Zeeme says Coinbase uses MPC so full private keys never exist on disk or in memory

On-chain researcher Zeeme said Coinbase uses multi-party computation, or MPC, in a way that prevents a complete private key from ever existing on disk or in memory. According to Zeeme, that design changes what an attacker could obtain in the event of a compromise. Even if an engineer’s computer were breached, the attacker would only be able to access a single key shard, which Zeeme described as useless on its own. The statement focuses on how MPC can reduce the risk tied to any one machine or operator by avoiding exposure of a full private key in one place. The remarks were cited by ChainCatcher in a brief technology update.