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Topic: Bitcoin needs a secure hardware wallet with 3G capability (Read 4021 times)

legendary
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
I think the OS is not really a problem if you completely disable networking and use QR codes for comms (stuff I already do for cold storage).

If you go with a deterministic wallet and offline tx signing then you could install the software into an Android smartphone then disable its WiFi and 3G you'd have a do it yourself cold storage (that won't be conspicuous like a Trezor as it just looks like a normal smart phone).

Smiley
newbie
Activity: 52
Merit: 0
feel like people skipped the post. Android will never be a 100% secure there will always be flaws and don't forget that google sells your information to NSA so why would not they make a flow in their os upon request from NSA. As for blockchain.info it is centralized which is everything bitcoin is trying to fight.

android is open source, you can check the code yourself if you have enough time or trust the community.
blockchain.info doesn't have access to your coins, but you do rely on them to host the wallet so it isn't too reliable

bitcoin-qt or something similar on smartphones would be very nice to have. scan qr code + pay.

Open source doesn't mean hackproof.
b!z
legendary
Activity: 1582
Merit: 1010
feel like people skipped the post. Android will never be a 100% secure there will always be flaws and don't forget that google sells your information to NSA so why would not they make a flow in their os upon request from NSA. As for blockchain.info it is centralized which is everything bitcoin is trying to fight.

android is open source, you can check the code yourself if you have enough time or trust the community.
blockchain.info doesn't have access to your coins, but you do rely on them to host the wallet so it isn't too reliable

bitcoin-qt or something similar on smartphones would be very nice to have. scan qr code + pay.
newbie
Activity: 52
Merit: 0
feel like people skipped the post. Android will never be a 100% secure there will always be flaws and don't forget that google sells your information to NSA so why would not they make a flow in their os upon request from NSA. As for blockchain.info it is centralized which is everything bitcoin is trying to fight.


NSA did not pay anything to get access to the information.
And it does not matter if blockchain.info is centralized or not. Anyway, you can't have a 3G access to the network with a phone, it would require to download the whole chain, which is not possible...

Sorry but you are a bit late on the news = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2401313/NSA-paid-companies-like-Facebook-millions-taxpayer-money-cover-cost-Prism-surveillance-program.html

It is a pity that it can't be done on 3G but can it be done over local wifi ?
sr. member
Activity: 350
Merit: 250
feel like people skipped the post. Android will never be a 100% secure there will always be flaws and don't forget that google sells your information to NSA so why would not they make a flow in their os upon request from NSA. As for blockchain.info it is centralized which is everything bitcoin is trying to fight.


NSA did not pay anything to get access to the information.
And it does not matter if blockchain.info is centralized or not. Anyway, you can't have a 3G access to the network with a phone, it would require to download the whole chain, which is not possible...
newbie
Activity: 52
Merit: 0
feel like people skipped the post. Android will never be a 100% secure there will always be flaws and don't forget that google sells your information to NSA so why would not they make a flow in their os upon request from NSA. As for blockchain.info it is centralized which is everything bitcoin is trying to fight.
full member
Activity: 127
Merit: 100
b!z
legendary
Activity: 1582
Merit: 1010
Blockchain.info app for phones exists. You can scan a QR code and send BTC.

One member is developing bitcoin smartcards that can be used like credit cards iirc. search for it.
sr. member
Activity: 392
Merit: 250
If this does not exist, it will exist soon.
Like blockchain.info for phones
newbie
Activity: 52
Merit: 0
Hello guys. I ve been thinking a lot about how bitcoin could become widespread but haven't posted anything because I can't express myself well enough in English however I was very lucky today because I stumbled on this blogpost that I copy pasted here and it expresses exactly word for word what I have been thinking for the last few months.


The greatest obstacle to Bitcoin's widespread acceptance is this:

-The only way to actually own BTC - as opposed to trusting others to manage them for you - is by installing wallet software on your desktop PC or tablet.
-The only way to purchase things conveniently online is with a credit card, or an equivalent. Online credit card transactions can be charged back for months afterwards, which makes them useless to buy BTC.
-Therefore, the only way to acquire BTC on a moment's notice is by going out and paying someone cash, or some other payment method that's final.

So, where you can buy BTC conveniently and on a moment's notice, you can't use it (unless you bring a laptop or tablet with connectivity in that particular location). And where you can use BTC, you can't easily buy it (at home at your PC).

If it was just that, this would be resolved in time as more people start to go around with Bitcoin-capable smartphones, and/or 3G tablets.

But there are more problems:

If BTC is widely adopted, most people running Bitcoin wallets on their computers, smartphones and tablets will be hacked. Regardless of the platform. There will be no safety. If there are millions of iPads out there with BTCs on them, they will be hacked.

Let's not kid ourselves, 95% of the population aren't savvy enough to dodge an elementary exploit, or patch the applications they're using. No one can defend against a zero-day attack.

Software security will not improve, because 95% of developers can't write secure code in the first place, and even the 5% who can, make mistakes.
Because of Bitcoin's irreversibility, even people who trust others to store Bitcoins for them, will have their accounts hacked. This will be done much more relentlessly than with people's bank accounts. The law can chase after fraudulent bank transfers, but they can't chase after stolen BTC.


What would solve these problems is a practical, secure hardware wallet. A rock-solid, mobile-phone-like device - think rugged like a Nokia - dedicated to Bitcoin.

Why not just a regular smartphone?

A mobile phone that has other functionality on it, let alone an open platform for applications, is at least as hackable as an unpatched Windows PC. Put Bitcoins on millions of smartphones like that, and watch them get jacked while you're out shopping. A device with a narrow focus can be made secure. An open platform can't; not with today's platforms.

A secure hardware wallet would be a brilliant way to get Bitcoins into people's pockets. The wallet can come preloaded with Bitcoins! You could preload it at the point of purchase, with whatever amount the customer wants.

The wallets would have 3G connectivity, so they would work anywhere where there's a mobile phone signal. They would be able to discover other nearby wallets, and make it easy to make payments to them.

To keep cost reasonable, the wallet would have to be a "light" Bitcoin client. It wouldn't store the entire Bitcoin transaction history, but would rely on super-nodes to handle that. However, it would store the private keys that control access to your Bitcoins, and would be the only device capable of spending them.

If someone does that, Bitcoins are bound to take off.

http://denisbider.blogspot.fr/2013/04/bitcoin-needs-secure-hardware-wallet.html
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