Shamir's Secret Sharing Online

Shamir’s Secret Sharing is a cryptographic technique invented by Adi Shamir in 1979. It allows a secret (password, private key, seed phrase, etc.) to be split into multiple parts called shares.

This tool provides a fully functional implementation of Shamir’s Secret Sharing. The implementation uses finite field arithmetic and polynomial interpolation exactly as specified by Shamir’s original scheme.

🔐 Shamir’s Secret Sharing

Generated Shares
{{ generatedShares.join('\n') }}

Recovered Secret

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We do not store, log any key you enter. This tool runs entirely over a secure HTTPS connection to keep your encryption key safe at all times.

Tool Documentation and Usage

Using this scheme, you can specify:

  • Number of Shares (N) – Total shares to be generated
  • Threshold (K) – Minimum number of shares needed to reconstruct the secret

Even if someone gets fewer than K shares, the secret cannot be recovered mathematically.

This makes SSS perfect for:

  • Splitting crypto wallet keys
  • Storing passwords securely
  • Enterprise access control
  • Multi-person authorization

2. Explanation of All Fields in the Form

🔹 Secret

This is the actual sensitive value you want to split. You can enter text, numbers, hex strings, binary, or encoded values depending on the selected mode.

🔹 Mode (UTF-8 / HEX / Binary)

Determines how the secret is interpreted and validated.

  • UTF-8: Normal text input (passwords, phrases, etc.)
  • HEX: Must be a valid hexadecimal string (0-9, A-F)
  • Binary: Must contain only 0 and 1 characters

🔹 Number of Shares (N)

Total number of shares you wish to generate. Example: If N = 5, the tool will produce 5 independent shares.

🔹 Threshold (K)

Minimum shares required to rebuild the secret. If K = 3, any 3 of the total shares can recover the secret.

🔹 Share Outputs

After generation, each share contains two components:

  • Index (X) – Position of the share
  • Value (Y) – Computed polynomial output

Example share structure:

[1-fd34aa01], [2-09bc9932], ...

4. How to Read & Understand Generated Shares

Each share is unique, and no single share reveals anything about the secret. A typical generated share looks like this:

Share #1 → 1-8caff120934bd99a

Structure:

  • 1 → X coordinate (share index)
  • 8caff120934bd99a → Y value (polynomial output)

When K shares are combined, polynomial interpolation is performed to find:

S = f(0)
which is the original secret.

This tool performs the official Shamir’s Secret Sharing computation using:

  • Finite field arithmetic (GF(256) or GF(2^8)) depending on mode
  • Random polynomial generation:
    f(x) = S + a1x + a2x² + ... + a(k-1)x^(k-1)
  • Evaluation of polynomial at x = 1...N
  • Secure random coefficient generation
  • Reconstruction using Lagrange interpolation

5. Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages

  • Mathematically secure – fewer than K shares reveal nothing
  • Improves safety of passwords, crypto keys, and sensitive secrets
  • Shares can be distributed among trusted people
  • Simple, fast, and industry-approved cryptographic scheme

Disadvantages

  • If all K threshold members lose their shares, the secret is unrecoverable
  • Shares must be stored safely to avoid tampering
  • Not suitable for extremely large secrets without encoding

Real-World Use Cases

  • Splitting a crypto wallet private key among 3–5 people
  • Storing an API key securely across multiple teams
  • Multi-party recovery of master passwords
  • Offline secure backup for seed phrases

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What happens if I lose some shares?
If you still have at least K shares, the secret can be recovered. If fewer than K remain, recovery is mathematically impossible.
Are my secrets stored on your server?
No. All secrets are processed in memory only. Nothing is stored or logged.
Can I use this tool for crypto wallet seed phrases?
Yes. This tool is widely used for seed phrases, private keys, and other sensitive values.
What is the best N and K combination?
Popular combinations are 5/3, 6/3, and 8/4 depending on your security needs.
Does each mode (UTF, HEX, Binary) change security?
No. Modes only change how the secret is interpreted. The underlying Shamir splitting remains cryptographically secure.

References