Topic: Do you have a separate phone/PC for crypto? (Read 305 times)

Using a specific device for crypto and write down the all important things in paper always a best practice for every person. Not only the crypto but also if the device is related with money should be secured and it should keep for only separate usage.

Maximum of us don't take it seriously. But when we face any problem and huge a lot of money/privacy we blame our fortune.

Because I am conversant with my phone, and my phone is mostly for business, I am on my phone more often, but i do not just let every tom, dick & Harry use my phone for any purpose, as an extra measure for me and because i make use of one of the high end android devices, my cell phone permits 2 spaces, a general space where you can display all your apps and a second space accessed by a different set of codes, where you can keep your more private and crypto related applications. This spaces work almost independently, just like two phones in one, a very particularly helpful feature for me to keep my data save.

Well that is useless even with how many mobile phones you have, the best thing to do is never install important private keys in your mobile phone even it is for general purposes. I used for how many years my only one mobile at home but I never get hacked or phished. Regarding my crypto wallet, if I only store a low amount of crypto, I rather choose in PC version app wallet than a mobile wallet and if that is a big amount, a hardware wallet is the best for you for any security purposes this wallet is reliable and the last part is back up your file is a must offline machine.

I have two mobile phones.  Both are Android. One is used for crypto related purposes and the other is used for general purposes.  I use the crypto related phone at home and usually it is not take out of the house because it can be lost, the phone can be broken in an accident on the road. So I think no matter how much we separate the phone or PC to use cryptocurrency, we should write down some important Password, Private key, Seed phrase etc.

I fully support you. I have a separate laptop that I open only when there is a need to work with cryptocurrencies. And I also don’t trust Windows systems, neither. I prefer Linux systems that are open source, and accordingly, the programs that I need are open source.
As for mobile phones, I don't trust them at all. Android is famous for its pirated applications, which are already installed in the pre-installation.
And iPhones are simply an open window for manufacturers since they spy in such a way that the user, even with the Internet turned off, manages to send them his data. Accordingly, I use the phone only for its intended purpose.

I recall someone mentioning here in the forum that having a separate PC that is only for the storage of your coins as well. Those you mentioned are minimizes the cost that you possibly would invest, though many aren't fan of storing it in external storages due to risk of failures of some flash drives not being able to be recognized by some PCs anymore though.

I was also planning to buy a phone for my browsing and have some phone wallet apps for Bitcoin just in case I will encounter stores that accept BTC, I could just scan the qrcode to pay. Another purpose is for staking altcoins thru their phone wallet app too. With it, I can bring them with me wherever I go. I'm not sure if it's safe but I think my pin and password will be enough to protect my investments.

Yes I agree. What I mentioned is only for mobile. But now Im segregating my accounts on crypto to my personal one.

This is right. On my Pc I used different account for this, users should be able to think about this, but can I ask if using different accounts on pc would prevent hackers on doing so? Not a techie, so Im not sure cause still using the same PC even though the account is different.

Having a separate device or a smartphone for the crypto related stuffs is not 100% secured and in my opinion its simply useless because anything connected to internet is under the risk of all such things like phishing attacks,etc.

Also avoid using the Google services can give you privacy to some extent which itself can save you from half of all the attacks against your privacy and all others related to data leaks, because Google starts tracking all your activities and sell all your data to someone that is why they become the biggest company in this world even when they are offering everything for free of cost.

Using hardware wallets or airgapped devices can give complete protection to our crypto assets but when it comes to using platforms like exchanges and login credentials we should not save it on browser and avoid using the same passwords for everything.

I don't tend to my mobile phone for anything related to Cryptocurrencies. To be honest, the only thing I use my mobile phone for is searching, and general texting. It's not specifically used for anything other than that.
This is semi good advice, but honestly the big dogs (think Google) would have already captured that data, and likely are circulating it about. The best thing you could possibly do for your privacy is to try, and avoid logging data in the first place. That's however easier said than done. Honestly, I care about my privacy, however I've somewhat accepted now that its completely unavoidable as long as your using the internet for purchasing things, which unfortunately is the way the world is going.

Honestly, i find it excellent how you can use a mobile phone for almost all your necessary activities. Browsing the forum with a mobile phone was always the most boring thing because i spend a lot of time on it, and it's even boring doing trade. Note that the mobile phone dvice can get brocken or damaged so it will be harder to recover it. I used to store my crypto funds in an old desktop not connected to internet and i use it also to sign transactions offline, when my other activities and files are in two laptops (one for regular uses and the other to store important files). Personally, i don't like mobile phones and avoid to use them .

Having separate devices to handle a particular aspect of your online investment isin many ways an added advantage towards your focus and level of determination at that thing. In some way, you feel a sense of duty when at work with that device.its more like someone who works from an office and someone who works from home. You might not agree but, you'll be more focused on your job while in your office than you would be whole at home. The office offers less and less distractions compared to when your at home. So also is the case when it comes to having separate devices to suit certain purposes.

Another thing that really matters is how you stalk the devices with unnecessary tools or apps. Most persons have got apps on there devices that aren't used months to months and then, you begin to ask yourself why do you have them. Uninstall or delete to ensure optimum performance and avoid unnecessary downloads, sticking to what works.

I want to add one more thing here. That is, when trading on decentralized exchanges with Metamask or Trust wallet, we can mistakenly enter fake exchanges. These fake exchanges can often require a private key or seed phrase to connect to the wallet. We shouldn't share these. It happened to me once.  I entered the fake Apeswap finance exchange. We have to check these websites very well.

i have separate PC but still its scary to put phrase on both of them

maybe its sound ridiculous but i save my phrase on anywhere paper, External hardrive, flashdisk etc

but in my opinion yes you really need cold wallet for big bag of money and another one for everyday wallet use on your phone

Personally I have two devices, I use one to store my coins and I never connect it to the internet or use it to download stuff, it is more like a cold storage for me since I'm yet to buy myself a hardware wallet, my other device handles other internet activities, including accessing this forum and all, but even as it's actively been used on the internet, I am pretty much weary of what I download (that's if I ever download anything), I don't register in untrusted websites, neither do I click on links that I do not know the source of, generally, I keep all my devices safe from any attack whatsoever.

Having said that, it's much better to have more than one device as a crypto user, but if you're unable to do so and you're using just one device for all, you can basically just try as much as possible to stay away from whatever can compromise it, more often than not, it's the user who makes the mistake of using their device in a way that gets it compromised, if you're careful and selective, you'll more or less be safe.

It is a good idea to have separate computer that should be used only for cryptocurrency related stuff, and even better if that computer is not connected to internet and it can be used as cold storage.
If you combine that with open source wallets like Electrum or Wasabi you will have much less chance of losing your coins or being hacked.
I am not a fan of having multiple phones, and problem with older smartphones is that many wallets are not supported and can't be installed, like Blue wallet for example.
Phones can be stolen much easier or they can have hidden backdoors, government official can unlock it, and I would use them only for holding pocket money in crypto.

Exactly there are tons of fake and malicious apps both on android and iOS which could take access of your password and hackers will be able to get control of your account and then funds will be lost.Using same or different phone is separate part but you should always look and be careful of such apps.Like in the past more than 150 apps were discovered as scam trading apps accused of millions dollars worth of scam to users.Have a look at them :

Sophos exposed scam apps

Press release

Fake apps

There was one fake trezor app on IOs which was doing the same phone.Using same or different phone for your security always try to locate for such apps.This could help you a lot and you could use as many as device possible but remember all the passwords to your account and Don't give access to save it anywhere to directly login to your account on Google and delete captcha or as advised simply use private browsing such as duckduckgo or brave to be on safe side and be anonymous.

I have multiple phones (only 1 of them isn’t used for crypto purposes), an iPad, a Macbook Air and a desktop. However when I go out and try to access my crypto, I’m not using the public WiFi, but instead using my own mobile data (which is good enough). I don’t login with any of my crypto accounts using public WiFi.

Since I’ve been in the crypto space for years, I was never hacked by anyone or having my wallet compromised by phishing sites as I’m a bit smarter than before in dealing against hackers/intruders with various modus strategies. None of my old wallets got hacked. I store my seed phrases and private keys offline. I also have a Ledger Nano S (and planning to buy Trezor this year).

No, no I don't, but you do bring up valid points, I might think about getting one just for that I only use my wifi and never public ones and I rarely take my laptop anywhere so I do lower the risk of of those types of intrusions, I don't share my personal info, passwords or anything else that can compromise me, and at one point even closed the shades on windows when checking into my wallets, but that's just silly XD

I’ve had two computers that I’ve used in the past to separate work from entertainment, but over time I’ve realized that I don’t need it anymore. The time when I was interested in torrents, downloading various programs (often cracked) or any similar activity that could result in me infecting a computer has become a thing of the past.

In addition, anyone who has a hardware wallet has raised their level of crypto security to a higher level, and they should know how to protect themselves from phishing and clipboard malware. Smartphones shouldn’t be a place where we do some sensitive stuff anyway, so I see no reason to have another such device. Although I understand that people are on the move a lot today and want to have everything in their palm - but then choose devices that are newer, have regular security updates and some security software - with caution always included when it comes to the various apps you want to download.

I used my phone and pc to both crypto and not crypto stuffs but so far for the span of 5 years in crypto I didn't encounter any issues regarding to hacking or any bad incidents that cost me a financial lost. Its just you need to be careful on everything you do and always think twice on unfamiliar platforms you go. Also don't download anything unverified nor sign up on some things you didn't know to make your accounts safe from frauds.

I think a good solution for people who have only one desktop/laptop is to create a different user for your financial/cryptocurrency activities and another user for daily use. You shouldn't be using the same profile for both.

You should never be using an admin profile for your daily use in your personal computer, so if you are attacked the attacker won't be able to do much damage.

How does this work? I mean do I have to wipe all the data of the OS that is installed on my android phone? Or we can just buy these specialized phone intended only for privacy and security similar to this one --> https://shop.puri.sm/shop/librem-5/

Would appreciate if you could provide us some OS installation guide.

I use a laptop as well as a smartphone. I use both in certain situations and conditions. When I'm at home I use a laptop because it looks wider and clearer. In other situations, I use a smartphone when I am not in my house because it is more practical and can be carried anywhere. For data problems I suggest you back up your data such as username and password into MS Office on the laptop. And you can also back it up in cloud computing such as Google Drive, One Drive, or Dropbox. So that one day you need the data, just access the cloud computing. Here are some tips for safe internet.

1. Keep Personal Information Professional and Limited

2. Keep Your Privacy Settings On

3. Practice Safe Browsing

4. Make Sure Your Internet Connection is Secure. Use a Secure VPN Connection

5. Be Careful What You Download

6. Choose Strong Passwords

7. Make Online Purchases From Secure Sites

8. Be Careful What You Post

9. Be Careful Who You Meet Online

10. Keep Your Antivirus Program Up To Date

Source:
https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/top-10-internet-safety-rules-and-what-not-to-do-online

And for this part of using security apps, its better to use high rated security apps because not all android security app is secure. Some security apps on android device are like malware that expose your data or privacy to the app developers.
Most android phones comes with security apps though and its preferred to use the ones that comes with the phone.

I don't have a separate phone for cryptocurrency stuff by the reason that I have no other interests besides crypto and therefore employed the only phone I have for these purposes. Just kidding. If I had to use a specific device just for crypto I would consider installing special privacy-preserving, de-googled operating systems like CalyxOS, LineageOS, GrapheneOS, Copperhead, etc. With these, I believe it is much easier to reduce the attack surface, safeguard your wallets and keys and, which is also important, reduce the possibility of being tracked by installed apps, google, your ISP, and even the government. Everything, in this case, is open-source, verifiable, secure, and decentralized, essentially follows the basic principles and ideas embedded in bitcoin.

I don't download applications on my crypto mobile just as a precaution. There are malicious apps in the web and app store, some ads even pop up and you might click without knowing.
I use Google authenticator for my emails, trading app plus 2FA verification code. The advantage of having two phones is my crypto phone is very private.

I think you haven't covered the most important. Do not download any other apps.

You said you're using one phone exclusively for trading and bitcointalk-ing. Instead of having bunch of antiviruses that may also burden the performance of your device with no essential result, just stop downloading any app that may behave maliciously to steal information from you.

And that's precautions for your privacy. Do not expect to lose money from your (assumed) Binance account unless you aren't feeling well with your email, SMSes, etc. A hacker would need to compromise lots of things in your phone to be able to login there and still you'd be notified.

I have laptop for crypto and separate for my personal work and life details. But for phone Im using it both so maybe I'll start to segregate it soon. Sometime its quite easy to access it so I did used both but you are right OP, security is important so gonna do this precaution also for me to be safe, who knows what kind of virus or any hacker will try to breach our devices. Always be careful especially nowadays a lot of hackers are too busy trying to phish everyone.

Let me add more, do not save any password on your broswers, some malware can be able to monitor your device and check your browser to know what you save on your brower, even if you clear the the cakes and cookies, this will not clear the passwords. It may be inconvenient not to have the password saved on the broswers but it is one of the ways for online safety.

How about the use of ad blockers also, it will be very helpful.

Anti-malware/antivirus can be very helpful too including blocking ads but we really need to be careful of ads and never click on any.

Entering correct URL, do not depends on search engines like Google that will bring up ad links in which some can be safe. Make sure the URL is secure, it should start from https and a padlock logo will be seen.

Make use of privacy browsers like Duckduckgo, Tor broswer, Firefox or Firefox focus.

Privacy search engines like Duckduckgo and Qwant are better.

Free VPNs are not secure.

I spend a minimum of  8-9 hours a day on my mobile phone. I have one mobile for bitcointalk forum/trading and another for my normal day-day businesses. This is a measure to secure my bitcointalk account and trading accounts from hacks, viruses, phishing hacks and attacks from public WiFi e.t.c this is a safe practice to protect one's information. Do not make the mistake of overlooking your data privacy.
When I pick up my mobile, I automatically focus all my energy here regardless of what may be happening in my surrounding. I never leave my phone unattended. It's locked and secure whenever I'm busy with something else. If you can't afford a second phone, you can follow the tips stated in this article
https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/how-to-prevent-phone-hacking-and-sleep-like-a-baby-again

Avoid unsecured public WiFi. Hackers often target important locations such as bank accounts via public WiFi that can often be unsecured due to relaxed safety standards or even none at all.

Turn off your autocomplete feature. By doing this, you can prevent stored critical personal data from being accessed.

Regularly delete your browsing history, cookies, and cache. Removing your virtual footprint is important in minimizing the amount of data that can be harvested by prying eyes.

Have an iPhone? Enable Find My iPhone. By turning the feature on in your settings, you’ll be able to locate your phone if you misplace it before the hackers can lay their paws on it.

Use a security app that increases protection. For Android owners, Webroot offers the all-in-one Mobile Security for Android app that provides antivirus protection and allows you to remotely locate, lock up and wipe your phone in the event you lose track of it. For iOS users, Webroot also offers a free secure web browser for increased mobile security on your iPhone and iPad.