Satoshi's Fortune: New Evidence Challenges Bitcoin's Billionaire Creator
The estimated 1.1 million Bitcoin attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto is based on forensic analysis of a mining operation's distinctive fingerprint, known as the 'Patoshi' pattern.
However, recent events have raised questions about this attribution, particularly after 600 BTC from long-dormant block rewards moved for the first time in 16 years. The coins were mined in March 2010 and spent one by one within half an hour in September of this year.
Research firm Bitquery found that only two out of 12 blocks matched the Patoshi pattern, with a weak connection that could occur by chance. The spending transactions used modern wallet software, which would have been impossible for the 2010 client to produce, suggesting the private keys were loaded into something new.