Unhardened (Normal) Derivation
Wallets● Common
A child key derivation method that can work from just the parent public key (xpub), enabling watch-only wallets to generate receiving addresses. However, if any child private key is leaked along with the xpub, the parent private key can be calculated, compromising all keys.
Technical Notes
Uses index < 2³¹. Child key = HMAC-SHA512(parent_chain_code, parent_public_key || index). xpub + any child private key = parent private key (critical vulnerability). Used for external/internal chain derivation (m/44'/0'/0'/0/n and m/44'/0'/0'/1/n).
Metadata
Visibility: Public
Created:1/3/2026by System