Topic: Multiple BTC wallets for security? - page 2. (Read 3324 times)

but that would be harder to implement.  drastic measures, like you said. lol.

Or moar drastically: disassemble the notebook and phisically remove all the network interfaces (eth port, wifi mini-pciex, bluetooth, ecc..)

Or just pull the BIOS battery out and short it (I think is what you do?). The same way you reset the password. That would clear out a virus.

This is not that hard to implement.

Buy a cheapie old laptop on craigslist (just make sure it has a USB port),
and delete the wifi/ethernet driver(s). 

This has been a great conversation.  Thanks dudes.

And you can also setup your own electrum server/node for maximum privacy/reliability

I think he means that the blockchain itself (that is scanned) is centralized. But this is very different from being a centralized service, in that you can always take the private keys to your own client and scan the blockchain on your own. Electrum just speeds it up.

That's why I'm saying that the PC should be completely 100% offline.
You have no guarantee that these types of viruses won't be common in the future, and it's better safe than sorry.

This is a rare type of attack that i think can be stopped only with an ever offline PC

I've heard of that but I think it's exceedingly rare.  Are there any confirmed reports of that happening?

Wrong. Viruses can be embedded in the BIOS, and will be activated when you turn on your computer.

As long as the USB stick is not plugged into the computer when its main OS is booted, it is safe to go online with that main OS.  When the USB stick is booted, the computer's main OS will not affect it unless you mount the device containing the main OS while the USB stick is booted.

No, that's not what I meant. The computer must be offline at all times, no matter what OS. It's not OK that the host computer was online, since, as I said before, there are cross-OS keyloggers too.

Do you mean make sure the operating system on the USB stick was never online?  If so, I agree.  It's OK that the host computer was online as long as you actually boot into the USB stick to use it.

Yes for sure use many different wallets so in the unlikely event that one gets taken over or lost you still have the majority of your funds.

Also, as before was mentioned, beware of windows autostart, is one of the most dangerous feature for an "always offline PC"

Its not a legend, and you should know that commercial antiviruses don't deect the majority of malware and crap.


Running linux from a USB is Ok, but make sure that the computer was never online. I thought you meant installing something like Electrum on a Usb and using it when you need to.


This statement makes no sense whatsoever.

Yes ,It's security

The idea here is that any operating system installation that has ever been online is potentially compromised.  So you want to sign your transactions with an install that has never been online.  I think a carefully installed USB stick would work nicely for that if you actually boot to it in order to sign the transaction and you don't connect it to an install that has ever been online.

Started out on page 1 being relieved. By page 4, I'm terrified, paranoid, hopeless and confused. Thanks

What is your suggestion on using an external backup drive to put the wallets and btc info on and keep it off the computer...and then when it's needed, plug it in and use it however? If I use the offline wallet (not paper) but the software that sits on an external drive or usb stick, I know I'm supposed to turn off the net connection when using it.

But what's the procedure to say, take some btc out of the offline wallet to send to the web based wallet for spending/use or transferring back and forth? Do I connect only long enough to send funds to the web wallet (presumably a completely new/different one and not an old one?) and disconnect the computer, remove the drive and then reconnect as the norm otherwise?

Yall seriously can make someone scared to death to even get online anymore 


Also for the point about people seeing how much btc you have or following the whole transaction, unless someone is specifically tracking a specific transaction to a person, I'd think it really doesn't matter if anyone sees amounts of btc. They don't know *you* have it, just that somebody does. That's part of the whole transparency thing...so even if a hacker sees a lot of btc in the chain, they still have a ton of work to do to find a way to get it, right?