Author

Topic: Root Key question (Read 629 times)

legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 1199
May 17, 2014, 08:49:40 AM
#9

but if you want to make a cold storage it will be quite harder to use your coins for buying stuff etc. Smiley

If you want JUST to hodl ... cold wallet would be good option.

So what is your purpose? Keep your coins safe of rotate them Smiley spend, earn, etc.

It's not that hard to spend bitcoins from an offline computer. It just takes a few steps:

1) Create unsigned transaction on the online watching only wallet and save it to a USB stick
2) Plug that into your offline compuer, sign the transaction, and save the signed transaction to the USB stick
3) Plug the USB stick back into your online computer and broadcast the signed transaction.

Notice that with this process your private keys never touch the online computer.

You can follow that process to move a small amount of BTC to your online computer to make other transactions as GoatPig mentioned.

Yes well this is some kind of possibility to make offline transactions easier to manage indeed.

Still I do think that we should not be paranoid about online transactions too much.

Just store your savings on some offline paper, and transfer just some to your hot wallet.

Using Bitcoin should be relatively easy - methods like this from above makes it more complicated for people not IT related.
full member
Activity: 123
Merit: 100
May 16, 2014, 11:47:03 AM
#8

but if you want to make a cold storage it will be quite harder to use your coins for buying stuff etc. Smiley

If you want JUST to hodl ... cold wallet would be good option.

So what is your purpose? Keep your coins safe of rotate them Smiley spend, earn, etc.

It's not that hard to spend bitcoins from an offline computer. It just takes a few steps:

1) Create unsigned transaction on the online watching only wallet and save it to a USB stick
2) Plug that into your offline compuer, sign the transaction, and save the signed transaction to the USB stick
3) Plug the USB stick back into your online computer and broadcast the signed transaction.

Notice that with this process your private keys never touch the online computer.

You can follow that process to move a small amount of BTC to your online computer to make other transactions as GoatPig mentioned.
sr. member
Activity: 331
Merit: 250
May 16, 2014, 04:16:09 AM
#7
Or use Debian Linux - it's very resilient against viruses and keyloggers, almost as if it's non-existence.
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 1199
April 29, 2014, 10:55:41 AM
#6
but if you want to make a cold storage it will be quite harder to use your coins for buying stuff etc. Smiley

If you want JUST to hodl ... cold wallet would be good option.

So what is your purpose? Keep your coins safe of rotate them Smiley spend, earn, etc.

If you intent to spend some coins on a regular basis but dont want to go through an offline txn for each purchase, keep most of your coins in cold storage, and a few in a hot wallet.

Well yes, you are right.

I am waiting for a day when I will need a "cold storage" Tongue
But yes indeed this is reasonable and makes you more secure if you keep your BTC's savings @Cold wallet.
legendary
Activity: 3766
Merit: 1364
Armory Developer
April 29, 2014, 10:05:24 AM
#5
but if you want to make a cold storage it will be quite harder to use your coins for buying stuff etc. Smiley

If you want JUST to hodl ... cold wallet would be good option.

So what is your purpose? Keep your coins safe of rotate them Smiley spend, earn, etc.

If you intent to spend some coins on a regular basis but dont want to go through an offline txn for each purchase, keep most of your coins in cold storage, and a few in a hot wallet.
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 1199
April 29, 2014, 09:58:39 AM
#4
I tested my Root Keys for my bitcoin wallet on my online computer. Is their anyway the keys can get stolen when I input them; like if I have a keylogger on my system?
In theory, yes.  

IMHO, the best practice would be to never let these keys touch a networked computer (for any wallet that is going to contain a significant amount of coins), but instead restrict them only to a permanently offline, air-gapped machine.


but if you want to make a cold storage it will be quite harder to use your coins for buying stuff etc. Smiley

If you want JUST to hodl ... cold wallet would be good option.

So what is your purpose? Keep your coins safe of rotate them Smiley spend, earn, etc.
newbie
Activity: 5
Merit: 0
April 28, 2014, 07:17:33 PM
#3
I tested my Root Keys for my bitcoin wallet on my online computer. Is their anyway the keys can get stolen when I input them; like if I have a keylogger on my system?
In theory, yes. 

IMHO, the best practice would be to never let these keys touch a networked computer (for any wallet that is going to contain a significant amount of coins), but instead restrict them only to a permanently offline, air-gapped machine.
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 1199
April 28, 2014, 06:23:10 PM
#2
I tested my Root Keys for my bitcoin wallet on my online computer. Is their anyway the keys can get stolen when I input them; like if I have a keylogger on my system?

Like any other file - or anything you type.
Hackers can get you Tongue

Security is MOST important.

-Firewall on network devices
-Firewall on your system
-Antivirus
-AntiSpy

+ optional Smiley

And luck Smiley
legendary
Activity: 1146
Merit: 1000
April 28, 2014, 06:08:06 PM
#1
I tested my Root Keys for my bitcoin wallet on my online computer. Is their anyway the keys can get stolen when I input them; like if I have a keylogger on my system?
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