Bitcoin Forum

I want to set up my old Laptop in order to use it only for Bitcoin and crypto currencies software (wallets, trading, etc).

Is there a special secure Linux distribution what is recommend to use for such a case?

I would just use Linux Mint with some good passwords. You're already being very safe using Linux on a separate mostly offline device.
Mint is considered the best Linux desktop environment by very many people and is ranked #1 at distrowatch.

Basically if you fuck something up you can probably figure out how to fix it in Mint without using the terminal, other Linux distributions are less friendly.
Mint also supports HD encryption out of the box with 0 issues or hassle.

There are also some tips for hardening any Linux such as blocking ports you know you don't need, google "Linux hardening".

If you want anonymity there is a Linux distribution called tails that comes with Electrum preintalled and configured to run through Tor. However, there was a bug in it that needed fixing, you had to update the Tor Browser NoScript add-on because the one included was out of date. I don't know if that's been fixed yet.

You could probably use it to run Electrum without going through Tor if you only want a pre-installed wallet..

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Tails-1-3-Out-Now-Introduces-the-Electrum-Bitcoin-Wallet-474176.shtml


Recently this Linux distribution called Bitcoinos was released with pre-installed wallets, but it's so new I don't know how good it is. It could be advisable to wait for reviews of it before risking using it to store Bitcoins.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2t88ak/introducing_bitcoinos_linux_distro_with_several/

Well that depends on your model of your adversary's capabilities. In other words what kind of risks are you concerned about?

Well.. it depends on how well you're able to use Linux distributions.

For once off access, use Tails. You could use Electrum, which is installed in Tails by default, or Bitcoin Core in offline mode by grabbing the executable from bitcoin.org

Tails and Mint distributions are my choices of best interest.

I fully agree
Linux Mint is the best...

kali linux ;) ?
google it

i think something with the least amount of services and frills installed is the best route.. kali, not so much.

I would recomend Tails as an option. ::)

I found that TAIL's operating system comes with Electrum wallet where all the web applications are router via TOR, so even your electrum wallet will run over TOR. You could also run ROKUS OS on your raspberry pi and run Bitcoin Core on it which seems pretty secure.

You could also install a lightweight linux distro like Puppy Linux or LXDE and run Electrum on it using the TOR network to connect to the Electrum SPV servers.

The point being? Lol. Thats strictly a pentesting distro.

If you're looking at a high level of security, then I would suggest any distro give you never connect that laptop directly to the internet. You would also have to be careful while using removable-media on it. Though Linux doesn't allow viruses to run very easily (segregated accounts, you should never run as root etc). :) Headache, but sure worth it.

The most secure Linux distribution for using Bitcoin with a desktop based Bitcoin wallet would be TAILS. The entire OS has been developed to focus on the privacy of the user and anonymity which tunnels your connection and Bitcoin wallet (Electrum) over tor. It also has good cryptography tools for encryption

*Facepalm*

Privacy != Security
Anonymity != Security

Crypto tools? Lol. So? What good would they do here? Encrypting what?

Tunnelling, sure, great idea. But then, you would have to trust the service you're tunnelling through and that is not real security.

TOR? Lolno. Many TOR nodes have been compromised by various entities, it's public news. Some other P2P tunnelling maybe? NO.

Best to keep the device storing Bitcoins completely off the Internet!

You can use windows 98 and if you're offline it's not a big deal.

Bitkey is pretty cool.

"A self-contained Live CD/USB key with everything you need to perform highly secure air-gapped Bitcoin transactions. Offline cold storage made (slightly more) practical."

http://bitkey.io

all linux distro can be secure, my favourite method is:

- download debian netinstall
- install it on a usb key (even 8GB is more than enough)
- of course i choose full disk encryption during install
- boot from usb (can boot on any computer)
- install a few packages (a gui, electrum wallet, whatever you like but only what is essential)
- if you are a linux pro you can configure further security (tons of tutorials online) otherwise go to next step
- done, enjoy your bitcoins

now all your system is on an encrypted usb key (do not forget the passphrase!), you can boot anywhere on almost any existing compoter, all files get saved on the usb and you have no access to the host computer (and viceversa)

do not use kali, it's a distribution meant to test security, not to be secure
you can use tails but is overkill, it is meant to (try to) be anonymous, works on tor network and you have to use a modified version of firefox, depending on your needs can be a good choice (btw i wouldn't use it only for btc)

i wouldn't use the other bitcoin oriented distros as well (i wouldn't trust), i know for sure that debian has excellent and safe code and so i would build my system on top of that

only if you NEVER EVER connect it to internet!

trust me, even a computer running XP should never be connected to internet if contains any kind of personal data

Mint used to be my go-to suggestion for Linux newcomers, until I found out about Ubuntu MATE! It's worth a look

Also, the derp mentioning kali linux forgot to mention that all commands are run as root on that particular distro unless you specifically set up a user account, definitely what you don't want to do when using Bitcoin.

With a little patience and reading it won't take long until you can build a nice gentoo from scratch and only emerge the packages you need.

Ubuntu, Debian, mint are all very easy to use. Depends on your preference and hardware requirements. And yes as suggested be aware of the best security practices to protect your coins. I often use cold wallets too.