Original Secret vs Decoy Text

Definitions

1. Original Secret

The Original Secret is the original, highly sensitive data, such as a seed phrase, private key, password, recovery code, or other critical information. This data has real value and can be used directly to access assets, accounts, or systems. If the Original Secret is exposed, the consequences are typically permanent and irreversible.

1. Decoy Text

Decoy Text is the transformed output of the Original Secret, converted into ordinary text that looks normal and non-suspicious. Decoy Text holds no direct value, cannot be used to access anything, and has no security meaning on its own. Without the mapping file, Decoy Text is simply meaningless text from a security perspective.

Key differences

Aspect	Original Secret	Decoy Text
Value	Extremely high	No value
Function	Directly usable	Not usable
Sensitivity Level	Highly sensitive	Not sensitive
Risk if Exposed	Loss of access / assets	No impact
Form	Specific patterns (seed phrase, keys, etc.)	Normal, free-form text
Storage	Must be strictly limited	Safe to store anywhere
Dependency	Stands alone	Meaningless without the mapping file

The Original Secret is the real key, while Decoy Text is only a disguise. Decoy Phrase security does not rely on hiding the Original Secret, but on removing the Original Secret from storage entirely.