Bitcoin Forum

I was just wandering in my blockchain.info wallet because I am bored and seen this import wallet address, I then clicked it and it is asking me for a wallet address, I look some address at the transaction section, look for an address with the most transacted bitcoin and copied it, and there happened to give me a slight shock. I was really stunned seeing that amount on my wallet though I did see it is a watch only ( though I am hoping it to be truly mine)
So I have a question, can this import address affect users or other people that transact or save bitcoin in their wallets? I mean can it be taken from them using that way?

You are importing their public address, thus as you said it is watch only.

The only way you would be able to influence the coins on that address would be to import their private key.

In short, you cannot affect other users by importing a public address in watch only mode.

Hmm, I think seeing these kind of setup in your wallet will make someone greedy, making a plan or a trick to hack it, it is possible right?

I don't think there is a significant difference between watching a address by importing it to a wallet and what one can see with an explorer (like blockchain.info). I guess it will make some people wanting money the same as they would see some big bank accounts. Some of them will also try, but they will try to scam the users or hack them and their badly secured private keys. I doubt that many will try to hack Bitcoin, since this is next to impossible by most experts. 

No, seeing a public address does not allow someone to hack it. The reason is you have to know the associated private key. If you don't have it then to hack it you need to guess what it is. This is the fun part. The chances of someone guessing the correct private key are very small. How small? Let's just say smaller than a guy winning his state lottery a million times in a row.

Yeah, I also thought that, I am watching a video about these, he said that hacking the private key of one's wallet is very impossible, though it can be. I think you need a super high luck to do these kind of hacking. He also said that the number of possibilities is like the number of the atoms on the sun, damb that is really many,

Is it soley the private key that someone needs to guess to unlock your funds? Or are both required together?

Yeash, that is the only one. Though guessing it is a really hard task, it is a combination of letters, capital letters and numbers. With a lot of this numbers, letters and capital letters it is really hard to guess it has many combinations.

Yeah, only the private key is needed to unlock funds in an address. With a private key, you can derive the public key, but you can't derive a private key from someone's public key.

No you can't hack it. Not can you hack the bitcoin network. What you can do however is use hacking and social engineering to gain access to someone's private key. If you gain access to someone's private key then you can access their wallet. So while you can't hack directly you can indirectly gain access to a person's wallet. Hope that helps. Was a good question btw

I'm going to stop you right there and call BULLSHIT

Everything can be hacked. If you think otherwise then you're in for an inevitable rude awakening. And to be honest, more things have been hacked than you can comprehend(aka everything). There are no 100% guarantees. And you should live your life with that understanding.

The definition of hacking is not exclusive to writing code(that's called programming). You should purge such ignorance from your conceptual reality.

Social engineering for example, is hacking and doesn't require the use of a computer.

Oh yeah, everyone that taught you that things are "impossible" has lied to you.

The traditional definition of hacking is to achieve something via skill, likely using an unconventional method.

unfortunately i do have to agree with the previous post!
unfortunately " because its part of life and everyone does have to learn to deal with it in their own way!
there is no such thing as secure except one!
death by natural causes is secure  and from that moment forward you will not have any more issues with others trying to "hack" you!
if you prefer not to take that via then it must be your own calculated risk management skills that will give you a higher or lower level of secure!

Just being privy to an information may not be much to anything at all except if we have the technology or the means to get into the security associated with the account. And indeed, it can make us salivate for more money, if we let lust and greed come in to our heads. Or maybe it can inspire us to do more work so we can achieve the same thing...that is if an account has got a good amount inside.

Not in this matter. Your sentence is true in theory, but bitcoin network can't be hacked. It can be exploited in ways that was not think of before, but so much people reviewing it to keep it safe, its most secure network on entire planet.

please update your information pool and revise your statment

https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/quantum-computers-will-destroy-bitcoin-scientists-warn/ (https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/quantum-computers-will-destroy-bitcoin-scientists-warn/)

Quantum is reality

http://research.ibm.com/ibm-q/quantum-card-test/ (http://research.ibm.com/ibm-q/quantum-card-test/)

Well that not a secure wallet their my friend but its good because you can get motivated and also greedy its very difficult in that way you really expect that you have much bitcoin in your wallet but in the truth its not yours.. Yes, it really affects the users because it can easily be hacked by someone its not that secure every wallet must be private due to not get hacked but in that public wallet its really dangerous no private...

Im sorry but quantum computing is fantasy idea since 1970.
Many claimed before they created quantum computer, which was always and is always false.

Its impossible for next 50 years.

im sorry for your lack of interest to simply click a link and allow IBM to prove you incorrect!

http://research.ibm.com/ibm-q/

unfortunately for your lack of knowledge; your offering incorrect information!

No.

The bitcoin network is completely transparent, meaning that everyone can see everyone else's transactions even if they aren't able to link those wallet addresses to a particular wallet or a person.

When you import a watch only address, all you are doing is tracking that address more easily in your address.

You cannot spend from it, or modify any of the person's wallet settings.

I do believe that too that bitcoin network can't be hacked, the fact that it stays as a top and popular digital currency is the proof. And I guess many people must be converting their bitcoin to other altcoins or assets that is more secured. But wallets can be hacked, and thats what happened from the recent hacked sites. I think if there are genius that can hack the system, gonna believe that he is a top hat hacker.

And not all hackers are that bad, there are also white hat hackers.

I disagree in the bolded part, bitcoin can be hacked but it is very hard, in the near future it might get hacked using super computers (we can't stop technology and we all know that) and if that happens, bitcoins will be very easy to hacked, the dev team might need to do some tweaks in the code (lets say security to be more secure)

There will be ways to prevent hacks even with Quantum Computing, simply by changing some of the algorithms used. Also consider that by the time that happens encryption would have got better we'd hope.

No one could able to do that on hacking anothers address without any keys thats connected to it. Its impossible as of now on affecting the coins of someones address therefore we can only watch the amounts but we cant touch it no matter what that is why theres a private key as you do have it no one can touch your coins.

As stated without the private key of the respective bitcoin wallet address one could not have control or access to the bitcoins that are stored within the wallet.

the are slim chances of the bitcoin network being hacked
unless if you have a lot of computer power to dedicate and calculate the private key and get through primary security of the wallet