Using False Markings to Increase Chaindeck Security

One of the best ways to increase the security of your Chaindeck is to utilize False Markings. In this post we'll go over how to best use them to maximize your security.

The letters that can be read on this deck are false markings, intended to create "dead ends" and increase security.

What are False Markings?

After you've completed writing your Secret Phrase to the sides of your deck you'll shuffle the cards. Even after a long and random shuffle you'll notice there will be a lot of empty spaces available on the sides of the deck. False Markings are the random words, letters, and lines you can draw in these empty spaces in order to throw-off an attacker by creating "dead-ends".

Why use False Markings?

Anyone trying to maliciously access your Secret Phrase may try to solve your Chaindeck like a puzzle by matching lines across cards. They would try to find two cards that seem to have the same line continue over their sides. False Markings make this significantly more difficult by creating the illusion of cards being found in the right arrangement when in fact they actually are not. Furthermore, having more lines and ink on the sides of the cards make the odds of creating incorrect matches more likely, making it even more difficult to attack your Chaindeck.

Important Considerations

Chaindeck delays access

First and most importantly, Chaindeck is a device to delay access to your Secret Phrase. Any Chaindeck can eventually be deciphered.

Don't write over your Secret Phrase

When placing False Markings do not draw over existing markings. Doing so will make reading the real Secret Phrase more difficult.

Use the same pen and style

Make sure your False Markings look just like your Secret Phrase. Use the same pen. Make the letter and symbols the same size as the Secret Phrase.

Check your Secret Phrase afterwards

Once you're done writing the False Markings, it is best practice to use your PIN and chain your deck again to ensure your entire Secret Phrase is still legible. You can bold any parts that may have become harder to read.

False Markings Step-by-Step

Let's go over adding false markings one step a time.

Step 0: Chain your deck and write your secret phrase

Chain your deck: arrange the cards in a specific order that you can recreate in the future. We recommend using the PIN method, but there are many options on the method you use to chain the cards.

Here's an example seed phrase written on the chained cards. There are currently no false markings.

After recording your secret phrase, shuffle the cards. The deck will look like the images below after this step.

Step 1: Add your first false markings

When you look at the shuffled deck, you'll notice that there is still a lot of empty space. Secret phrases typically fit on one of the four sides of the deck. This will leave a lot of space available, and only one side of each card will be used.

We'll use this available space for the false markings. Rotate the cards so that you create a new blank surface. The deck then will look like the photos below.

Black side of the Chaindeck after rotating the cards.

One of the three non-empty sides of the shuffled Chaindeck

One of the three non-empty sides of the shuffled Chaindeck.

One of the three non-empty sides of the shuffled Chaindeck.

Write false markings on this blank side. What you write here should look very similar to your secret phrase to make it more secure.

First set of false markings on the Chaindeck. The other sides has the (scrambled) secret phrase.

Shuffle the cards again. The deck shuffled with the false markings will have more marks compared to the shuffled deck from the first step.

Shuffled Chaindeck with one set of false markings, side 1

Shuffled Chaindeck with one set of false markings, side 2

Shuffled Chaindeck with one set of false markings, side 3

Shuffled Chaindeck with one set of false markings, side 4

Step 2: Repeat Step 1

After shuffling the cards, you'll notice there's still quite a few cards with blank sides. Rotate the cards to create another empty surface. The deck should look like the photos below.

Blank side of the shuffled and rotated Chaindeck with an existing set of false markings.

Shuffled and rotated Chaindeck with an existing set of false markings, side 2.

Shuffled and rotated Chaindeck with an existing set of false markings, side 3.

Shuffled and rotated Chaindeck with an existing set of false markings, side 4.

Write more false markings on this new blank side. Just like before, what you write here should look very similar to your secret phrase.

The false markings written on the blank side created of the Chaindeck after shuffling.

Shuffle the cards again so that the deck looks like the images below.

Shuffled Chaindeck with two sets of false markings, side 1.

Shuffled Chaindeck with two sets of false markings, side 2.

Shuffled Chaindeck with two sets of false markings, side 3.

Shuffled Chaindeck with two sets of false markings, side 4.

Step 3: Fill the blank spaces

You may be able to create more blank sides by arranging the cards. This mostly depends on how much space your secret phrase used. Eventually it'll be difficult to create an entire side that is empty, but there's one more security element you can add: fill-in the empty spaces with smaller letters.

See the images below for an example on what you can do. Remember: do not write over any existing lines.

Shuffle the cards so that the deck with all the false markings looks like the deck shown below.

The shuffled Chaindeck with multiple sets of false markings, side 1.

The shuffled Chaindeck with multiple sets of false markings, side 2.

The shuffled Chaindeck with multiple sets of false markings, side 3.

The shuffled Chaindeck with multiple sets of false markings, side 4.

You can repeat this step multiple times and keep filling-in empty spaces.

Step 4: Check your secret phrase is still legible.

Chain your deck as you did in Step 0 to ensure that you can arrange the cards the same way as before and read your secret phrase.

The false markings will not make the secret phrase illegible, as shown in the image of the same example seed phrase from Step 0.

Example seed phrase on a Chaindeck that has false markings.

Make sure you shuffled the cards one last time before storing your Chaindeck.

All four sides of the chained deck after adding false markings.

Tips

Leave room for False Markings

When you're writing your secret phrase make sure that it is clear and legible. However, making it as small as possible will allow you more room to place false markings.

Use the same pen and writing style

Make sure your false markings look just like your seed phrase. Do not use a different pen. During Step 1 and 2 do not change your handwriting style, or size of your letters.

Use a False PIN

This is an advanced method that'll take more time to increase security. Instead of shuffling the cards, you can pick a False PIN and chain the cards using it. You could even write an entire False Secret Phrase that goes with the False PIN.

Get your Chaindeck and start utilizing false markings.