Topic: How to Build a Secure Paper Wallet (Read 2545 times)
What is the appeal of paper wallets when you can buy a good hardware wallet like Ledger Nano S for $65? Store your seed safely and consider that a 'paper wallet' if you like. Meantime you have a device that keeps your private keys securely offline and you can use day to day. You do not need to worry about losing bitcoin from not handling change addresses the right way when spending from your paper wallet.
What I would do is have an offline version of Ubuntu that has never touched the internet and transfer the offline bitaddress.org client and boot into that drive.
OmegaStarScream gave a good explanation/step by step guide, i have nothing to add exept this:
If you're really paranoid, i'd suggest generating a testnet paper wallet first, for example here: https://www.bitaddress.org/bitaddress.org-v2.0-SHA1-c0300a88d2de421106560185e4916f4eee6ed9df.html?testnet=true
Generate a testnet paper wallet, go to a testnet faucet, claim testnet coins, get a wallet supporting testnet (like core, but you can find many more, just use google), try to import the testnet private key, try to sweep the testnet wallet, play with it.
As soon as you're confident about the testnet paper wallet, use the same procedure to generate a mainnet wallet (preferably use the same site, bitaddress.org has the same layout when generating a testnet and mainnet paper wallet, so it's easy to transfer your knowledge between testnet and mainnet), but don't import or sweep the mainnet key, since it might get compromised by doing so.
If you're really paranoid, i'd suggest generating a testnet paper wallet first, for example here: https://www.bitaddress.org/bitaddress.org-v2.0-SHA1-c0300a88d2de421106560185e4916f4eee6ed9df.html?testnet=true
Generate a testnet paper wallet, go to a testnet faucet, claim testnet coins, get a wallet supporting testnet (like core, but you can find many more, just use google), try to import the testnet private key, try to sweep the testnet wallet, play with it.
As soon as you're confident about the testnet paper wallet, use the same procedure to generate a mainnet wallet (preferably use the same site, bitaddress.org has the same layout when generating a testnet and mainnet paper wallet, so it's easy to transfer your knowledge between testnet and mainnet), but don't import or sweep the mainnet key, since it might get compromised by doing so.
I have created a paper wallet through walletgenerator.net with BIP 38 enabled. I remember everything including my passphrase.
I would like to ask, how can I verify my credentials without importing it in any wallet provider like blockchain? I read that, once paper wallet is imported in any client, it’s no more a paper wallet.
I am looking for long term storage thus I am taking every possible precaution. So now my question is,
Should I import my paper wallet on blockchain and create new paper wallet (through walletgenerator.net) with 100% focus on it and write credentials immediately after printing?
Or is there any method to verify paper wallet credentials (BIP 38) without importing?
Thanks in advance
I would like to ask, how can I verify my credentials without importing it in any wallet provider like blockchain? I read that, once paper wallet is imported in any client, it’s no more a paper wallet.
I am looking for long term storage thus I am taking every possible precaution. So now my question is,
Should I import my paper wallet on blockchain and create new paper wallet (through walletgenerator.net) with 100% focus on it and write credentials immediately after printing?
Or is there any method to verify paper wallet credentials (BIP 38) without importing?
Thanks in advance
That's just being paranoid.
If you want to build a secure paper wallet, here is what I would suggest you do :
1. Go to https://www.bitaddress.org/ (As it is more used and known then the website you mentioned)
2. Download the .zip (from the button of the page) from the Github repository
3. Run a LiveCD Ubuntu or any other Linux version using your USB.
4. Turn off your modem and run the .zip you downloaded earlier locally and print it.
5. Don't be paranoid
6. Wait x years then use your coins (assuming that you want to store them for long term)
BitAddress is used by a lot of people and It's not bugged as far as I know so I'm not sure why would you like to check the credentials .
Blockchain.info don't have an option to delete a wallet or something (AFAIK) so If you import the private keys there , they will stay there. (they don't even allow importing private keys anymore I think .. )
All you should do is add your address and bookmark it in your browser (using a Bloc explorer like BlockTrail or Blockchain etc... ) , so you know when funds move from there. (Either when you receive or when you send)
I thought this thread will be a teaching method on how to build a secure paper wallet but I found questions also. Maybe try changing the thread name. Thanks to OmegaStarScream for making it understandable and plainly in choosing words. Newbies like me will understand this better.
I have created a paper wallet through walletgenerator.net with BIP 38 enabled. I remember everything including my passphrase.
I would like to ask, how can I verify my credentials without importing it in any wallet provider like blockchain? I read that, once paper wallet is imported in any client, it’s no more a paper wallet.
I am looking for long term storage thus I am taking every possible precaution. So now my question is,
Should I import my paper wallet on blockchain and create new paper wallet (through walletgenerator.net) with 100% focus on it and write credentials immediately after printing?
Or is there any method to verify paper wallet credentials (BIP 38) without importing?
Thanks in advance
I would like to ask, how can I verify my credentials without importing it in any wallet provider like blockchain? I read that, once paper wallet is imported in any client, it’s no more a paper wallet.
I am looking for long term storage thus I am taking every possible precaution. So now my question is,
Should I import my paper wallet on blockchain and create new paper wallet (through walletgenerator.net) with 100% focus on it and write credentials immediately after printing?
Or is there any method to verify paper wallet credentials (BIP 38) without importing?
Thanks in advance
That's just being paranoid.
If you want to build a secure paper wallet, here is what I would suggest you do :
1. Go to https://www.bitaddress.org/ (As it is more used and known then the website you mentioned)
2. Download the .zip (from the button of the page) from the Github repository
3. Run a LiveCD Ubuntu or any other Linux version using your USB.
4. Turn off your modem and run the .zip you downloaded earlier locally and print it.
5. Don't be paranoid
6. Wait x years then use your coins (assuming that you want to store them for long term)
BitAddress is used by a lot of people and It's not bugged as far as I know so I'm not sure why would you like to check the credentials .
Blockchain.info don't have an option to delete a wallet or something (AFAIK) so If you import the private keys there , they will stay there. (they don't even allow importing private keys anymore I think .. )
All you should do is add your address and bookmark it in your browser (using a Bloc explorer like BlockTrail or Blockchain etc... ) , so you know when funds move from there. (Either when you receive or when you send)
i don't take that much stress reading about it because i personally do not feel people around me arn't smart enought to steal my private key so i just took a private key qr code and printed it largly into a paper and put it in my document file as a backup wallet
It will stay to be a paper wallet after importing it to a BTC client. If you wish to keep your paper wallet, too, make sure to import and NOT sweep. Sweeping puts the data in your paper wallet into a BTC client, but it completely empties your paper wallet. For long-term storage, however, I think storing your wallet in a BTC client is more safe, though, considering physical corruption. I do not know about any other method.
I have created a paper wallet through walletgenerator.net with BIP 38 enabled. I remember everything including my passphrase.
I would like to ask, how can I verify my credentials without importing it in any wallet provider like blockchain? I read that, once paper wallet is imported in any client, it’s no more a paper wallet.
I am looking for long term storage thus I am taking every possible precaution. So now my question is,
Should I import my paper wallet on blockchain and create new paper wallet (through walletgenerator.net) with 100% focus on it and write credentials immediately after printing?
Or is there any method to verify paper wallet credentials (BIP 38) without importing?
Thanks in advance
I would like to ask, how can I verify my credentials without importing it in any wallet provider like blockchain? I read that, once paper wallet is imported in any client, it’s no more a paper wallet.
I am looking for long term storage thus I am taking every possible precaution. So now my question is,
Should I import my paper wallet on blockchain and create new paper wallet (through walletgenerator.net) with 100% focus on it and write credentials immediately after printing?
Or is there any method to verify paper wallet credentials (BIP 38) without importing?
Thanks in advance
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