Author

Topic: What's the safest way to store BTC? (Read 4612 times)

newbie
Activity: 11
Merit: 0
February 01, 2014, 12:26:57 AM
#82
Quote
when I go to print it out the private key on the right hand side prints over/under the words underneath it on the page.

had the same problem...its the printer setup...at least it was for me
hero member
Activity: 798
Merit: 1000
January 29, 2014, 05:40:38 PM
#81
Hi, first post. I'm trying to make myself a paper wallet on bitaddress.org but when I go to print it out the private key on the right hand side prints over/under the words underneath it on the page. Help anyone? I don't want to use the paper wallet that my Blockchain wallet made me because when I close and reopen it, it's the same. This makes me think it's saved somewhere and hence not 'cold storage'.

I was following this tutorial... https://blockchain.info/wallet/paper-tutorial


EDIT: If the printout that Blockchain is giving me each time is stored then couldn't somebody that hacks my online wallet see my watch only wallet and then print out the same paper wallet for themselves from my account?

First, it is a problem with your printer. And reopening it is the same because it's the same address, bitaddress.org generates different ones every time. And yes, with blockchain.info it's "saved somewhere", since it is a online service and you are trusting blockchain to keep your bitcoins safe.

You can simply write down the bitcoin address and the private key.
newbie
Activity: 9
Merit: 0
January 28, 2014, 08:32:48 PM
#80
Hi, first post. I'm trying to make myself a paper wallet on bitaddress.org but when I go to print it out the private key on the right hand side prints over/under the words underneath it on the page. Help anyone? I don't want to use the paper wallet that my Blockchain wallet made me because when I close and reopen it, it's the same. This makes me think it's saved somewhere and hence not 'cold storage'.

I was following this tutorial... https://blockchain.info/wallet/paper-tutorial


EDIT: If the printout that Blockchain is giving me each time is stored then couldn't somebody that hacks my online wallet see my watch only wallet and then print out the same paper wallet for themselves from my account?
full member
Activity: 140
Merit: 101
January 28, 2014, 04:34:02 PM
#79
The most secure solution is to use a brainwallet/passphrase, but you have to do it right.  Choose a phrase that ONLY means something to you.  Not some random password and not something that has ever been published.  I recommend I couple of lines from a diary entry, or a series of dates such as your dog's birthday, the date of your wedding/divorce.  
A nice thing when you are using dates, you can skip the brainwallet step and just use the dates directly as a private key.  This has the advantage of still working if they ever change the hashing algorithm used for brainwallets.  Verify your choice is at least 32 characters long. Whatever it is, make sure it ONLY means something to you and that you never, ever tell anyone what it is.

Once you have a brain wallet you will never lose your key (as long as it's important to you).

If you really want to make it accessible to your family AES encrypt it with a passphrase, then store the encrypted portion in an image using steganography and upload the image to someplace that's never going away such as archive.org or the creative commons media.  Then put the url and the passphrase in your will.
legendary
Activity: 2422
Merit: 1451
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
January 26, 2014, 03:05:12 AM
#78
Double encrypt a brain wallet.  Grin
full member
Activity: 126
Merit: 100
CAUTION: Angry Man with Attitude.
January 26, 2014, 03:03:41 AM
#77
Really $94 for a crappy chinese product!? What if it short circuits or worse, It glitches on you and it wipes everything! I cant trust anything than a USB drive.
Being Chinese doesn't automatically mean it's crappy. On the other hand, the “wipeout after 10 failed logins” is what it actually scares me. This means I MUST have a backup somewhere, rendering this device useless.
Rofl, yeah. What if you can't remember your code, then you're essentially fucked. Also, what happens if you enter the correct code and it still doesn't unlock? That shit happens on 3 of my gym lockers... and no, I didn't input the wrong code because they happened one lock after another, not all 3 locks at once.
If CHINUH made less crappy things, There economy would boost, Even ASIC miners from china arent durable.
hero member
Activity: 868
Merit: 1000
January 26, 2014, 02:41:50 AM
#76
An alternative encrypted USB from portableapps.com : http://worldsbestflashdrive.com
Similar pricing.

This one over the other. This one has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!
Jesus... 94$ for 8gb? I mean, it looks nice and everything, but that's too much. Might as well just buy a cable lock ,then wrap it around and use it to lock my 10$ flash drive.

Man! It still has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!

lol Tongue

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the laser that goes pew pew is used to ENGRAVE YOUR NAME on the device. It's not part of it.

I am so disappointed right now Cheesy
full member
Activity: 350
Merit: 100
January 26, 2014, 12:06:06 AM
#75
Really $94 for a crappy chinese product!? What if it short circuits or worse, It glitches on you and it wipes everything! I cant trust anything than a USB drive.
Being Chinese doesn't automatically mean it's crappy. On the other hand, the “wipeout after 10 failed logins” is what it actually scares me. This means I MUST have a backup somewhere, rendering this device useless.
Rofl, yeah. What if you can't remember your code, then you're essentially fucked. Also, what happens if you enter the correct code and it still doesn't unlock? That shit happens on 3 of my gym lockers... and no, I didn't input the wrong code because they happened one lock after another, not all 3 locks at once.
full member
Activity: 126
Merit: 100
CAUTION: Angry Man with Attitude.
January 25, 2014, 11:04:13 PM
#74
Really $94 for a crappy chinese product!? What if it short circuits or worse, It glitches on you and it wipes everything! I cant trust anything than a USB drive.
Being Chinese doesn't automatically mean it's crappy. On the other hand, the “wipeout after 10 failed logins” is what it actually scares me. This means I MUST have a backup somewhere, rendering this device useless.
I don't know, Everything I buy from the dollar store has china on it Especially USB Drives that break after several uses at school.
hero member
Activity: 658
Merit: 500
January 25, 2014, 10:33:29 PM
#73
Really $94 for a crappy chinese product!? What if it short circuits or worse, It glitches on you and it wipes everything! I cant trust anything than a USB drive.
Being Chinese doesn't automatically mean it's crappy. On the other hand, the “wipeout after 10 failed logins” is what it actually scares me. This means I MUST have a backup somewhere, rendering this device useless.
full member
Activity: 126
Merit: 100
CAUTION: Angry Man with Attitude.
January 25, 2014, 09:51:29 PM
#72
An alternative encrypted USB from portableapps.com : http://worldsbestflashdrive.com
Similar pricing.

This one over the other. This one has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!
Jesus... 94$ for 8gb? I mean, it looks nice and everything, but that's too much. Might as well just buy a cable lock ,then wrap it around and use it to lock my 10$ flash drive.

Both the aegis one and this one appear to have been made in the same Chinese factory. They look almost the same.

BTW 15 decimal digits is not enough entropy.

Really $94 for a crappy chinese product!? What if it short circuits or worse, It glitches on you and it wipes everything! I cant trust anything than a USB drive.
legendary
Activity: 3640
Merit: 1571
January 25, 2014, 06:20:06 PM
#71
An alternative encrypted USB from portableapps.com : http://worldsbestflashdrive.com
Similar pricing.

This one over the other. This one has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!
Jesus... 94$ for 8gb? I mean, it looks nice and everything, but that's too much. Might as well just buy a cable lock ,then wrap it around and use it to lock my 10$ flash drive.

Both the aegis one and this one appear to have been made in the same Chinese factory. They look almost the same.

BTW 15 decimal digits is not enough entropy.
hero member
Activity: 658
Merit: 500
January 25, 2014, 06:02:08 PM
#70
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the laser that goes pew pew is used to ENGRAVE YOUR NAME on the device. It's not part of it.
hero member
Activity: 798
Merit: 1000
January 25, 2014, 05:44:00 PM
#69
An alternative encrypted USB from portableapps.com : http://worldsbestflashdrive.com
Similar pricing.

This one over the other. This one has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!
Jesus... 94$ for 8gb? I mean, it looks nice and everything, but that's too much. Might as well just buy a cable lock ,then wrap it around and use it to lock my 10$ flash drive.

Man! It still has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!
full member
Activity: 350
Merit: 100
January 25, 2014, 05:13:10 PM
#68
An alternative encrypted USB from portableapps.com : http://worldsbestflashdrive.com
Similar pricing.

This one over the other. This one has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!
Jesus... 94$ for 8gb? I mean, it looks nice and everything, but that's too much. Might as well just buy a cable lock ,then wrap it around and use it to lock my 10$ flash drive.
hero member
Activity: 798
Merit: 1000
January 25, 2014, 09:01:26 AM
#67
An alternative encrypted USB from portableapps.com : http://worldsbestflashdrive.com
Similar pricing.

This one over the other. This one has an amazing laser that goes pew pew!
legendary
Activity: 1358
Merit: 1001
https://gliph.me/hUF
January 25, 2014, 01:34:36 AM
#66
An alternative encrypted USB from portableapps.com : http://worldsbestflashdrive.com
Similar pricing.
full member
Activity: 130
Merit: 100
January 24, 2014, 06:59:40 PM
#65
I just ordered several aegis secure key:

http://www.apricorn.com/aegis-secure-key.html


The key wipe out all data on it after 10 failed login attempt

I think this is a very good solution for letting your relatives/friends keep a backup of the wallet for you in case there is an emergency. You only need to tell them the number to open this key, and wallet.dat can be stored on it unencrypted

What if a kid or someone got their hands on it and was pressing buttons? It looks interesting and a lot better than my normal USB drive... Also where did you buy yours? It's pretty expensive on their site.
hero member
Activity: 798
Merit: 1000
January 24, 2014, 06:20:49 PM
#64
This is all too overly exaggerated. Unless OP is a paranoid "muthafucka" which hes not, So stop with the unnecessary tips.

He asked for the safest way, so different people suggested different safe ways.
full member
Activity: 126
Merit: 100
CAUTION: Angry Man with Attitude.
January 24, 2014, 08:02:29 AM
#63
This is all too overly exaggerated. Unless OP is a paranoid "muthafucka" which hes not, So stop with the unnecessary tips.
hero member
Activity: 658
Merit: 500
January 23, 2014, 02:51:18 PM
#62
How do you know that the bitaddress.org owner doesn't keep a record of all generated addresses and private keys?

You can download the source code and run it on an offline computer. That way they can't possibly log your generated keys.
hero member
Activity: 798
Merit: 1000
January 23, 2014, 02:36:49 PM
#61
I would recommend  going to bitaddress.org generating 7 or so private keys and split the bitcoins evenly among them, then download a offline QR code generator and generate a QR code for each address. print the codes off and hide them places or put them in a envelope. keep them like money (unless you lose alot of money)

So how is that secure? You still have to go online to spend the bitcoins. Also, how do you know that the bitaddress.org owner doesn't keep a record of all generated addresses and private keys?
newbie
Activity: 1
Merit: 0
January 22, 2014, 07:03:21 PM
#60
I would recommend  going to bitaddress.org generating 7 or so private keys and split the bitcoins evenly among them, then download a offline QR code generator and generate a QR code for each address. print the codes off and hide them places or put them in a envelope. keep them like money (unless you lose alot of money)
hero member
Activity: 658
Merit: 500
January 22, 2014, 01:44:26 PM
#59
Be Sure to use only 20 % or less of All Your BTC online for daily use ..and the safest way for the rest is to order secure USB Flash or HDD and you have to mix the encrypted wallet.dat with picture or other data after you changed to the same ext as other files like wallet.data=mama.jpg ... and you must have more than that copy in different USB ..

But i am asking how about storing mama.jpg inside online drive like Gmail or other and mix it up with almost 2000 picture how about that?   
That would be similar to using a password, in the sense that you need to remember the name of the file, or else it will be essentially lost. I don't see a real benefit there.
sr. member
Activity: 294
Merit: 250
★YoBit.Net★ 350+ Coins Exchange & Dice
January 22, 2014, 10:30:13 AM
#58
Be Sure to use only 20 % or less of All Your BTC online for daily use ..and the safest way for the rest is to order secure USB Flash or HDD and you have to mix the encrypted wallet.dat with picture or other data after you changed to the same ext as other files like wallet.data=mama.jpg ... and you must have more than that copy in different USB ..

But i am asking how about storing mama.jpg inside online drive like Gmail or other and mix it up with almost 2000 picture how about that?   
hero member
Activity: 798
Merit: 1000
January 21, 2014, 12:54:43 PM
#57
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.

This is complete nonsense.

You rent yourself a security box in a bank, and leave all your access details in there. And in your will, you give (whoever you want) access to that.

Stop spreading FUD that bitcoins are inherently impossible to keep secure.
What if bank gets blown up/shut down/robbed?

Keep a 2nd copy with your attorney / solicitor.

What if your solicitor decides to run of with say your 450 BTC.

Umm... the idea of solicitors are they are a trusted entity. That's how they stay in business, and would be disbarred / have legal charges brought against them if they ran off with anything.

I'm so sick of this thread. People trust online wallets who they don't have a clue is running, yet when I suggest banks and solicitors, the banks are going to blow up and the solicitors are going to run off with all your coins.

No more suggestions from me. Take care of your own coins, please Smiley
Pretty sure NONE of us suggested online wallets....

Online wallets are like the most insecure thing, you have to trust someone that you don't know to keep your funds safe, without knowing if he is a scammer or not. Take inputs.io as an example, it got hacked and everything evaporated.
full member
Activity: 350
Merit: 100
January 21, 2014, 05:40:09 AM
#56
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.

This is complete nonsense.

You rent yourself a security box in a bank, and leave all your access details in there. And in your will, you give (whoever you want) access to that.

Stop spreading FUD that bitcoins are inherently impossible to keep secure.
What if bank gets blown up/shut down/robbed?

Keep a 2nd copy with your attorney / solicitor.

What if your solicitor decides to run of with say your 450 BTC.

Umm... the idea of solicitors are they are a trusted entity. That's how they stay in business, and would be disbarred / have legal charges brought against them if they ran off with anything.

I'm so sick of this thread. People trust online wallets who they don't have a clue is running, yet when I suggest banks and solicitors, the banks are going to blow up and the solicitors are going to run off with all your coins.

No more suggestions from me. Take care of your own coins, please Smiley
Pretty sure NONE of us suggested online wallets....
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 21, 2014, 04:58:08 AM
#55
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.

This is complete nonsense.

You rent yourself a security box in a bank, and leave all your access details in there. And in your will, you give (whoever you want) access to that.

Stop spreading FUD that bitcoins are inherently impossible to keep secure.
What if bank gets blown up/shut down/robbed?

Keep a 2nd copy with your attorney / solicitor.

What if your solicitor decides to run of with say your 450 BTC.

Umm... the idea of solicitors are they are a trusted entity. That's how they stay in business, and would be disbarred / have legal charges brought against them if they ran off with anything.

I'm so sick of this thread. People trust online wallets who they don't have a clue is running, yet when I suggest banks and solicitors, the banks are going to blow up and the solicitors are going to run off with all your coins.

No more suggestions from me. Take care of your own coins, please Smiley
member
Activity: 112
Merit: 10
January 21, 2014, 04:53:29 AM
#54
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.

This is complete nonsense.

You rent yourself a security box in a bank, and leave all your access details in there. And in your will, you give (whoever you want) access to that.

Stop spreading FUD that bitcoins are inherently impossible to keep secure.
What if bank gets blown up/shut down/robbed?

Keep a 2nd copy with your attorney / solicitor.

What if your solicitor decides to run of with say your 450 BTC.
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 21, 2014, 12:52:24 AM
#53
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.

This is complete nonsense.

You rent yourself a security box in a bank, and leave all your access details in there. And in your will, you give (whoever you want) access to that.

Stop spreading FUD that bitcoins are inherently impossible to keep secure.
What if bank gets blown up/shut down/robbed?

Keep a 2nd copy with your attorney / solicitor.
hero member
Activity: 658
Merit: 500
January 21, 2014, 12:12:40 AM
#52
Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.
(emphasis mine)
People say things like this without fully knowing what they are talking about. I had one friend that told me that SHA256 was proven to have weaknesses and that somebody very smart could crack it in minutes. Well, if that's the case, then why has no one heard about such an attack? (And I'm not talking just about Bitcoin, but about any system that uses SHA256 in one way or another).

The algorithm has been proven to be very secure, and so it would take decades (if not more) for someone to even think about a real, useful way to crack it (because you just can't brute force it even with quantum computers without wasting hundreds or thousands of years).

And if suddenly someone discovers an unknown vulnerability, it won't get unnoticed for very long, and there will be news all over the world about a system hacked in such a way.

So, no. Although your statement is technically correct, it's not going to happen any time soon.
full member
Activity: 350
Merit: 100
January 21, 2014, 12:02:32 AM
#51
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.

This is complete nonsense.

You rent yourself a security box in a bank, and leave all your access details in there. And in your will, you give (whoever you want) access to that.

Stop spreading FUD that bitcoins are inherently impossible to keep secure.
What if bank gets blown up/shut down/robbed?
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 20, 2014, 11:56:14 PM
#50
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.

This is complete nonsense.

You rent yourself a security box in a bank, and leave all your access details in there. And in your will, you give (whoever you want) access to that.

Stop spreading FUD that bitcoins are inherently impossible to keep secure.
legendary
Activity: 1148
Merit: 1018
January 20, 2014, 10:58:15 AM
#49
Probably a paper wallet is the most secure and most practical solution.

If you want more usability (for example spending some of the coins without exposing to the internet the whole amount held by a paper wallet) you can get armory. The new version supporst n-of-x parts paper backups (so your paper back up will be split in X parts and you will need at least N parts to recover the wallet).
member
Activity: 112
Merit: 10
January 20, 2014, 09:04:43 AM
#48
Security issues are a nightmare with this.

If you put you savings your money in BTC you can't sleep at night knowing your money is safe unlike having it in the bank, if it gets hacked they replace the money.

Giving time and the right genius hacker even the most sophisticated security measures can be hacked.

Yes what if one dies with all this high tech security in place, surviving relatives won't be able to access the money.
legendary
Activity: 1988
Merit: 1012
Beyond Imagination
January 20, 2014, 08:59:48 AM
#47

So then you have several people having copies of an unencrypted wallet.dat file and a simple password to a device which at least one of them will write down on a  piece of paper and stick it next to the drive in an insecure environment  .... that doesn't exactly sound the best way to go to me .....

The OP said in his first post he had a safe. Just use the thing - job done Smiley

You never give them the key code until definitely necessary, once given, that address will be emptied within 24 hours. In this way, you can be sure that even your house caught fire, your coins are safe

Another usage is heritage management. Say that your plane is going to crash and you have couple of seconds to send a sms to your relatives, if your key is protected by multiple layer of security measure, or a very strong password, there is no way for them to access it
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 20, 2014, 08:26:25 AM
#46
I just ordered several aegis secure key:

http://www.apricorn.com/aegis-secure-key.html


The key wipe out all data on it after 10 failed login attempt

I think this is a very good solution for letting your relatives/friends keep a backup of the wallet for you in case there is an emergency. You only need to tell them the number to open this key, and wallet.dat can be stored on it unencrypted

So then you have several people having copies of an unencrypted wallet.dat file and a simple password to a device which at least one of them will write down on a  piece of paper and stick it next to the drive in an insecure environment  .... that doesn't exactly sound the best way to go to me .....

The OP said in his first post he had a safe. Just use the thing - job done Smiley
legendary
Activity: 1988
Merit: 1012
Beyond Imagination
January 20, 2014, 08:08:28 AM
#45
I just ordered several aegis secure key:

http://www.apricorn.com/aegis-secure-key.html


The key wipe out all data on it after 10 failed login attempt

I think this is a very good solution for letting your relatives/friends keep a backup of the wallet for you in case there is an emergency. You only need to tell them the number to open this key, and wallet.dat can be stored on it unencrypted
full member
Activity: 126
Merit: 100
CAUTION: Angry Man with Attitude.
January 20, 2014, 04:39:30 AM
#44
Please move this topic to the correct section if this is not the right place.

Alright, so I've been reading some threads saying they got their wallet hacked from blockchain and/or local wallet. Paper wallet isn't an option for me because I lose every single paper I own.... How safe is the 2-factor authentication? Can it be hacked somehow? Is it possible to store the wallet into a flash drive? Because I can just put it on my flash drive and keep it in my safe.

Just a reminder, there's as much (if not more) bitcoin lost due to forgetting password as being stolen. Don't make it too complicate.

The guy said he had a safe. How could he lose a password stored in a safe, whether on paper or a flash drive? Like you say, this isn't at all complicated.
Just making it more complicated than it seems is a bad thing for the OP, As he is getting confused, and overwhelmed by the many inputs of peoples storage tactics.
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 20, 2014, 04:34:44 AM
#43
Please move this topic to the correct section if this is not the right place.

Alright, so I've been reading some threads saying they got their wallet hacked from blockchain and/or local wallet. Paper wallet isn't an option for me because I lose every single paper I own.... How safe is the 2-factor authentication? Can it be hacked somehow? Is it possible to store the wallet into a flash drive? Because I can just put it on my flash drive and keep it in my safe.

Just a reminder, there's as much (if not more) bitcoin lost due to forgetting password as being stolen. Don't make it too complicate.

The guy said he had a safe. How could he lose a password stored in a safe, whether on paper or a flash drive? Like you say, this isn't at all complicated.
legendary
Activity: 882
Merit: 1000
January 20, 2014, 04:17:47 AM
#42
Please move this topic to the correct section if this is not the right place.

Alright, so I've been reading some threads saying they got their wallet hacked from blockchain and/or local wallet. Paper wallet isn't an option for me because I lose every single paper I own.... How safe is the 2-factor authentication? Can it be hacked somehow? Is it possible to store the wallet into a flash drive? Because I can just put it on my flash drive and keep it in my safe.

Just a reminder, there's as much (if not more) bitcoin lost due to forgetting password as being stolen. Don't make it too complicate.
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 20, 2014, 04:11:04 AM
#41
Please move this topic to the correct section if this is not the right place.

Alright, so I've been reading some threads saying they got their wallet hacked from blockchain and/or local wallet. Paper wallet isn't an option for me because I lose every single paper I own.... How safe is the 2-factor authentication? Can it be hacked somehow? Is it possible to store the wallet into a flash drive? Because I can just put it on my flash drive and keep it in my safe.

Paper wallet doesn't have to be a paper. It can be, for example, a huge stone with an encrypted private key engraved on it.

Hard to fit that in the safe though Wink
sr. member
Activity: 430
Merit: 250
January 20, 2014, 04:10:21 AM
#40
Seems a little radical people are recommending extreme ideas. -_-
When you have hundreds of thousand of dollars worth of bitcoin you can never be too safe. Of course the level of safety depends on the amount of money you have, you probably don't need an offline wallet for 5$.
full member
Activity: 177
Merit: 101
January 20, 2014, 01:23:34 AM
#39
Please move this topic to the correct section if this is not the right place.

Alright, so I've been reading some threads saying they got their wallet hacked from blockchain and/or local wallet. Paper wallet isn't an option for me because I lose every single paper I own.... How safe is the 2-factor authentication? Can it be hacked somehow? Is it possible to store the wallet into a flash drive? Because I can just put it on my flash drive and keep it in my safe.

Paper wallet doesn't have to be a paper. It can be, for example, a huge stone with an encrypted private key engraved on it.
legendary
Activity: 1358
Merit: 1001
https://gliph.me/hUF
January 20, 2014, 01:15:20 AM
#38
google itJust make a paper wallet(google it)
Only a paper wallet can guarantee safety

Paper wallets are a bad idea. There are so many gotchas with them:

- You get only one address.

- Spending coins safely is hard. If you make a mistake spending your coins you could end up sending large amounts as fees, have change end up in insecure addresses or worse.

Paper wallets IMO are a primitive device. People just parrot this advice that paper wallets are a good thing but they are not. They are only good for those people selling paper wallet kits. For most users an offline wallet on a dedicated device is infinitely better. You get unlimited addresses and a full fledged bitcoin client that can spend, receive and sign messages as well.





You can have as many paper wallets as you like. Check out the "bulk" tab on https://www.bitaddress.org/

For easy spending from a paper wallet check out Mycelium https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/mycelium-bitcoin-wallet-293472
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January 20, 2014, 12:46:17 AM
#37
Just put it in a flash drive and in a safe or bank safe, Seems a little radical people are recommending extreme ideas. -_-

Agreed, with proviso have 2 copies, in case one flash drive goes "rogue" Smiley

Thats right, I would also suggest putting a little needle on it with poison just in case someone grabs it.
What if I forget that the needle is there and it poisons me. o.o
Then you better rush to the hospital, because the person who grabs it wont even know its poison, and they screwed without knowledge that it is poison, you gettin me? Tongue
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January 20, 2014, 12:04:07 AM
#36
Just put it in a flash drive and in a safe or bank safe, Seems a little radical people are recommending extreme ideas. -_-

Agreed, with proviso have 2 copies, in case one flash drive goes "rogue" Smiley

Thats right, I would also suggest putting a little needle on it with poison just in case someone grabs it.
What if I forget that the needle is there and it poisons me. o.o
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January 20, 2014, 12:02:23 AM
#35
Just put it in a flash drive and in a safe or bank safe, Seems a little radical people are recommending extreme ideas. -_-

Agreed, with proviso have 2 copies, in case one flash drive goes "rogue" Smiley

Thats right, I would also suggest putting a little needle on it with poison just in case someone grabs it.
hero member
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January 19, 2014, 11:58:06 PM
#34
Just put it in a flash drive and in a safe or bank safe, Seems a little radical people are recommending extreme ideas. -_-

Agreed, with proviso have 2 copies, in case one flash drive goes "rogue" Smiley
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January 19, 2014, 11:54:30 PM
#33
Just put it in a flash drive and in a safe or bank safe, Seems a little radical people are recommending extreme ideas. -_-
legendary
Activity: 3640
Merit: 1571
January 19, 2014, 12:30:14 PM
#32
google itJust make a paper wallet(google it)
Only a paper wallet can guarantee safety

Paper wallets are a bad idea. There are so many gotchas with them:

- You get only one address.

- Spending coins safely is hard. If you make a mistake spending your coins you could end up sending large amounts as fees, have change end up in insecure addresses or worse.

Paper wallets IMO are a primitive device. People just parrot this advice that paper wallets are a good thing but they are not. They are only good for those people selling paper wallet kits. For most users an offline wallet on a dedicated device is infinitely better. You get unlimited addresses and a full fledged bitcoin client that can spend, receive and sign messages as well.



legendary
Activity: 1358
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https://gliph.me/hUF
January 19, 2014, 12:27:47 PM
#31
google itJust make a paper wallet(google it)
Only a paper wallet can guarantee safety
For people new to Bitcoin what if they create a paper wallet but don't fully understand and save the wrong information. A year later they find out they can not load the wallet. Testing the wallet in a client would defeat the purpose of using a pure paper wallet. Again, I'd be happy to test my own.

Of course run a few test paper wallets with small amounts until you are entirely comfortable with the complete process. For easy spending from a paper wallet check out Mycelium for Android (see my sig).
legendary
Activity: 1358
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https://gliph.me/hUF
January 19, 2014, 12:22:36 PM
#30
Instead of splitting the wallet.dat with winrar (nono), you could split the (possibly BIP38 encrypted) private key(s) using secret sharing. Here's a demo: http://point-at-infinity.org/ssss/demo.html . That way even if a thief steals one part he will still not be able to get to your coins.
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January 19, 2014, 12:16:18 PM
#29
google itJust make a paper wallet(google it)
Only a paper wallet can guarantee safety

The paper wallet is good, well TBH I would have no problem creating a new wallet I intend to use for cold storage, using a Bitcoin client running on a fresh linux install  - even connected to the net!.

For people new to Bitcoin what if they create a paper wallet but don't fully understand and save the wrong information. A year later they find out they can not load the wallet. Testing the wallet in a client would defeat the purpose of using a pure paper wallet. Again, I'd be happy to test my own.

I think people getting hacked are the ones signing up to scam sites that gather passwords, or click links they should not be clicking, or they don't use a form of 2FA.

People should Install vmware and create random accounts and email addresses if they want to mess around with suspicious emails and websites or not bother to enable security features
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January 19, 2014, 12:14:10 PM
#28
Safest way is to encrypt your wallet with a strong password and store it offline, so you are correct in thinking you can store the wallet.dat on a USB flash drive.

Be sure to make more than one backup of your wallet if you plan on storing long term - you never know if the USB drive will stop working after 3 years, or your house burns down, taking your safe contents with it.

I have an online wallet for everyday spending, and an offline wallet for long term savings, with my wallet.dat backups on USB drives I have stored in different places.


2 Factor-Authentication is good, but this still relies on you using a 3rd party service to keep your funds safe, and is still connected to the internet.

If you are really paranoid you can Truecrypt your USB drive with a long passphrase, as well as encrypting your bitcoin wallet through the bitcoin client.



thats it Smiley . encrypt it and use a usb stick. and only use high quality usb sticks and more than one. you can also safe it on a cd.

some people love paper wallets. you can google that too.

Flash drives fail, even high quality ones. The problem with flash or any eraseable/rewritable media it that you can loose data off it. This is not a very secure backup  Angry because the data my not be there when you need it most.



full member
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January 19, 2014, 12:05:32 PM
#27
You could run the wallet.dat through GPG and store the output.  Remembering you will then need to backup your privkeys to.
Every thing would need to be stored on different media types.  Including printouts, in a safe. A cheap $40 fireproof safe would be OK.

The most important aspect is to keep secure off site backups. If your house gets robbed or anything happens its no good if your 18 backup devices are missing !

If you are just storing a Bitcoin or two it might be over kill. Better to be safe than sorry I suppose. When DVD drives and USB are no longer supported in the future, like current day floppy drives and Bitcoin is $80,000 a coin one or two might be a sound investment.
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Activity: 602
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In math we trust.
January 19, 2014, 12:03:33 PM
#26
google itJust make a paper wallet(google it)
Only a paper wallet can guarantee safety
hero member
Activity: 518
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January 19, 2014, 11:55:05 AM
#25
If you are still paranoid, you could still use something like WinRAR to compress the file and split it. Place them in a few USBs. When you need your wallet, you will have to get all the files together. But if you lose 1 of them, then you cannot recover it.

Again, pretty terrible advice as to how securely store your bitcoins.
legendary
Activity: 3640
Merit: 1571
January 19, 2014, 08:16:29 AM
#24
Remember that bitcoin-qt wallet backups need to be refreshed every 100 or so transactions. Meaning you have to redo the backups. If you want backups that only need to be made once and are good for life you need to look at a deterministic wallet like Electrum or Armory.

To restore your bitcoin-qt wallet from backup you just place the wallet.dat file in your data directory:

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Data_directory
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PGP 9CB0902E
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January 19, 2014, 08:02:50 AM
#22
If you are still paranoid, you could still use something like WinRAR to compress the file and split it. Place them in a few USBs. When you need your wallet, you will have to get all the files together. But if you lose 1 of them, then you cannot recover it.
sr. member
Activity: 430
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January 19, 2014, 07:44:35 AM
#21
You can keep your wallet in a flash drive and make sure you also put the wallet password in a text document inside the drive as well.
I'm sorry but this is terrible advice.

The most secure way of storing bitcoins is using an offline wallet, strong password and a paper backup in a safe.
hero member
Activity: 518
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January 18, 2014, 11:46:18 PM
#20
How many coins has the OP got? The security precautions should be in proportion to the value he is protecting.
I'm not comfortable about answering that. It's like going up to a stranger in the streets and asking how much they have/make.

Fine, no problem. Sounds like you have a lot then Wink If so, stick them in your safe Smiley
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January 18, 2014, 02:05:55 PM
#19
How many coins has the OP got? The security precautions should be in proportion to the value he is protecting.
I'm not comfortable about answering that. It's like going up to a stranger in the streets and asking how much they have/make.
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January 18, 2014, 06:25:17 AM
#18
How many coins has the OP got? The security precautions should be in proportion to the value he is protecting.
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January 18, 2014, 01:04:11 AM
#17
I think he means if the flash drive is stolen, the thief instantly has both the password and password wallet.
It seems a bit extreme considering if it gets stolen, who would know about bitcoins, Just store some porn in there, and mix the wallet with the porn, and hide it god around your house simple as that Huh
Yes, but what if someone steals it knowing there are bitcoins in there? I think everyone should take precautions even if most people don't know about Bitcoin (yet).
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January 17, 2014, 11:42:56 PM
#16
You can keep your wallet in a flash drive and make sure you also put the wallet password in a text document inside the drive as well.
Er..Never do this.

It's like locking your door but leaving the key in the lock.

Ugghmm??

I think he means if the flash drive is stolen, the thief instantly has both the password and password wallet.
It seems a bit extreme considering if it gets stolen, who would know about bitcoins, Just store some porn in there, and mix the wallet with the porn, and hide it god around your house simple as that Huh
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January 17, 2014, 05:53:55 PM
#15
Crazy idea, what if I just store it on a microSD and wrap it in thin silicone sheet. Then, cut a small incision on my skin and shove the SD underneath the skin... (Got this idea after watching Con Air)
It's not as simple as that. The SD could move and get stuck under your skin so you couldn't retrieve it (unless of course if you do another incision, but that's too much harm, at least for me).
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January 17, 2014, 04:21:17 PM
#14
Crazy idea, what if I just store it on a microSD and wrap it in thin silicone sheet. Then, cut a small incision on my skin and shove the SD underneath the skin... (Got this idea after watching Con Air)
legendary
Activity: 1148
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In Satoshi I Trust
January 17, 2014, 03:17:26 PM
#13
Safest way is to encrypt your wallet with a strong password and store it offline, so you are correct in thinking you can store the wallet.dat on a USB flash drive.

Be sure to make more than one backup of your wallet if you plan on storing long term - you never know if the USB drive will stop working after 3 years, or your house burns down, taking your safe contents with it.

I have an online wallet for everyday spending, and an offline wallet for long term savings, with my wallet.dat backups on USB drives I have stored in different places.


2 Factor-Authentication is good, but this still relies on you using a 3rd party service to keep your funds safe, and is still connected to the internet.

If you are really paranoid you can Truecrypt your USB drive with a long passphrase, as well as encrypting your bitcoin wallet through the bitcoin client.



thats it Smiley . encrypt it and use a usb stick. and only use high quality usb sticks and more than one. you can also safe it on a cd.

some people love paper wallets. you can google that too.
hero member
Activity: 518
Merit: 500
January 17, 2014, 05:31:55 AM
#12
You can keep your wallet in a flash drive and make sure you also put the wallet password in a text document inside the drive as well.
Er..Never do this.

It's like locking your door but leaving the key in the lock.

Ugghmm??

I think he means if the flash drive is stolen, the thief instantly has both the password and password wallet.
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January 17, 2014, 02:32:51 AM
#11
You can keep your wallet in a flash drive and make sure you also put the wallet password in a text document inside the drive as well.
Er..Never do this.

It's like locking your door but leaving the key in the lock.

Ugghmm??
hero member
Activity: 518
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January 17, 2014, 12:54:27 AM
#10
Please move this topic to the correct section if this is not the right place.

Alright, so I've been reading some threads saying they got their wallet hacked from blockchain and/or local wallet. Paper wallet isn't an option for me because I lose every single paper I own.... How safe is the 2-factor authentication? Can it be hacked somehow? Is it possible to store the wallet into a flash drive? Because I can just put it on my flash drive and keep it in my safe.

If you've got a safe put the paper inside the safe? Can you really lose that? Wink
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January 16, 2014, 09:49:11 PM
#9
updated post to reflect proper operating system data locations. Smiley
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January 16, 2014, 09:48:10 PM
#8
When I want to import the wallet.dat file into the local wallet, how do I do that? I don't see any import options.

I have like 5 spare 128MB flash drive laying around. I'll just put a copy of each file into each and write down the password on a paper and lock it in my safe as well.
To import your wallet back into your client, you need to copy your wallet.dat into the right folder and then open the bitcoin client, which OS do you use?

wallet location:
Windows: C:\Users\[USER]\%APPDATA%\Bitcoin  <-- you would paste your wallet.dat into this folder for example.
Linux: ~/.bitcoin/
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/
Ah, very simple. Thanks.
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January 16, 2014, 09:46:47 PM
#7
When I want to import the wallet.dat file into the local wallet, how do I do that? I don't see any import options.

I have like 5 spare 128MB flash drive laying around. I'll just put a copy of each file into each and write down the password on a paper and lock it in my safe as well.
To import your wallet back into your client, you need to copy your wallet.dat into the right folder and then open the bitcoin client, which OS do you use?

wallet location:
Windows XP: C:\Users\[USER]\%APPDATA%\Bitcoin  <-- you would paste your wallet.dat into this folder for example.
Windows 7/Vista: C:\Users\YourUserName\Appdata\Roaming\Bitcoin <-- you would paste your wallet.dat into this folder for example.
Linux: ~/.bitcoin/
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/
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January 16, 2014, 08:43:10 PM
#6
When I want to import the wallet.dat file into the local wallet, how do I do that? I don't see any import options.

I have like 5 spare 128MB flash drive laying around. I'll just put a copy of each file into each and write down the password on a paper and lock it in my safe as well.
newbie
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January 16, 2014, 08:37:10 PM
#5
Paper or other cold storage wallet with encrypted private key stored in a safety deposit box at your bank.
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January 16, 2014, 08:31:00 PM
#4
You can keep your wallet in a flash drive and make sure you also put the wallet password in a text document inside the drive as well.
Er..Never do this.

It's like locking your door but leaving the key in the lock.
full member
Activity: 208
Merit: 100
January 16, 2014, 08:30:41 PM
#3
Safest way is to encrypt your wallet with a strong password and store it offline, so you are correct in thinking you can store the wallet.dat on a USB flash drive.

Be sure to make more than one backup of your wallet if you plan on storing long term - you never know if the USB drive will stop working after 3 years, or your house burns down, taking your safe contents with it.

I have an online wallet for everyday spending, and an offline wallet for long term savings, with my wallet.dat backups on USB drives I have stored in different places.

2 Factor-Authentication is good, but this still relies on you using a 3rd party service to keep your funds safe, and is still connected to the internet.

If you are really paranoid you can Truecrypt your USB drive with a long passphrase, as well as encrypting your bitcoin wallet through the bitcoin client.

wallet location:
Windows XP: C:\Users\[USER]\%APPDATA%\Bitcoin\
Windows 7/Vista: C:\Users\YourUserName\Appdata\Roaming\Bitcoin
Linux: ~/.bitcoin/
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/

further reading; https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet

Hope this helps,

Alienwalkerx
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January 16, 2014, 08:12:23 PM
#2
You can keep your wallet in a flash drive and make sure you also put the wallet password in a text document inside the drive as well.
full member
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January 16, 2014, 07:48:48 PM
#1
Please move this topic to the correct section if this is not the right place.

Alright, so I've been reading some threads saying they got their wallet hacked from blockchain and/or local wallet. Paper wallet isn't an option for me because I lose every single paper I own.... How safe is the 2-factor authentication? Can it be hacked somehow? Is it possible to store the wallet into a flash drive? Because I can just put it on my flash drive and keep it in my safe.
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