In Electrum I see .tar.gz and Appimage. Which one to use?
the first one.Wouldn't Appimage be better since it doesn't leave anything behind? https://itsfoss.com/use-appimage-linux
AppImage is just a compressed file that needs to be extracted to run the program and then is automatically deleted when the program is closed. In fact the link you posted says that. You could delete the folders extracted from a .tar.gz to erase the traces it leaves too.
2. choose an encryption tool and learn how to use it correctly. this must be an open source tool that is capable of strong encryption using AES. if your step 0 choice is to use a single private key you can choose a tool that supports BIP38 encryption and skip this step.
Can anyone post an example tool? I'm having a hard time finding one to get an idea what it is.
Save whatever you’re trying to encrypt in a text file and then run in a terminal:
Code:
gpg --cipher-algo AES256 --no-symkey-cache -c filename.txt
And then type a password for it and delete the original file. No PGP key required. --no-symkey-cache is necessary to prevent the password from being cached. It is only available in GPG >= 2.2.7 so you need to use Ubuntu 20.04 for your live distro. Older distros package an older version of GPG without this feature.
To decrypt:
Code:
gpg -o filename.txt -d filename.txt.gpg
And type the password you set.
Source: https://askubuntu.com/a/449647
Wouldn't saving a file make copies of it at various places that could be recovered later, regardless of whether you encrypt the file or not because the encryption would be after the file was saved without encryption?
And deleting the original unencrypted file doesn't really permenantly delete it. How do you get around this?
Writing private keys on paper can get damaged by natural disasters like water and fire
Obviously, as you say, engraving on metal plates is going to be more durable than writing on paper, but metal plates can also be damaged by natural disasters. You should make sure you are choosing stainless steel, titanium, or a similarly durable metal, as metals like aluminum (which many of the marketed back up devices are made out of) are malleable, do not resist corrosion, and have low melting points. Even then, a stainless steel plate is not indestructible. And even if it were, what if you can no longer access it? What if there is fire or explosion, and you can't find it in among all the rubble? What if there is a flood or tornado and it gets carried a few kilometers away?What matters more than whether you choose paper or metal is having multiple copies in separate physical locations. I use paper wallets (on actual paper) and I use paper for writing down seeds. I am not concerned about them being damaged or destroyed even though they are just everyday paper, because I have multiple back ups. If one is destroyed, then I'll use one of the others to replace it. It's all about redundancy and not having a single point of failure.
Hand written or printed?
