","reviewer":"Mike Rahel (@itooshatonamask)","scope":"Mk2/Mk3 4.2.0, Mk4/Mk5 5.6.0, Q 1.5.0Q, and Edge 6.6.0X/6.6.0QX","url":"https://x.com/itooshatonamask/status/2084345536291721397"},{"evidence_type":"source review","finding":"Confirmed that the hotfix removes the MicroPython fallback, exports the hardware RNG implementation, and stops builds that link the wrong implementation.","reviewer":"Mars (@Marsmensch)","scope":"released hotfix","url":"https://x.com/Marsmensch/status/2083685917756166531"},{"evidence_type":"reproducible build and workflow trace","finding":"Rebuilt the release and matched every code and data byte in the published signed firmware, then traced the independent-dice path and recomputed its result.","reviewer":"PortlandHODL","scope":"Mk4/Mk5 firmware 5.6.0","url":"https://github.com/portlandhodl/coldcard_fw_dicerolls_trace/blob/9c04064ca1f84925017dcc5bd019a860f662f03d/dice-roll-5-6-0.pdf"}],"independent_validation_caveat":"These findings validate specific remediation mechanisms. They include one real-device test, source reviews, and a reproducible build plus dice-path trace for 5.6.0. They are not a complete audit of every firmware binary and do not guarantee that COLDCARD is free of defects.","migration_note":"Updating corrects future seed generation but does not repair an existing affected seed. Follow the dedicated migration guide unless the advisory's independent-dice exception applies.","migration_page_updated_at":"2026-08-30","migration_url":"https://coldcard.com/security/migrate","minimum_fixed_releases":[{"affected_firmware":"4.0.1 through 4.1.9","track":"Mk2/Mk3","version":"4.2.0"},{"affected_firmware":"Before 5.6.0","track":"Mk4/Mk5 standard","version":"5.6.0"},{"affected_firmware":"Before 1.5.0Q","track":"Q standard","version":"1.5.0Q"},{"affected_firmware":"Before 6.6.0X","track":"Mk4/Mk5 Edge","version":"6.6.0X"},{"affected_firmware":"Before 6.6.0QX","track":"Q Edge","version":"6.6.0QX"}],"new_wallet_guidance":"On Mk4/Mk5 5.6.3 and Q 1.5.3Q, standard new-seed generation combines fresh device entropy with one required user method: at least 65 key presses with unpredictable timing, 50 physical six-sided-die rolls, or 128 physical coin flips. Dice Rolls Only remains a separate advanced workflow. For any wallet intended to hold an amount whose loss would be materially harmful to its owner, use a strong, unique BIP-39 passphrase. Back it up separately, record the passphrase wallet fingerprint, and test recovery before depositing funds. \u201cMeaningful\u201d is personal, not a fixed bitcoin or fiat threshold. These layers do not repair an existing affected seed.","page_updated_at":"2026-10-01","postmortem_status":"in_progress","release_source_lineage":[{"fix_commit":"https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/commit/ca72463709f4e3f8964952039d5caf955f566a87","release_tags":["2026-07-31T0519-v5.6.0","2026-07-31T0517-v1.5.0Q"]},{"fix_commit":"https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/commit/4543629941a83a3e2788ac06a12b208338cb8314","release_tags":["2026-07-31T1248-v4.2.0"]},{"fix_commit":"https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/commit/b987de50360a00bcd8e8a1550e7cb7f9258e0b4f","release_tags":["2026-07-31T1609-v6.6.0X","2026-07-31T1605-v6.6.0QX"]}],"status":"fixed_releases_available","status_url":"https://coldcard.com/security/status","summary":"Fixed firmware is available for every affected COLDCARD model and release track.","verified_at":"2026-10-01"}