Bitcoin Forum

Bitcoin => Hardware wallets => Topic started by: hZti on May 22, 2022, 10:58:39 AM



Title: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on May 22, 2022, 10:58:39 AM
As I did not find a general Thread for coldcard questions I wanted to open one.
My first questions would be if somebody has seen any more informations or manuals for the new NFC feature of the MK4?
As far as I know there is the option to store LTC on an coldcard is it possible for BCH also since it is also similar to BTC?


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: Charles-Tim on May 22, 2022, 11:07:21 AM
On Coldcard official site (https://coldcard.com/), it is indicated that it (Coldcard hardware wallet) only supports bitcoin. Bitcoin cash (BCH) is a fork of bitcoin, that makes it not to be bitcoin but an altcoin. Bitcoin cash is just an altcoin just like litecoin, it has its own seperate blockchain.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: RickDeckard on May 22, 2022, 12:38:37 PM
(...)
My first questions would be if somebody has seen any more informations or manuals for the new NFC feature of the MK4?
(...)
The information that I was able to find regarding the new feature mostly boils down to how the feature was implemented on MK4, per their Bitcoin Magazine article[1]:
Quote
Near-Field Communication (NFC)

In the connections front, the user can opt into using NFC with the Mk4 by enabling it in the device’s settings as the feature will come disabled by default. Once turned on, NFC will enable the COLDCARD to come near a compatible device to sign a transaction or a message, co-sign in a multisig setup, or share information from the device’s MicroSD card like a payment address or an extended public key, a partially-signed Bitcoin transaction (PSBT), a text file, or a transaction file.

Coinkite founder NVK told Bitcoin Magazine that the goal with NFC is to lower cost, improve UX, and further adoption.

“Imagine hardware wallets being able to just tap-to-pay,” he said.

Although QR codes have recently become popular in some hardware wallets, NVK said they haven’t been adopted in the larger payment industries because they have extremely low data bandwidth, are more complex and not human readable, and require more expensive hardware.

“This feature was added to improve phone-wallet UX as all modern phones have NFC, free, already sitting unused,” NVK said. “NFC will be available to all COLDCARD functions we are able to send or receive data, just like the SD card or USB cable.”

In addition to requiring NFC to be turned on for usage, NVK told Bitcoin Magazine that the Mk4 will also enable the user to permanently disable the feature by scratching a PCB trace exposed on the MicroSD opening.
On Coldcard documentation[2] you can find an extra bit of information:
Quote
NFC Notes
  • defaults to OFF, must be enabled in Settings > Hardware On/Off > NFC Sharing
  • press 3 after signing to share txn by NFC
  • press 3 on any QR to share same by NFC
  • can share any PSBT/Txt/Transaction file from MicroSD
  • disable forever by cutting trace labeled "NFC", visible in the MicroSD slot.

[1]https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/inside-the-new-coldcard-mk4 (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/inside-the-new-coldcard-mk4)
[2]https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-mk4 (https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-mk4)


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on May 22, 2022, 06:41:17 PM
Look down about a dozen posts: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5380346.0

As others have said it's BTC only.
If you are a good enough programmer you could probably clone their github and make something that will work.
But, I don't think you will be able to load it since it checks for signature. I could be wrong on that, never tried to load anything but the official published builds.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on May 22, 2022, 08:53:07 PM
My first questions would be if somebody has seen any more informations or manuals for the new NFC feature of the MK4?
I don't understand why would you need manual for something you don't even own... and it's not exactly rocket science.
You can't purchase Coldcard Mk4 version now even if you want to, you can only make reservation and wait until they make new devices, that is the same thing for weeks.
One good thing about this wallet during Pizza day, I saw they are currently offering 10% discount for all their products.

As far as I know there is the option to store LTC on an coldcard is it possible for BCH also since it is also similar to BTC?
Coldcard is not supporting shitcoins, and I don't think they will ever do that in future, that is not such a bad thing if you want to have better and cleaner code base.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 09, 2022, 09:04:02 AM
My first questions would be if somebody has seen any more informations or manuals for the new NFC feature of the MK4?
I don't understand why would you need manual for something you don't even own... and it's not exactly rocket science.


Well if it is not rocket science then please enlighten me on how to sign a transaction with NFC and an iPhone


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: witcher_sense on June 09, 2022, 12:31:15 PM
Well if it is not rocket science then please enlighten me on how to sign a transaction with NFC and an iPhone
1) Buy a hardware wallet that supports NFC communication for transferring transaction data.
2) Configure your hardware wallet. In particular, you will need an extended public key to import to a software wallet later.
3) Install a software wallet that supports transferring unsigned transactions. For example, this one https://bluewallet.io/.
4) Create a watch-only wallet with the software you installed by importing an extended public key you generated with your hardware wallet.
5) Generate an address and send some coins to it.
6) Once you have received coins using your watch-only wallet, you are ready to send coins back using your hardware wallet.
7) For that, on your software wallet, create a PSBT transaction and click "Export using NFC"
8) Enable the NFC feature on both devices and send a PSBT transaction to your hardware wallet (signing device).
9) Sign the transaction by clicking "Sign" on your hardware device.
10) Send it back to your software wallet using the export feature of your hardware wallet.
11) On your software wallet, click "Broadcast".


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: Charles-Tim on June 09, 2022, 12:52:42 PM
Well if it is not rocket science then please enlighten me on how to sign a transaction with NFC and an iPhone
I will advice you not to use bluetooth or NFC for signing bitcoin transaction, I will recommend you to use USB, but the perfect one which is mostly recommended is QR code.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 09, 2022, 01:06:08 PM
The general way of signing a transaction is totally clear to me. It is not about how it is working in theory but how can you actually do it with the coldcard. The problem that I am facing is that there is no hardware wallet that I know that can receive the signed transaction from the coldcard. With blue wallet I was able to export the transaction to the coldcard (wich was a pain in the ass because you need a 3rd party application) but the import of the signed transaction is impossible. Also it would be a good feature to show the QR code of the signed transaction and not try to send it again via NFC, but that would be a feature that coinkite needs to implement.



7) For that, on your software wallet, create a PSBT transaction and click "Export using NFC"


What iOS or in general what wallet has that function?



10) Send it back to your software wallet using the export feature of your hardware wallet.


Same question as above about a wallet that can actually do this.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: Charles-Tim on June 09, 2022, 01:38:23 PM
The problem that I am facing is that there is no hardware wallet that I know that can receive the signed transaction from the coldcard.
Coldcard is the hardware wallet, hardware wallet generate and store the private keys and are used for the signing.

Same question as above about a wallet that can actually do this.
According to this Coldcard guide, you can use Electrum: https://coldcard.com/docs/quick#using-with-electrum-via-usb

You can read this detailed Coldcard guide for beginners, guide For Bitcoin Beginners (https://coldcard.com/docs/beginner) to know more about how you can use Coldcard to make transaction.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 09, 2022, 02:14:39 PM
The problem that I am facing is that there is no hardware wallet that I know that can receive the signed transaction from the coldcard.
Coldcard is the hardware wallet, hardware wallet generate and store the private keys and are used for the signing.



Sorry, I mean there is no wallet (especially on iOS) that can receive the signed transaction via NFC.



Same question as above about a wallet that can actually do this.
According to this Coldcard guide, you can use Electrum: https://coldcard.com/docs/quick#using-with-electrum-via-usb

You can read this detailed Coldcard guide for beginners, guide For Bitcoin Beginners (https://coldcard.com/docs/beginner) to know more about how you can use Coldcard to make transaction.

Yes you can use many wallets with USB or MicroSD card. The question is what wallet can you use for NFC.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 09, 2022, 05:35:01 PM
The problem that I am facing is that there is no hardware wallet that I know that can receive the signed transaction from the coldcard.
Coldcard is the hardware wallet, hardware wallet generate and store the private keys and are used for the signing.
Sorry, I mean there is no wallet (especially on iOS) that can receive the signed transaction via NFC.
Yes, exactly; as far as I know such an application doesn't exist yet. I should mention though, that this device isn't exactly portable anyway. It has no built-in battery and it's pretty large.
If you want a portable hardware wallet that works with iOS and is compact to carry around with your phone, I'd recommend the Foundation Passport (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5382675). It's my current daily driver and it's more secure by using QR codes instead of a wireless protocol such as NFC.

Same question as above about a wallet that can actually do this.
According to this Coldcard guide, you can use Electrum: https://coldcard.com/docs/quick#using-with-electrum-via-usb
You can read this detailed Coldcard guide for beginners, guide For Bitcoin Beginners (https://coldcard.com/docs/beginner) to know more about how you can use Coldcard to make transaction.
Yes you can use many wallets with USB or MicroSD card. The question is what wallet can you use for NFC.
Why exactly are you so focused on NFC? If you are looking for a wallet that works with iOS, I guess that's why you don't want a USB or microSD wallet; however iOS wallets work perfectly with QR codes.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 09, 2022, 06:28:38 PM
Its very weird to me, that coldcard advertises the NFC feature (that I would appreciate) but nobody seems to question that in reality it is impossible to use. Even on their website where you can find manuals for every last bit of the device they don't even mention the feature.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 09, 2022, 07:18:10 PM
Its very weird to me, that coldcard advertises the NFC feature (that I would appreciate) but nobody seems to question that in reality it is impossible to use. Even on their website where you can find manuals for every last bit of the device they don't even mention the feature.
You should ask mister NVK about that and not us, he is sometimes lurking around here.
Coldcard mk4 is new device so I really don't know how NFC works, I really don't care much about it and I don't like it, but I know this a chip that can transfer any data in similar way like wireless is working but with short range.
If I can send bitcoin transaction with QR codes, sd cards and cables, than I see no reason why NFC would be any different.
I am not 100% sure, but I think their NFC chip is closed source, so they couldn't reveal everything even if they wanted to do it.

NVK is using universal solution answer to all questions people have related with mk4 devices:

  • Security model https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Coldcard/firmware/master/docs/mk4-security-model.md
  • Dual SE design https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Coldcard/firmware/master/docs/mk4-secure-elements.md

This is what NVK said about NFC used for ColdCard mk4 in Bitcoin Magazine few months ago:

Quote
In the connections front, the user can opt into using NFC with the Mk4 by enabling it in the device’s settings as the feature will come disabled by default. Once turned on, NFC will enable the COLDCARD to come near a compatible device to sign a transaction or a message, co-sign in a multisig setup, or share information from the device’s MicroSD card like a payment address or an extended public key, a partially-signed Bitcoin transaction (PSBT), a text file, or a transaction file.

Coinkite founder NVK told Bitcoin Magazine that the goal with NFC is to lower cost, improve UX, and further adoption.

“Imagine hardware wallets being able to just tap-to-pay,” he said.

Although QR codes have recently become popular in some hardware wallets, NVK said they haven’t been adopted in the larger payment industries because they have extremely low data bandwidth, are more complex and not human readable, and require more expensive hardware.

“This feature was added to improve phone-wallet UX as all modern phones have NFC, free, already sitting unused,” NVK said. “NFC will be available to all COLDCARD functions we are able to send or receive data, just like the SD card or USB cable.”

In addition to requiring NFC to be turned on for usage, NVK told Bitcoin Magazine that the Mk4 will also enable the user to permanently disable the feature by scratching a PCB trace exposed on the MicroSD opening.
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/inside-the-new-coldcard-mk4


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on June 09, 2022, 08:16:02 PM
I put in my reservation for a mk4 a couple of weeks ago.  I paid for it, and then a few days later I got an email stating my reservation has been turned into an order, and I should pay shipping.  I still haven't heard from them whether it has shipped or not, but I expect to receive it in the next few weeks.  I'm planning to do a thorough review of the wallet including it's NFC capacities once I get it.

I didn't buy it for it's NFC capabilities, and honestly I don't plan to use that feature much if at all after playing with it, I just want get a picture of it's functionality.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 10, 2022, 07:05:51 AM
Quote
“Imagine hardware wallets being able to just tap-to-pay,” he said.

This made me laugh since I think at the moment the is really only the option to imagine that. Maybe he does he reply here to explain how it should work. Still the MK4 is a very nice device that I can recommend.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 10, 2022, 03:40:24 PM
Its very weird to me, that coldcard advertises the NFC feature (that I would appreciate) but nobody seems to question that in reality it is impossible to use. Even on their website where you can find manuals for every last bit of the device they don't even mention the feature.
Just a theory, but maybe all the delays are due to the software not being ready?

I put in my reservation for a mk4 a couple of weeks ago.  I paid for it, and then a few days later I got an email stating my reservation has been turned into an order, and I should pay shipping.  I still haven't heard from them whether it has shipped or not, but I expect to receive it in the next few weeks.  I'm planning to do a thorough review of the wallet including it's NFC capacities once I get it.

I didn't buy it for it's NFC capabilities, and honestly I don't plan to use that feature much if at all after playing with it, I just want get a picture of it's functionality.
I'm looking forward to your review! Outside Bitcointalk, almost all such reviews are paid and sponsored, so they're not very trustworthy.

Still the MK4 is a very nice device that I can recommend.
How can you recommend it if you didn't even receive (or order?) it and test it thoroughly?


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 10, 2022, 05:35:31 PM

Still the MK4 is a very nice device that I can recommend.
How can you recommend it if you didn't even receive (or order?) it and test it thoroughly?

Since the beginning of this thread I have receive my coldcard Mk4 (actually two of them) and used it quiete a lot. If you have any questions feel free to ask but other then the NFC feature everything is as I would have expected it to be.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 11, 2022, 10:56:12 PM

Still the MK4 is a very nice device that I can recommend.
How can you recommend it if you didn't even receive (or order?) it and test it thoroughly?

Since the beginning of this thread I have receive my coldcard Mk4 (actually two of them) and used it quiete a lot. If you have any questions feel free to ask but other then the NFC feature everything is as I would have expected it to be.
Oh really? I thought the MK4 did not ship yet! Was there a preorder or something like that?

I wouldn't use NFC just as I wouldn't use Bluetooth in a hardware wallet, but it would still be neat if you could check if there is software that supports this feature yet and if you have hardware that works with it (laptop / phone) and how well it works!


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 12, 2022, 06:08:38 AM
Yes there was quiete a long preorder period but now I think it is officially on sale and you can get it in aroubd 3 weeks.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: nvK on June 13, 2022, 11:05:17 AM
Yes there was quiete a long preorder period but now I think it is officially on sale and you can get it in aroubd 3 weeks.

We will likely be fully caught up by end of day today and update to no lead time "in stock"


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 13, 2022, 09:47:11 PM
Since the beginning of this thread I have receive my coldcard Mk4 (actually two of them) and used it quiete a lot. If you have any questions feel free to ask but other then the NFC feature everything is as I would have expected it to be.
I think that new NFC tap feature is disabled by default, but someone from coldcard said that you can even destroy it if you want to disable it forever.
I would like to see how this NFC work in real life, and maybe some overall review for new mk4 hardware wallet, but I heard several complains from customers who had some glitches.
Few people reported issues with screen characters on mk4 wallets they received, but I think they got replacement devices.
https://www.reddit.com/r/coldcard/comments/v93pqu/mk4_glitches/

One example (I can't find exact source):

https://i.imgur.com/Ss7h4PW.jpg


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 13, 2022, 10:42:36 PM
Since the beginning of this thread I have receive my coldcard Mk4 (actually two of them) and used it quiete a lot. If you have any questions feel free to ask but other then the NFC feature everything is as I would have expected it to be.
I think that new NFC tap feature is disabled by default, but someone from coldcard said that you can even destroy it if you want to disable it forever.
Opt-in definitely sounds better than opt-out on such a feature! This automatically means whoever doesn't care about NFC, doesn't know about it or doesn't have a compatible host device (or software) doesn't have to go looking to turn it off. Good choice by CoinKite.

I'd like to see it in action, too though! I'm interested to see if it's faster to use than QR codes, for example. Since that's the only upside of NFC that I can think of.



Already broken screens sounds bad. But honestly with the quantities they sell and probably not very high quality components they use, it's to be expected. You know best about how many issues Ledger had with screens in the past.
But that's the difference between a $1 one-inch LCD from China and a $30 state-of-the-art (in terms of hardware security) memory LCD from sharp.

Unfortunately the ColdCard hardware doesn't seem to be open-source, so I can't check their BOM, but from pictures they seem to be using a simple, cheap off-the-shelf LCD as I mentioned. If we assume 1,000 units, it's $0.50 per display instead of $30 so it's kind of clear that the quality has to be lower.

For contrast, this is the higher-quality LCD I keep mentioning.
https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport-assembly/blob/main/Bill%20of%20Materials/BOM.pdf

Here's more information about the screen (the timestamp is important; no need to watch all 43 minutes.. ;))
https://youtu.be/mrKBKZ0RJAo?t=1491


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 14, 2022, 03:57:38 PM

I think that new NFC tap feature is disabled by default, but someone from coldcard said that you can even destroy it if you want to disable it forever.


Yes that is correct, you can scratch off a trace on the PCB to disable it. Im not an expert but all the attacks on hardware wallets that I have seen anyways solder some stuff on the PCB so I would assume that at least the hardware part could be restored by soldering a new trace. Still the NFC feature is disabled in the software settings and also NFC is only active when you press send/recive via NFC at the right point and it is not active all the time.
MY problem with the feature is that there is no wallet at the moment that can recive the signed transaction via NFC. If you look in blue wallet you can only upload a file from your file explorer or use a QR Code. There is no such option like "recive transaction via NFC". The problem with that is that you could only recive a transaction with a 3rd party NFC app that allows you to store the data that you recive on your device. Then you could go into blue wallet to upload that data and broadcast the transaction. But with my testing I could not get this to work, since the NFC receiver app could not handle the kind of data from coldcard so it was not saved properly. Other than that the coldcard seems to send the data correctly. If somebody from coldcard ready it correctly my solution would be:

At the moment it is possible to send the transaction from the iPhone to the coldcard via NFC. -> The coldcard then signs the transaction and will automatically try to send it back via NFC. This is not possible since the wallet can not recive it (blue wallet etc.)
If you would now allow a setting that would not directly answer an incoming NFC transaction with a NFC response but it would show a QR code of the singned transaction then the feature would be somewhat usable.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 14, 2022, 04:31:08 PM
e quantities they sell and probably not very high quality components they use, it's to be expected. You know best about how many issues Ledger had with screens in the past.
But that's the difference between a $1 one-inch LCD from China and a $30 state-of-the-art (in terms of hardware security) memory LCD from sharp.

Unfortunately the ColdCard hardware doesn't seem to be open-source, so I can't check their BOM, but from pictures they seem to be using a simple, cheap off-the-shelf LCD as I mentioned. If we assume 1,000 units, it's $0.50 per display instead of $30 so it's kind of clear that the quality has to be lower.

For contrast, this is the higher-quality LCD I keep mentioning.
https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport-assembly/blob/main/Bill%20of%20Materials/BOM.pdf

Here's more information about the screen (the timestamp is important; no need to watch all 43 minutes.. ;))
https://youtu.be/mrKBKZ0RJAo?t=1491

Thanks for the details, maybe someone can at some point validate that it is indeed the right screen. Would aiso be cool to be able to mod the CC to have a blue screen. From what I can see that sceen looks very much the same but I don't want to open the CC to check in more detail.


Here is a picture of the NFC trace that you can destroy:

https://i.postimg.cc/C5qg0PF1/IMG-6517.jpg


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 14, 2022, 04:32:48 PM
Yes there was quiete a long preorder period but now I think it is officially on sale and you can get it in aroubd 3 weeks.

We will likely be fully caught up by end of day today and update to no lead time "in stock"

Could you maybe describe on how to use the NFC feature with an iPhone or is it at the moment only a hardware feature that will maybe be later integrated into wallet softwares?


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 14, 2022, 10:57:36 PM
Already broken screens sounds bad. But honestly with the quantities they sell and probably not very high quality components they use, it's to be expected. You know best about how many issues Ledger had with screens in the past.
I don't think that screen was broken on image I posted, but it was some other internal problem that showed weird characters on screen, so replacing screen wont fix anything.
Something similar happening a lot on ledger nono x hardware wallet, that is more likely some problem with one of their microchips new Coldcard mk4 have now or firmware problem.
I wont speaculate much until NVK posts more details about this, and this was not the only case I noticed, but I was busy to record this on time with link proof.

At the moment it is possible to send the transaction from the iPhone to the coldcard via NFC. -> The coldcard then signs the transaction and will automatically try to send it back via NFC. This is not possible since the wallet can not recive it (blue wallet etc.)
I really don't understand why they are using NFC for decoration purpose only :P unless they had some futuristic use case in mind.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 14, 2022, 11:49:59 PM

I think that new NFC tap feature is disabled by default, but someone from coldcard said that you can even destroy it if you want to disable it forever.


Yes that is correct, you can scratch off a trace on the PCB to disable it. Im not an expert but all the attacks on hardware wallets that I have seen anyways solder some stuff on the PCB so I would assume that at least the hardware part could be restored by soldering a new trace.
If you have hardware access, wireless attack vectors become much less interesting. That's why scratching off the trace is indeed a good remedy; because the added risk (compared to a wallet without wireless technologies) is now gone.

MY problem with the feature is that there is no wallet at the moment that can recive the signed transaction via NFC. If you look in blue wallet you can only upload a file from your file explorer or use a QR Code. There is no such option like "recive transaction via NFC". The problem with that is that you could only recive a transaction with a 3rd party NFC app that allows you to store the data that you recive on your device. Then you could go into blue wallet to upload that data and broadcast the transaction. But with my testing I could not get this to work, since the NFC receiver app could not handle the kind of data from coldcard so it was not saved properly. Other than that the coldcard seems to send the data correctly. If somebody from coldcard ready it correctly my solution would be:
Thanks for the feedback! It's a bit weird shipping a product for which the software doesn't exist (yet?), let's see what happens on that front in the future. If CoinKite fully rely on wallet developers to implement this, I'm not sure it will actually happen. ColdCard is the only popular wallet with NFC that I know of; app developers would literally be going to need to implement this just for ColdCard for the time being.

Already broken screens sounds bad. But honestly with the quantities they sell and probably not very high quality components they use, it's to be expected. You know best about how many issues Ledger had with screens in the past.
I don't think that screen was broken on image I posted, but it was some other internal problem that showed weird characters on screen, so replacing screen wont fix anything.
Something similar happening a lot on ledger nono x hardware wallet, that is more likely some problem with one of their microchips new Coldcard mk4 have now or firmware problem.
I wont speaculate much until NVK posts more details about this, and this was not the only case I noticed, but I was busy to record this on time with link proof.
I'm not sure either, but it's definitely possible (and in my opinion likely) to be a failure of the LCD's chip (they have an IC - that's what makes them less secure / less open-source / less verifiable) rather than a failure of the main chip. Just because a failure of the main chip that only affects the LED functionality, while leaving everything else intact, seems a bit odd.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 15, 2022, 09:25:30 AM
Seems like so far there is really no NFC support anywhere and we can only hope that it will be integrated in wallet apps later on: https://www.reddit.com/r/coldcard/comments/vcmxcx/mk4_nfc_compatible_apps_yet/


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on June 15, 2022, 04:53:29 PM
Thanks for the feedback! It's a bit weird shipping a product for which the software doesn't exist (yet?), let's see what happens on that front in the future. If CoinKite fully rely on wallet developers to implement this, I'm not sure it will actually happen. ColdCard is the only popular wallet with NFC that I know of; app developers would literally be going to need to implement this just for ColdCard for the time being.

Although not in the crypto sphere as much, that has been a common practice for years in the tech world.
Make the hardware and hope the software and devices catch up.

I disagree with adding things like this to security devices and appreciate the fact that you can cut the trace.
Think it would be better if you had to force enable it instead of force disable.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 15, 2022, 06:10:59 PM
ColdCard is the only popular wallet with NFC that I know of; app developers would literally be going to need to implement this just for ColdCard for the time being.
I don't think that Coldcard is the only hardware wallet with NFC support.
Many credit card format hardware wallets have been using NFC for some time, like CoolWallet, Satochip, Tangem, Keycard, Sugi, etc. but it was never so popular.

Seems like so far there is really no NFC support anywhere and we can only hope that it will be integrated in wallet apps later on
I saw yesterday they are testing this NFC feature with Bluewallet, but I didn't see much demand from people asking for this.
It will be interesting to see how Coldcard NFC functionality is different from other hardware wallets with NFC.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 16, 2022, 12:21:33 AM
I disagree with adding things like this to security devices and appreciate the fact that you can cut the trace.
Think it would be better if you had to force enable it instead of force disable.
Well, at least in software it's a force enable.
But sure, it could just have been a jumper that is shipped with the device and has to be installed if you want to use the NFC. Especially seeing as the software doesn't exist, there's no need for the trace to be connected now, even for users that may want to use NFC a few months from now, when the software catches up.

One of these guys. The device is chunky anyway; I'm sure they would have made space for such a jumper and two THT pins.

https://i.postimg.cc/G3Hzvkx4/image.png

ColdCard is the only popular wallet with NFC that I know of; app developers would literally be going to need to implement this just for ColdCard for the time being.
I don't think that Coldcard is the only hardware wallet with NFC support.
Many credit card format hardware wallets have been using NFC for some time, like CoolWallet, Satochip, Tangem, Keycard, Sugi, etc. but it was never so popular.
What software do those use then, though? If there are no wallet applications that support it yet?


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 16, 2022, 08:30:38 AM

What software do those use then, though? If there are no wallet applications that support it yet?

Many of them use just a chip where there is a password stored on it that is then used to unlock the transaction in the app. But Im not shure about it. Also some other use special apps for the hardware wallet that don't seem compatible even if they somehow use NFC.





One of these guys. The device is chunky anyway; I'm sure they would have made space for such a jumper and two THT pins.

https://i.postimg.cc/G3Hzvkx4/image.png



I was thinking the same about the USB Port. You could just put a switch on the Device that cuts the Data Connection from the USB Port, so you could use your PC to power the device and not worry about any data getting leaked.They solved this problem with the much more complicated cold power adaptor which doesn't make any sense in comparison to an easy switch.

https://blog.coinkite.com/images/posts-img/coldpower-pic-5.jpg


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 16, 2022, 03:31:12 PM
What software do those use then, though? If there are no wallet applications that support it yet?
I don't own any of this hardware wallets with NFC feature, but from reviews I watched they have smartphone apps with NFC support and they work with tapping.
You need to pair your hardware wallet with your phone and than you can use after that for this purpose.
Here is one example with Keycard hardware wallet:
Quote
It supports both NFC and ISO7816 physical interfaces, meaning that it is compatible with any Android phone equipped with NFC and all USB Smartcard readers.

The most obvious case for integration of Keycard is crypto wallets (ETH, BTC, etc), however it can be used in other systems where a BIP-32 key tree is used and/or you perform authentication/identification.

To further simplify integration, we have developed a Java-based API which can be used on both desktop and Android systems. On the desktop it uses the javax.smartcardio to interface with the card, which is compatible with most USB readers. On Android it uses the on-board NFC reader.
https://keycard.tech/docs/

Here is second example short video of using Tangem NFC card with their Tangem app:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6xey-172PI

NFC is nothing special really  :P


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 16, 2022, 11:59:01 PM
What software do those use then, though? If there are no wallet applications that support it yet?
[...]
NFC is nothing special really  :P
Sure; that's not the issue, I was just wondering if there's no software for ColdCard mk4 how other, already existing NFC wallets work. But from that video it appears the hardware wallet guys made their own apps until now.
CoinKite could for instance have written the NFC code themselves for BlueWallet (as it's open source) and submitted a pull request.

Or made their own little app like Foundation's 'Envoy' app (https://foundationdevices.com/envoy/).
Keep in mind they only sold around 2,000 devices so far (and shipped 1,000) and they managed to write a simple wallet application that even allows to update the device firmware without a PC. The beta is supposed to come next week and I'll definitely give it a try! I'm surprised that the much more popular ColdCard doesn't have their own app, after 4 revisions, especially if available apps don't support their 'killer feature' for the mk4 that is NFC.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 17, 2022, 12:18:02 PM


Here is second example short video of using Tangem NFC card with their Tangem app:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6xey-172PI

NFC is nothing special really  :P

It is not very special in regards to hardware wallets, but it is very special if it would be usable in combination with coldcard. Since i tried now to use apps from 3rd party NFC hardware wallet manufacturers and they always want you to create the seed first on your phone and then somehow load some data on the NFC chip to be able to have an additional security layer. Still this is far from an air gapped coldcard. So I would really appreciate it if coldcard would integrate this feature in an open source wallet like blue wallet, but maybe this makes the chances even slimmer, since it would be confusing to people that use other NFC wallets, since those people couldn't use a real air gapped NFC function.

What software do those use then, though? If there are no wallet applications that support it yet?
[...]
NFC is nothing special really  :P
Sure; that's not the issue, I was just wondering if there's no software for ColdCard mk4 how other, already existing NFC wallets work. But from that video it appears the hardware wallet guys made their own apps until now.
CoinKite could for instance have written the NFC code themselves for BlueWallet (as it's open source) and submitted a pull request.

Or made their own little app like Foundation's 'Envoy' app (https://foundationdevices.com/envoy/).
Keep in mind they only sold around 2,000 devices so far (and shipped 1,000) and they managed to write a simple wallet application that even allows to update the device firmware without a PC. The beta is supposed to come next week and I'll definitely give it a try! I'm surprised that the much more popular ColdCard doesn't have their own app, after 4 revisions, especially if available apps don't support their 'killer feature' for the mk4 that is NFC.

I do not think it would be very hard to make an app in the first place for coinkite, but it would be hard to maintain it for many years. So to me it would be much more useful if they could implement it in an existing and widely used app. Also it would be great advertisement for them.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 17, 2022, 12:33:12 PM
Or made their own little app like Foundation's 'Envoy' app (https://foundationdevices.com/envoy/).
I think that it's not so hard to make or fork app if your smartphone already has NFC support.
Speaking about that, did you finally receive your Passport batch2 hardware wallet or you are still waiting for delivery?
I have one idea how to make my own DIY device that looks similar like Passport, but it can also be used for making calls (sort off), and I will probably post more information about that next week.

It is not very special in regards to hardware wallets, but it is very special if it would be usable in combination with coldcard.
It's nothing special for me, with or without coldcard wallet, I wouldn't use NFC feature at all and it has zero value for me.
I agree with you that with NFC chip this can't really be considered as air-gapped wallet, but people tend to twist definition of airgap according to their needs.



Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 17, 2022, 01:06:15 PM


It is not very special in regards to hardware wallets, but it is very special if it would be usable in combination with coldcard.
It's nothing special for me, with or without coldcard wallet, I wouldn't use NFC feature at all and it has zero value for me.
I agree with you that with NFC chip this can't really be considered as air-gapped wallet, but people tend to twist definition of airgap according to their needs.



It is not special in a way that I think everyone should be using it, but it is special in a way that it is much better than other hardware wallets that are using NFC. The other wallets are created 100 % on the smartphone and then loaded on the NFC chip. Coldcard is created 100 % on the coldcard hardware and only the transaction is send. This is very convenient for small amounts. I would use a special coldcard that has only few coins on it but because of coldcard + NFC it is still much more secure than just a mobile wallet for example that many people would use for small amounts. Still even for bigger amounts I can't really see a possible attack, since the NFC can only happen if you hold your phone directly on the Coldcard. So for an attack you need to be at least in my house or have an extremely good antenna and i think thats just not going to happen to steal a few hundred dollars.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 17, 2022, 03:44:46 PM
It is not special in a way that I think everyone should be using it, but it is special in a way that it is much better than other hardware wallets that are using NFC. The other wallets are created 100 % on the smartphone and then loaded on the NFC chip. Coldcard is created 100 % on the coldcard hardware and only the transaction is send.
If I understand correctly, all hardware wallets need to have NFC chip built inside them, so Coldcard is not different from them in some special way.
You need to have two devices with NFC chips that can communicate with antennas between each other, first device is smartphone with NFC chip, and second device is hardware wallet with NFC chip.
Good thing would be to make some comparison review and see how all NFC wallets work in real life scenarios.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 17, 2022, 04:01:12 PM
Or made their own little app like Foundation's 'Envoy' app (https://foundationdevices.com/envoy/).
I think that it's not so hard to make or fork app if your smartphone already has NFC support.
Speaking about that, did you finally receive your Passport batch2 hardware wallet or you are still waiting for delivery?
More and more delays ::) I'll elaborate on my thoughts about shipping deadlines / announcements and such when I'll get it and receive the v2 device and review it.

I have one idea how to make my own DIY device that looks similar like Passport, but it can also be used for making calls (sort off), and I will probably post more information about that next week.
I'm excited to read what you're up to; but generally I prefer to have a wallet be as simple and bare-bones as possible, without integration of any unnecessary technologies (or software features). For instance, I don't like how the BitBox02 is meant to be used as a 2-factor authentication device; I'd never do that myself and rather get a second device (like Yubikey) dedicated for that purpose.

Coldcard is created 100 % on the coldcard hardware and only the transaction is send. This is very convenient for small amounts. I would use a special coldcard that has only few coins on it but because of coldcard + NFC it is still much more secure than just a mobile wallet for example that many people would use for small amounts.
Honestly if you have an up-to-date modern smartphone and you use a non-custodial app, you're good for small amounts.

Besides; if a wallet uses a non-wireless technology for its air gap, like - let's say - QR codes and a camera, then you don't even have to worry about where you set the limit of 'small amount' or 'large amount' and can store even larger amounts on it / don't need to buy multiple wallets.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 18, 2022, 10:18:57 AM
It is not special in a way that I think everyone should be using it, but it is special in a way that it is much better than other hardware wallets that are using NFC. The other wallets are created 100 % on the smartphone and then loaded on the NFC chip. Coldcard is created 100 % on the coldcard hardware and only the transaction is send.
If I understand correctly, all hardware wallets need to have NFC chip built inside them, so Coldcard is not different from them in some special way.


The thing is that many NFC wallets are only basically and smartphone app and a card that has a writable NFC chip in it. So all the wallet management is done on the smartphone (creating the seed, signing transaction etc.): Basically the NFC chip is only a more fancy way to store a password. With coldcard this is different since all the wallet management is done offline and then sent via NFC to the smartphone.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 18, 2022, 10:27:59 AM
The thing is that many NFC wallets are only basically and smartphone app and a card that has a writable NFC chip in it. So all the wallet management is done on the smartphone (creating the seed, signing transaction etc.): Basically the NFC chip is only a more fancy way to store a password. With coldcard this is different since all the wallet management is done offline and then sent via NFC to the smartphone.
Honestly, that doesn't mean ColdCard is exceptionally good; it just means the other NFC wallets are exceptionally bad. It's absolutely unacceptable for any hardware wallet to create the seed on a mobile phone.
Especially since ColdCard mk1-3 already existed, which all (correctly) created the seed on-device, it shouldn't be surprising or a novelty / security feature / selling point that they continue to do so. This should be one of the core essential aspects of a hardware wallet.
An argument such as 'other hardware wallets with NFC technology are super terrible' doesn't make the ColdCard a great product. You really shouldn't compare your product to the bottom-of-the-barrel ones as a means of marketing, that's not a good look.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: ranochigo on June 18, 2022, 10:33:14 AM
If I understand correctly, all hardware wallets need to have NFC chip built inside them, so Coldcard is not different from them in some special way.
You need to have two devices with NFC chips that can communicate with antennas between each other, first device is smartphone with NFC chip, and second device is hardware wallet with NFC chip.
Good thing would be to make some comparison review and see how all NFC wallets work in real life scenarios.
Most hardware wallets don't have NFC chips. They are only necessary for wireless transfers, AFAIK both Trezor and Ledger doesn't have it. The cards that you see are not hardware wallets, and IIRC Ledger was about to launch one but the cards weren't very useful as the chips require too much power for NFC.

NFC is just another way of transferring data, so nothing really revolutionary or surprising.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 20, 2022, 03:21:22 PM
The thing is that many NFC wallets are only basically and smartphone app and a card that has a writable NFC chip in it. So all the wallet management is done on the smartphone (creating the seed, signing transaction etc.): Basically the NFC chip is only a more fancy way to store a password. With coldcard this is different since all the wallet management is done offline and then sent via NFC to the smartphone.
None of other hardware wallets are online, so that is not really an argument if favor of Coldcard, and we still don't know how or if NFC even work in ColdCard.
I can also just use some old junk smartphone with nfc, remove my sim card, disable or remove antenna and wi-fi and I am getting offline device that can be used for offline wallet management, and sent to my other smartphone.
We all know that ALL previous Coldcard hardware wallets were hacked or exploited, so I see no reason why Mk4 should be any different, even if NKV said it's only exotic and rear exploits.
NFC is just one more extra attack vector.

Ledger was about to launch one but the cards weren't very useful as the chips require too much power for NFC.
Yes, they only need to add NFC chip, so they can officially receive reward for most circus-clown-like hardware wallit in the world  :P


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 21, 2022, 01:16:49 PM
Yes it is quiete disappointing that NVK is in this forum and apparently reads also this topic but doesn’t take the time to reply to the really important questions. Also they seem timbale some good support employees on Reddit but they also do not reply here and in general they don’t go into the more deeper technical details that we talk about.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 21, 2022, 05:15:45 PM
Yes it is quiete disappointing that NVK is in this forum and apparently reads also this topic but doesn’t take the time to reply to the really important questions. Also they seem timbale some good support employees on Reddit but they also do not reply here and in general they don’t go into the more deeper technical details that we talk about.
Well I guess NVK is busy and bitcointalk forum is not high on his priority task list, but look what some new Coldcard Mk4 owners are reporting with their devices.
THeir reddit channel is not very much active and I think they are posting most things related with Coldcard wallet and other devices on their Twitter channel @COLDCARDwallet.
This is not the first time we see people received mk4 broken  factory defect devices that needs to be replaced with new one.

https://i.imgur.com/EDGnkzT.jpg


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on June 21, 2022, 09:55:24 PM
The thing is that many NFC wallets are only basically and smartphone app and a card that has a writable NFC chip in it. So all the wallet management is done on the smartphone (creating the seed, signing transaction etc.): Basically the NFC chip is only a more fancy way to store a password. With coldcard this is different since all the wallet management is done offline and then sent via NFC to the smartphone.
Honestly, that doesn't mean ColdCard is exceptionally good; it just means the other NFC wallets are exceptionally bad. It's absolutely unacceptable for any hardware wallet to create the seed on a mobile phone.
Especially since ColdCard mk1-3 already existed, which all (correctly) created the seed on-device, it shouldn't be surprising or a novelty / security feature / selling point that they continue to do so. This should be one of the core essential aspects of a hardware wallet.
An argument such as 'other hardware wallets with NFC technology are super terrible' doesn't make the ColdCard a great product. You really shouldn't compare your product to the bottom-of-the-barrel ones as a means of marketing, that's not a good look.

Unless I'm missing something, the NFC feature on the ColdCard is only used to send (and possibly receive) files to the mobile device.  For example you can create a wallet on your ColdCard, generate a wallet file for use with a desktop client such as Electrum, then you can send that file to your phone using NFC.  

I haven't gotten to the point of creating any transactions in my Mk4 just yet, but I assume you can use NFC to send and receive P/SBTs.  My unlocked Galaxy S21 is the global version which came with no bloatware installed.  It doesn't have an NFC file transfer app integral to the OS (that I now of) and I'm reluctant to install a third party app for the purpose.  I couldn't find a Samsung app, nor a Google app that does what I would need.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 22, 2022, 10:04:19 AM
I couldn't find a Samsung app, nor a Google app that does what I would need.

Yes that is the same for iOS. So far the NFC feature is not usable since the software for mobile devices is missing. We can only hope that they implement a NFC feature maybe in Bluewallet or others.



I haven't gotten to the point of creating any transactions in my Mk4 just yet, but I assume you can use NFC to send and receive P/SBTs.  

You can pretty much send/recive anything from the CC that you otherwise would transfer via MicroSD card like public keys, PTBs etc.



Yes it is quiete disappointing that NVK is in this forum and apparently reads also this topic but doesn’t take the time to reply to the really important questions. Also they seem timbale some good support employees on Reddit but they also do not reply here and in general they don’t go into the more deeper technical details that we talk about.
Well I guess NVK is busy and bitcointalk forum is not high on his priority task list, but look what some new Coldcard Mk4 owners are reporting with their devices.
THeir reddit channel is not very much active and I think they are posting most things related with Coldcard wallet and other devices on their Twitter channel @COLDCARDwallet.
This is not the first time we see people received mk4 broken  factory defect devices that needs to be replaced with new one.

https://i.imgur.com/EDGnkzT.jpg


Is it known if you could fix it by replacing the screen so it could be a DIY or is also the controller broken?


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on June 22, 2022, 01:54:53 PM
Unless I'm missing something, the NFC feature on the ColdCard is only used to send (and possibly receive) files to the mobile device.
Yes, that's correct; you will be able to use NFC to transfer PSBTs between the ColdCard and your phone. As long as there is a mobile app for that; which it doesn't.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on June 22, 2022, 07:01:14 PM
As long as there is a mobile app for that; which it doesn't.

Yeah, my phone isn't setup to receive or send data by default, and like I said previously I'm reluctant to using a third party app to transfer files between the wallet and my phone.  Maybe ColdCard is ahead of the curve, and we'll see some mobile wallet apps implement NFC file transfer capability in the near future.  But again, unless it's wallet app that I trust (like Electrum and... well, Electrum) I probably won't be using it at all.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 23, 2022, 02:38:28 PM
I haven't gotten to the point of creating any transactions in my Mk4 just yet, but I assume you can use NFC to send and receive P/SBTs.  My unlocked Galaxy S21 is the global version which came with no bloatware installed.  It doesn't have an NFC file transfer app integral to the OS (that I now of) and I'm reluctant to install a third party app for the purpose.  I couldn't find a Samsung app, nor a Google app that does what I would need.
Is there a Bitcoin testnet option available for Coldcard, like there is for Trezor and some other hardware wallets?
It would be interesting to test NFC transactions without paying any actual fees, that is if you have some testnet coins ;)

Note that BTC Sessions just released full video tutorial for new Coldcard Mk4 wallet, but I think he is basically their promoter for some time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAYmE5-40PQ

Is it known if you could fix it by replacing the screen so it could be a DIY or is also the controller broken?
You can't fix this with display replacement, and you would probably void your warranty by opening it to do this, but good thing is that I heard Coldcard is accepting this as factory defect and they are replacing them with new devices.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 24, 2022, 05:42:22 PM


Is it known if you could fix it by replacing the screen so it could be a DIY or is also the controller broken?
You can't fix this with display replacement, and you would probably void your warranty by opening it to do this, but good thing is that I heard Coldcard is accepting this as factory defect and they are replacing them with new devices.


I know that it is the more easy way to just ask for a replacement unit from coinkite directly. But in my opinion this could be a fault that would affect many more cold cards after maybe a few month or years of usage and then you would need to buy a completely new Coldcard again. Also maybe they are not even manufactured anymore. So for that reason I would hope to be able to replace parts myself.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on June 24, 2022, 11:36:15 PM
Is there a Bitcoin testnet option available for Coldcard, like there is for Trezor and some other hardware wallets?

I just want to correct what I had written about the ColdCard and testnet; there is indeed a testnet mode.  Since the ColdCard doesn't sign transactions via USB, it must be in Testnet mode to create a wallet to export.

Quote from: DireWolfM14
There's no specific setting on the ColdCard that puts the device in TestNet mode, or anything like that.  Like the Trezor, TestNet is handled on the client side.  I can use any of the compatible clients (i.e. Electrum, Wasabi...) to create a testnet wallet which requires the HW wallet to sign transactions.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 27, 2022, 05:50:04 PM
I just want to correct what I had written about the ColdCard and testnet; there is indeed a testnet mode.  Since the ColdCard doesn't sign transactions via USB, it must be in Testnet mode to create a wallet to export.
I wonder why I can't find anything about that testnet functionality anywhere on Coldcard website FAQ page or documentation:/
I looked everywhere on internet and only thing I could find is few words mentioned on their website saying that XTN is testnet.
Theer are some mentiones about this in their github issues, and that's it.

EDIT:
Maybe this is connected with previous isolation bypass bug from 2020 that could be exploited using fake testnet transactions:

https://i.imgur.com/8zIshRv.jpg
https://benma.github.io/2020/11/24/coldcard-isolation-bypass.html


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on June 27, 2022, 10:07:43 PM
I just want to correct what I had written about the ColdCard and testnet; there is indeed a testnet mode.  Since the ColdCard doesn't sign transactions via USB, it must be in Testnet mode to create a wallet to export.
I wonder why I can't find anything about that testnet functionality anywhere on Coldcard website FAQ page or documentation:/
I looked everywhere on internet and only thing I could find is few words mentioned on their website saying that XTN is testnet.
Theer are some mentiones about this in their github issues, and that's it.

EDIT:
Maybe this is connected with previous isolation bypass bug from 2020 that could be exploited using fake testnet transactions:

https://i.imgur.com/8zIshRv.jpg
https://benma.github.io/2020/11/24/coldcard-isolation-bypass.html

I've found the documentation to be a bit misleading in some circumstances.  There seems to be some that's still pertaining to the Mk3 or possibly older wallets, and some has been updated to relate to the Mk4.  As for testnet on the Mk4, from the main menu you select Advanced>Danger Zone>TestNet, and their you'll find three options "Bitcoin" (which is mainnet,) "TestNet" and "RegTest."  I played around with Testnet a little bit this past weekend, and worked as I expected.

I tried to trick it, but I can't sign Testnet transactions unless the device is set to Testnet mode.  I've played with hardware wallets and Testnet before, and I was sure I had done so with my Trezors, but I realized it was in one of my old KeepKey seeds that I had all my tesnet coins locked up.  I fired up my old KeepKey (which works much like the Trezor) and confirmed it doesn't have a specific testnet mode.  You just need to pair it with an Electrum testnet wallet and from there everything works as one would expect.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on June 28, 2022, 04:12:00 PM
Do you know how the testnet mode does actually work? Does it create a new seed that is shown to you or does it create a testnet wallet based on your normal seed? If I select testnet it seems that nothing happens to my device  ???


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on June 28, 2022, 06:33:37 PM
I've found the documentation to be a bit misleading in some circumstances.  There seems to be some that's still pertaining to the Mk3 or possibly older wallets, and some has been updated to relate to the Mk4.
I would say that Coldcard documentation is probably outdated, and they need to have separate page for mk4, especially if it has new functions like NFC.
Someone could argue that NFC is currently unusable, so they can add more information later down the road.

I tried to trick it, but I can't sign Testnet transactions unless the device is set to Testnet mode.
Well they obviously fixed that bug from 2020 :D

I've played with hardware wallets and Testnet before, and I was sure I had done so with my Trezors, but I realized it was in one of my old KeepKey seeds that I had all my tesnet coins locked up.  I fired up my old KeepKey (which works much like the Trezor) and confirmed it doesn't have a specific testnet mode.
I think that even ledger and Trezor hardware wallets support testnet.
You can add this to ledger with separate app and in trezor just by enabling testnet in Trezor Suite.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on June 28, 2022, 08:12:16 PM
Do you know how the testnet mode does actually work?

I've used it to create, sign, send, and receive transactions from a test-net wallet, so I do know that it does indeed work.


Does it create a new seed that is shown to you or does it create a testnet wallet based on your normal seed?

No, it doesn't need to create a new seed, it'll create a test-net wallet with whatever seed you have loaded in your ColdCard.  It's worth noting that any Bip39 passphrases you load in your ColdCard will generate new test-net wallets, just like the ColdCard would for main-net.


If I select testnet it seems that nothing happens to my device  ???

Other than the checkmark indicating that your ColdCard is in test-net mode, there won't be any changes to the device.  It functions just like it would normally.  To use test-net you'll need to export a wallet for the preferred client you want to use.  I use Electrum, so I exported an Electrum wallet from the ColdCard, and used Electrum Testnet client.  You must use the test-net client, Electrum's main-net client will not open a test-net wallet file, you'll get a warning.

On Windows go to Start Menu> Electrum> Electrum Testnet.  

On Linux, the easiest way (in my opinion) is to start it from the command line:
Code:
$ electrum --testnet


I would say that Coldcard documentation is probably outdated, and they need to have separate page for mk4, especially if it has new functions like NFC.

Agreed, the documentation does in fact seem outdated.  Many of the scrolling screen gifs show options/screens that I don't see on my Mk4.  It would be nice to have a separate documentation section for the different versions just to eliminate any ambiguity.  


I think that even ledger and Trezor hardware wallets support testnet.
You can add this to ledger with separate app and in trezor just by enabling testnet in Trezor Suite.

I don't know about Ledger, but the Trezor works just like the KeepKey.  There's no specific setting on the hardware itself that sets the device into test-net mode, it all happens on the client side.  I played with this a bit yesterday, and I was able to just plug in my Trezor, start up Electrum Testnet, and the Trezor paired up and I was able to create a new test-net wallet.  I didn't make any transactions, but I suspect it would work just like it does on main-net.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on July 06, 2022, 05:08:03 PM



If I select testnet it seems that nothing happens to my device  ???

Other than the checkmark indicating that your ColdCard is in test-net mode, there won't be any changes to the device.  It functions just like it would normally.  To use test-net you'll need to export a wallet for the preferred client you want to use.  I use Electrum, so I exported an Electrum wallet from the ColdCard, and used Electrum Testnet client.  You must use the test-net client, Electrum's main-net client will not open a test-net wallet file, you'll get a warning.



Thank you I had the time to try it again and it indeed worked this time. I think the first time I simply didn't correctly choose testnet. Now that everything works I will try some stuff with multisig which is very nice implemented if you have access to more than one ColdCard.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on July 06, 2022, 06:53:10 PM
Thank you I had the time to try it again and it indeed worked this time. I think the first time I simply didn't correctly choose testnet. Now that everything works I will try some stuff with multisig which is very nice implemented if you have access to more than one ColdCard.

You don't need a second ColdCard to play with multi-sig, you can have one signer from on the ColdCard and the other on a desktop wallet or a different brand of hardware wallet. 

Have you had a chance to play with the Bip85 seed generator?  That's a pretty darn cool feature, and perfect for secondary seed phrases.  I didn't even know about that bip until I got my ColdCard and started researching the implementation of that feature. 


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on July 09, 2022, 09:59:15 AM


You don't need a second ColdCard to play with multi-sig, you can have one signer from on the ColdCard and the other on a desktop wallet or a different brand of hardware wallet. 
That is true, but it is very cool to be able to give one ColdCard to somebody else and have two people that control the funds. Of course it is also possible with any other device but it makes it more easy if both devices work the same.


Have you had a chance to play with the Bip85 seed generator?  That's a pretty darn cool feature, and perfect for secondary seed phrases.  I didn't even know about that bip until I got my ColdCard and started researching the implementation of that feature. 

It is indeed very cool and makes it so much more easy to secure the seed, since you can now just secure your main seed on a steel plate and then have unlimited seeds for hot wallets or whatever. I also did not know about that feature before and it is again very nice that it can be done completely offline.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on July 28, 2022, 06:49:40 PM
This just popped up on their twitter feed:

Quote
Our team found a bug in the new Mk4 VirtDisk feature

We are investigating if it could have security  implications, as abundance of caution we strongly recommend disabling VirtDisk feature on Mk4

It has no affect on other Mk4 operations

Settings > Hardware On/Off > Virtual Disk

And this is why you don't add features you don't need.

-->This is not just about Coldcard, but all hardware wallets. Keep adding bloat and stuff will go wrong.<--

Why can't developers keep it simple anymore?

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DireWolfM14 on July 28, 2022, 07:58:56 PM
And this is why you don't add features you don't need.

Agreed.  I purchased a ColdCard because it's a practical air-gapped wallet.  The USB connection feature (which is needed for the virtual disk) essentially turn the ColdCard into the same thing as any other cheap hardware wallet out there.  The main selling point for me is that it doesn't need to be connected.

The NFC feature is another one that I would suggest should be shelved.  It's not only not needed, it's effectively useless without a compatible app.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on July 28, 2022, 08:59:15 PM
Why can't developers keep it simple anymore?
Maybe someone remembers that I said how I am just waiting for the moment to see new major bug showing up in Coldcard mk4.
If you check their history you will see they had major bugs with all of their previous models and those issues couldn't be fixed.
Now, they say this virtual disk feature is turned off by default so it's not that serious, but still it's not good for something that was just released.
Good thing is they publicly came out and said about this issue, and I am sure Ledger would hide this much longer if their devices got affected in same scenario.

The NFC feature is another one that I would suggest should be shelved.  It's not only not needed, it's effectively useless without a compatible app.
They are probably working on some app behind the scenes, but could you imagine smartphone that comes out with camera but without supporting software, so it's effectively not working.
Coldcard is saiyng Mk3 is not affected by this bug, but they forgot to say mk3 has it's own unsolved bugs and flaws :D
This is what you get when you have one-man-team releasing a code for some device.
 


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hugeblack on July 30, 2022, 12:54:39 PM
Let's move this discussion here: Source ---> https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/wbgyz2/coldcard_no_longer_states_open_source_on_their/


Coldcard no longer states open source on their webpage but instead says verifiable source code

If you look at the archives from October 2021[1] you will find that they announced that they are open source, but looking at the site[2] now you will find that the word “open source” has been replaced by verifiable source code.

I don't want to go into the details of why and whether it's because they're a business and the foundation devices story, but you have to take that into account.


[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20211004193421/https://coldcard.com/
[2] https://coldcard.com/


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on August 02, 2022, 09:55:16 PM
Coldcard no longer states open source on their webpage but instead says verifiable source code
Yeah I know, this is kind a old news and we discussed about that in forum before.
Many people criticized them when they changed their license (including me) but I was more pissed how they pretended they are still open source and kept it on their website for long time.
All this happened after superior forked hardware wallet showed up in market called Passport wallet by Foundation, and they just couldn't cope with that.

NVK is creator of ColdCard and you can check his post history about this topic:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=152074

Here is me in Ausgust 2021 removing them from list of Open Source hardware wallets:
Coldcard hardware wallet removed because code is not Open Source anymore, but MIT+CC license and it can't be reproduced anymore.



Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on August 06, 2022, 07:34:15 PM


Why can't developers keep it simple anymore?



I always wondered about this (useless) feature. Especially when they claim themselves that they are not adding altocinb support since it will make the software more complicated and therefore more bugs can happen. At the same time they create a weak spot like that, that they then solve with overpriced hardware that you can buy from them like the cold power USB Power adaptor or the no data USB cable.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on August 06, 2022, 10:10:46 PM
All this happened after superior forked hardware wallet showed up in market called Passport wallet by Foundation, and they just couldn't cope with that.

It's shame since they also could use Foundation source code to create better/different hardware wallet.
Correct; that's the idea of open source. This timeline is not accurate, but it is a possible timeline in a world where companies understand and embrace open source.

[1] Trezor is the first hardware wallet manufacturer and creates a great open-source crypto library for microcontrollers.
[2] ColdCard wants to create an airgapped hardware wallet, but the microcontroller is similar so they can leverage the tried and tested library from Trezor, and build their own firmware around it.
[3] Foundation thinks there's a market for an airgapped hardware wallet that runs off its own power and has a camera + large screen, so they also use Trezor's library and some bits from ColdCard.
[4] ColdCard adds a camera to their mk5 wallet and takes inspiration for the camera driver from Foundation's code.
[5] A random Bitcointalk user starts a DIY hardware wallet project that utilizes all of the above projects' open-source hardware and software which allows people to build their own wallets from off-the-shelf components and still has like a 90% 'trusted' codebase, due to having been battle-tested in 3 reputable wallets.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on August 08, 2022, 09:08:30 AM

[5] A random Bitcointalk user starts a DIY hardware wallet project that utilizes all of the above projects' open-source hardware and software which allows people to build their own wallets from off-the-shelf components and still has like a 90% 'trusted' codebase, due to having been battle-tested in 3 reputable wallets.

[6] A random Bitcointalk user starts a small company that buys those off-the-shelf components in large quantities and assembles them, to make this easily available for everyone. The components can be easily replaced/can easily be bought, even if you use the wallet as cold storage and only find out after 10 years in a safe that your display is broken.

Sadly NVK does not provide the right informations for Coldcard even if also components like the display are clearly off-the-shelf aliexpress components.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on August 09, 2022, 03:49:19 PM

[5] A random Bitcointalk user starts a DIY hardware wallet project that utilizes all of the above projects' open-source hardware and software which allows people to build their own wallets from off-the-shelf components and still has like a 90% 'trusted' codebase, due to having been battle-tested in 3 reputable wallets.

[6] A random Bitcointalk user starts a small company that buys those off-the-shelf components in large quantities and assembles them, to make this easily available for everyone. The components can be easily replaced/can easily be bought, even if you use the wallet as cold storage and only find out after 10 years in a safe that your display is broken.

Sadly NVK does not provide the right informations for Coldcard even if also components like the display are clearly off-the-shelf aliexpress components.

What discrepancies did you see?

I have not checked the MK4 (since I don't have to to check against) but the MK3 diagrams / BoM were accurate as to what was posted on line vs the coldcard that was shipped to me.

Will also admit I just checked what was there in the general sense, not that what they had labeled as a 4.7uF capacitor was really 4.7Uf and not 1uF or 8uF just made sure it was a capacitor.

Also did not check the trace layout but don't see why it would be inaccurate.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on August 09, 2022, 11:00:09 PM
I have not checked the MK4 (since I don't have to to check against) but the MK3 diagrams / BoM were accurate as to what was posted on line vs the coldcard that was shipped to me.
Where did you find hardware information? Nothing on their GitHub, for sure. I was under the impression that ColdCard was open software and hardware - even after a license change; but now that I'm actually looking for it, I can't find datasheets.
https://github.com/orgs/Coldcard/repositories

Also did not check the trace layout but don't see why it would be inaccurate.
Sure, in theory, even with whatever non-open-source license they moved to, 'Verifiable Source Code' of both software and hardware, should be accurate and allow users to source parts for repairs if needed.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on August 10, 2022, 09:25:32 PM
I have not checked the MK4 (since I don't have to to check against) but the MK3 diagrams / BoM were accurate as to what was posted on line vs the coldcard that was shipped to me.
Where did you find hardware information? Nothing on their GitHub, for sure. I was under the impression that ColdCard was open software and hardware - even after a license change; but now that I'm actually looking for it, I can't find datasheets.
https://github.com/orgs/Coldcard/repositories

Also did not check the trace layout but don't see why it would be inaccurate.
Sure, in theory, even with whatever non-open-source license they moved to, 'Verifiable Source Code' of both software and hardware, should be accurate and allow users to source parts for repairs if needed.

Here you go:
https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/tree/master/hardware

No idea why they stuck it there but since the link is on their blog: https://blog.coinkite.com/coldcard-hardware-shared/ and mentioned in a few other spots, I actually think it was posted somewhere on bitcointalk too.
But, it is there and public and somewhat up to date.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on August 16, 2022, 11:58:56 AM

Here you go:
https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/tree/master/hardware

No idea why they stuck it there but since the link is on their blog: https://blog.coinkite.com/coldcard-hardware-shared/ and mentioned in a few other spots, I actually think it was posted somewhere on bitcointalk too.
But, it is there and public and somewhat up to date.

-Dave

Very cool, I did not know that existed! Looks like the list for the MK4 is so far not very detailed but I am sure they will update that in the future like they did it with the MK3.
This for example seems to be the right replacement display unit for the MK3: https://www.codico.com/de/ug-2864hsweg01 , it seems to be also available with different color options here: https://deu.grandado.com/products/0-96-zoll-30pin-weiss-blau-gelb-und-blau-farbe-oled-bildschirm-ssd1306-fahrer-parallel-3-4-draht-spi-serielle-i2c-iic-ug-2864hsweg01?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImLSGnqfL-QIVztvVCh2YiwZCEAYYASABEgIUA_D_BwE&variant=UHJvZHVjdFZhcmlhbnQ6MTM1NjYzMzA

If my OLDED breaks I will for sure hook up the blue version  ;D


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on October 06, 2022, 12:21:04 PM
Important announcement for Coldcard users.
Coldcard developers yesterday released newest 5.0.7 version of their firmware for Coldcard Mk4 device.
There are a lot of NFC improvements with signing and multisig, new feature of Ephemeral Seeds is introduced, menu improvements, and lot of bug fixes.
In the same time new 4.1.6 firmware version was released for older Coldcard devices Mk3 and Mk2, so you can update them as well.

Quote
⁃ NFC tools menu, msg signing and enhancements
⁃ Temporary/Ephemeral Seed Signing
⁃ Many HSM enhancements
⁃ Menu wrap around UX
⁃ Descriptor type improvement
⁃ Bug fixes and more...
https://coldcard.com/docs/upgrade


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on October 17, 2022, 09:32:44 AM
Thanks for the update! Is there also news about an application that can actually support ColdCard in an easy way with NFC signing?


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on October 17, 2022, 09:00:49 PM
Thanks for the update! Is there also news about an application that can actually support ColdCard in an easy way with NFC signing?
I don't really know much infiormation about that, but you can ask NVK and coldcard team.
There are few videos Coinkite-Coldcard released on their youtube channel explaining how NFC feature works, showing address via NFC, and signing a text message using NFC.
BTC Sessions also released full 30 minute tutorial how to use Coldcard with NFC feature, so you can check out both of this channels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLG8Atcd-l4
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMPBcyg_wemgvC1jDI3EIw


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: witcher_sense on October 19, 2022, 05:59:35 AM
Thanks for the update! Is there also news about an application that can actually support ColdCard in an easy way with NFC signing?
Nunchuk wallet recently added NFC support for Coldcard Mk4. You can check the demo on their Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/nunchuk_io/status/1574977342698496000

I don't know much about this wallet, but for example, on their website, they claim it is "the safest and most advanced self-custody solution for your bitcoin." It is a multisig multi-user wallet that allows for collaborative custody with people who you trust. They also claim that all the data about your transactions is kept locally on your device, and you also can connect to your own node if you don't like public Electrum servers. The biggest drawback, however, is that this wallet is likely not open-source; it is only "partially" open-source. Here is a bit outdated report from walletscrutiny:  https://walletscrutiny.com/android/io.nunchuk.android/ You can find more information on their website: https://nunchuk.io/


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: nvK on October 25, 2022, 05:15:57 PM
Thanks for the update! Is there also news about an application that can actually support ColdCard in an easy way with NFC signing?
I don't really know much infiormation about that, but you can ask NVK and coldcard team.
There are few videos Coinkite-Coldcard released on their youtube channel explaining how NFC feature works, showing address via NFC, and signing a text message using NFC.
BTC Sessions also released full 30 minute tutorial how to use Coldcard with NFC feature, so you can check out both of this channels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLG8Atcd-l4
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMPBcyg_wemgvC1jDI3EIw

There are a few of "App Wallets" working on NFC support for both COLDCARD Mk4 and TAPSIGNER/SATSCARD. Like the years we had to push PSBT to be adopted, we expect NFC will take its time too. Not in a hurry. Nunchuk has integrated it well for both COLDCARD and TAPSIGNER/SATSCARD. It's working fairly well with the latest version and they keep on improving it.

Our approach to NFC is simple, almost anything you can do with the MicroSD/USB you can do with the NFC (signing, exporting data, etc...)

Cheers.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on December 12, 2022, 06:42:28 PM
There are a few of "App Wallets" working on NFC support for both COLDCARD Mk4 and TAPSIGNER/SATSCARD. Like the years we had to push PSBT to be adopted, we expect NFC will take its time too. Not in a hurry. Nunchuk has integrated it well for both COLDCARD and TAPSIGNER/SATSCARD. It's working fairly well with the latest version and they keep on improving it.

Our approach to NFC is simple, almost anything you can do with the MicroSD/USB you can do with the NFC (signing, exporting data, etc...)

Cheers.

Thanks for the information about Nunchuk, I never heard of that one before. I will definitely give it a try, since NFC was the reason to get the MK4 and not the MK3. Honestly I think NFC is not a necessary feature and will probably even scare people away from buying the MK4, but since it is there I want to give it a try.
What I dont really understand is, why you can scrape away the NFC link on the PCB, since it seems like an attacker could easily replace this link if he has physical access to the coldcard.

In any case I like the coldcard so far and use it regularly.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: nvK on December 13, 2022, 01:28:04 PM

Quote
Thanks for the information about Nunchuk, I never heard of that one before. I will definitely give it a try, since NFC was the reason to get the MK4 and not the MK3.

It's a cool project, it's advancing well.

Quote
Honestly I think NFC is not a necessary feature and will probably even scare people away from buying the MK4, but since it is there I want to give it a try.

Maybe, but probably due to FUD combained with ignorance. I think we can overcome this with eduction. As a hint, Mk4 is selling incredibly well so still unaffected.

Quote
What I dont really understand is, why you can scrape away the NFC link on the PCB, since it seems like an attacker could easily replace this link if he has physical access to the coldcard.

This is not a very realistic or practical attack. 1 there is nothing to really do with that trace, it's part of the antenna network. 2 if you have physical access and the device is off, you are back into PIN dynamics. No thus far proposed a actual attack via that trace probably because indeed there is not much advantage to have access to the antenna network.
Quote
In any case I like the coldcard so far and use it regularly.

Glad to hear it, and thanks for the feedback.





Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on December 13, 2022, 01:28:17 PM
There are a few of "App Wallets" working on NFC support for both COLDCARD Mk4 and TAPSIGNER/SATSCARD. Like the years we had to push PSBT to be adopted, we expect NFC will take its time too. Not in a hurry. Nunchuk has integrated it well for both COLDCARD and TAPSIGNER/SATSCARD. It's working fairly well with the latest version and they keep on improving it.

Our approach to NFC is simple, almost anything you can do with the MicroSD/USB you can do with the NFC (signing, exporting data, etc...)

Cheers.

Thanks for the information about Nunchuk, I never heard of that one before. I will definitely give it a try, since NFC was the reason to get the MK4 and not the MK3. Honestly I think NFC is not a necessary feature and will probably even scare people away from buying the MK4, but since it is there I want to give it a try.
What I dont really understand is, why you can scrape away the NFC link on the PCB, since it seems like an attacker could easily replace this link if he has physical access to the coldcard.

In any case I like the coldcard so far and use it regularly.

Scraping away the NFC means that if something went horribly wrong with the programming of the coldcard or there was a vulnerability found with NFC it could be disabled without destroying the unit itself. Or if you are just did not want any way for the unit to ever transmit anything.

However, if someone gets physical access to your unit and there is another security issue, if the chip is active or not or even there or not makes little difference.

The ONLY situation that would matter is if they got access to your coldcard, reconnected the NFC and then figured out a way to be near enough to you to get access to the radio waves in a way that they could do something with your funds. At that point see $5 wrench attack, quicker, easier and it just works.....

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: n0nce on December 13, 2022, 05:06:44 PM
However, if someone gets physical access to your unit and there is another security issue, if the chip is active or not or even there or not makes little difference.
Correct; cutting the trace will protect you against a 'remote' attacker that will have 0 attack surface to try anything on.
But a hardware attack directly on the PCB (connection to buses & probing side-channels) is much more likely to be successful than exploiting NFC. So an attacker with hardware access won't probably bother reconnecting the antenna.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: nvK on December 13, 2022, 06:25:15 PM
However, if someone gets physical access to your unit and there is another security issue, if the chip is active or not or even there or not makes little difference.
Correct; cutting the trace will protect you against a 'remote' attacker that will have 0 attack surface to try anything on.
But a hardware attack directly on the PCB (connection to buses & probing side-channels) is much more likely to be successful than exploiting NFC. So an attacker with hardware access won't probably bother reconnecting the antenna.

Maybe its a kindness attack, you wife thinks you accidentally broke it solder it back.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on February 10, 2023, 02:24:09 PM
Coinkite just released some infos about their new product, the ColdCard Q1: https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-q1
Seems like it is basically a tuned version of the CC Mk4, with some feature that people requested (like QR Scanner, Battery, etc.)


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: nvK on April 18, 2023, 03:07:31 PM
Coinkite just released some infos about their new product, the ColdCard Q1: https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-q1
Seems like it is basically a tuned version of the CC Mk4, with some feature that people requested (like QR Scanner, Battery, etc.)

Yes, we are still making a few tweaks but some good info here https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-q1


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on April 18, 2023, 09:41:01 PM
Yes, we are still making a few tweaks but some good info here https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-q1
Are you going to paint the plastic in different colors like you did with Coldcard mk4? :)
I can't find model Q1 in Coinkite store except for reservations, and I see release was planned for Q4 this year, that means it could happen even in 2024.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: nvK on May 12, 2023, 04:34:51 PM
Yes, we are still making a few tweaks but some good info here https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-q1
Are you going to paint the plastic in different colors like you did with Coldcard mk4? :)
I can't find model Q1 in Coinkite store except for reservations, and I see release was planned for Q4 this year, that means it could happen even in 2024.

After the product is validated, so likely only by Q v2


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on May 26, 2023, 11:35:58 AM
Probably not right place to put this, but, if you want a MK3 ColdCard to tinker with and are US based, send me a PM.

It's used so you should not consider it safe and secure anymore but if you just want one to see what it's all about and tinker with one PM me.
Not going to ship internationally, it's literally going to go in a padded envelope with first class postage. $25 and it's yours.

Truly amazing what you find when doing spring cleaning around the office....

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on September 10, 2023, 03:57:12 PM
Coldcard released an update for the Mk4 ColdCards:

https://coldcard.com/docs/upgrade  <-- As always don't trust anyone's posted links verify them.

Looking at the updates for the Mk3, or lack of updates as it may be, I guess older units are slowly going to fall into the unsupported devices world.

-Dave

Quote
Mk4: Version 5.1.4 - Sept 8, 2023

    New Feature: Batch sign multiple PSBT files. Advanced/Tools -> File Management -> Batch Sign PSBT
    Enhancement: Sparrow Wallet added as an individual export option (same file contents)
    Enhancement: change key origin information export format in multisig addresses.csv to match BIP-0380 was (m=0F056943)/m/48'/1'/0'/2'/0/0 now [0F056943/48'/1'/0'/2'/0/0]
    Enhancement: Address explorer UX cosmetics, now with arrows and dots.
    Enhancement: Linked settings (multisig, trick pins, backup password, hsm users and utxo cache) separation for new main secret.
    Rename Unchained Capital to Unchained
    Bugfix: Correct scriptPubkey parsing for segwit v1-v16
    Bugfix: Do not infer segwit just by availability of PSBT_IN_WITNESS_UTXO in PSBT.
    Bugfix: Remove label from Bitcoin Core importdescriptors export as it is no longer supported with ranged descriptors in version 24.1 of Core.
    Bugfix: Empty number during BIP-39 passphrase entry could cause crash.
    Bugfix: Signing with BIP39 Passphrase showed master fingerprint as integer. Fixed to show hex.
    Bugfix: Fixed inability to generate paper wallet without secrets
    Bugfix: Activating trick pin duress wallet copied multisig settings from main wallet
    Bugfix: SD2FA setting is cleared when seed is wiped after failed login due to policy SD2FA enforce. Prevents infinite seed wipe loop when restoring backup after 2FA MicroSD lost or damaged. SD2FA is not backed up and also not restored from older backups. If SD2FA is set up, it will not survive restore of backup.
    Bugfix: Terms only presented if main PIN was not chosen already.
    Bugfix: Preserve defined order of Login Countdown settings list.
    Bugfix: Remove unsupported trick pin option Look Blank from if wrong (not supported by bootrom).
    Bugfix: v5.1.3 release had padding issue which causes red light on install.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on December 19, 2023, 10:11:02 PM
There have been a couple of updates since my last post one just came out today...

https://coldcard.com/docs/upgrade  <-- As always don't trust anyone's posted links verify them.

Still nothing for the Mk3 I guess they are just going to keep them as is unless something bad happens and perhaps not even then.

From the site:
Quote
    New Feature: Temporary Seed import from a COLDCARD encrypted backup.
    New Feature: Export seed words in SeedQR format (on screen QR).
    New Feature: Provide user with info about transaction level timelocks (nLockTime, nSequence) when signing.
    Enhancement: New submenu for saved BIP-39 Passphrases allowing delete of saved entries.
    Enhancement: Add current temporary seed to Seed Vault from within Seed Vault menu. If current seed is temporary and not saved yet, Add current tmp menu item is shown in Seed Vault menu.
    Enhancement: Speed up opening Passphrase menu when MicroSD card is available, by deferring card read (and decryption) until after Restore Saved menu item is selected.
    Enhancement: 12 Words menu option preferred on the top of the menu in all the seed menus (rather than 24 words).
    Enhancement: Allow passphrase via USB if passphrase already set - operates on master seed.
    Enhancement: Improve BIP39 Passphrase UX when temporary seed is active and applicable.
    Enhancement: Continuation of removal of obsolete Mk2/Mk3 code-paths from master branch.
    Bugfix: Confusing first-time UX replaced with simple welcome screen.
    Bugfix: One instant retry on SE1 communication failures
    Bugfix: Handle any failures in slot reading when loading settings
    Bugfix: Add missing "First Time UX" for extended key import as master seed
    Bugfix: Hide Upgrade Firmware menu item if temporary seed is active (it cannot work)
    Bugfix: Disallow using master seed as temporary seed
    Bugfix: Do not allow APPLY of empty BIP-39 passphrase. Use "Restore Master" instead.
    Bugfix: Fix yikes in Clone Coldcard (thanks to AnchorWatch)


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on December 20, 2023, 10:45:47 AM
Still nothing for the Mk3 I guess they are just going to keep them as is unless something bad happens and perhaps not even then.
Mk3 is most likely going to graveyard soon, unless master NVK shows some mercy.

btw do you by any chance know what is going on with biggest ever giant hardware wallet in the world aka Coldcard Q... that thing to me appears to have reservation status for eons, or it must be only available for special VIPs  ::)


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on December 20, 2023, 12:59:39 PM
Still nothing for the Mk3 I guess they are just going to keep them as is unless something bad happens and perhaps not even then.
Mk3 is most likely going to graveyard soon, unless master NVK shows some mercy.

btw do you by any chance know what is going on with biggest ever giant hardware wallet in the world aka Coldcard Q... that thing to me appears to have reservation status for eons, or it must be only available for special VIPs  ::)


Have not heard squat about the Q
It's still on their website but you have to search for it to get to it and no mention of it in the store unless you go to it from the page you just had to search to find.
It's now been over 10 1/2 months since it's announcement....

But you can get your Mk 4 in a bunch of different colors. Because you need that......

-Dave



Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on December 25, 2023, 08:40:59 PM
But you can get your Mk 4 in a bunch of different colors. Because you need that......
Yeah, I guess it's colorful holiday season for coldcard, and nvk is getting active again spreading hate and false information on social media.
Would you even buy that coldcard kingkongQ device if available?
I know I wouldn't.

https://images2.imgbox.com/91/66/DOELgiNx_o.jpg

I hope nvk feels safe and secure in his mental asylum eco chamber.  :P
Luckily I can still follow whatever I want using nitter  ;)

dkbit98 2
nvk 1


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on December 26, 2023, 02:15:46 PM
But you can get your Mk 4 in a bunch of different colors. Because you need that......
Yeah, I guess it's colorful holiday season for coldcard, and nvk is getting active again spreading hate and false information on social media.
Would you even buy that coldcard kingkongQ device if available?
I know I wouldn't.

https://images2.imgbox.com/91/66/DOELgiNx_o.jpg

I hope nvk feels safe and secure in his mental asylum eco chamber.  :P
Luckily I can still follow whatever I want using nitter  ;)

dkbit98 2
nvk 1


Would I buy one is an interesting question. I am something of a pragmatist.
If it offered something different (it does not) I might buy one.
If it was much cheaper then to competition I might buy one (it is not)
If it had some compelling thing that I had to have (it does not) I might have bought one.

But since at this point it's just another hardware wallet. From a company that has left me with a Mk1 that I can't update and a Mk3 that is gong the same way there is no way I would get one.

Which is a shame since for years I really liked their products.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: Pmalek on December 27, 2023, 09:11:45 AM
@DaveF
The Mk3 and Mk4 already have plenty of qualities if you are looking for an airgapped signing device. If open-source isn't a priority for you, of course.
The Q model introduces a better keyboard and QR code scanning. Those are useful features to have, but not essential.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: satscraper on December 27, 2023, 10:57:16 AM
@DaveF
The Mk3 and Mk4 already have plenty of qualities if you are looking for an airgapped signing device. If open-source isn't a priority for you, of course.
The Q model introduces a better keyboard and QR code scanning. Those are useful features to have, but not essential.

Below are relevant specs laid out in comparison


I would highlight also that Q model is equipped with  the larger LCD display and improved dual SD slots which allow (as it stated) to pull off easily  SD cards. "Dual slots means you can keep unsigned and signed transactions on different cards. Copying files and keeping dual backups is easier now."


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on December 27, 2023, 12:21:26 PM
@satscraper and @Pmalek

The point I was making is that it's been 11 months give or take a couple of days since it was announced. The took payments for it and have gone radio silent on the project.
And beyond that, they now have a track record of dropping support for old products.

I have 2 x Mk1 which are no longer supported and 1 x Mk2 and 2xMk3 that are destined to no longer be supported soon from the way they have been releasing firmware.

I like their products, and they have even helped me out once when an opendime died.

But, the market has changed. You have products like the keystone that although do not have a full keyboard are still a lot cheaper.

I am the one who started the thread on the Q1 https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5439219.0
And then *poof* *nothing* from them. You can still go here: https://store.coinkite.com/store/cc-q1 and give then $200 for a preorder that has no ship date.

-Dave




Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on December 27, 2023, 08:28:05 PM
Below are relevant specs laid out in comparison
This specs are only on virtual paper and means nothing... because Q wallet is in eternal presale reservation mod for $200, maybe until they collect enough money to actually start making them  :P
By the time they release it (if they ever release it), I bet they are going to us some outdated chips with flaws, so they will have to replace it with bigger Q2 version...
Things could be much different for coldcard with nvk out of the picture.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: Pmalek on December 28, 2023, 10:14:29 AM
@satscraper
The separation of unsigned and signed transactions isn't an important feature. You can name the files however you want. Just name then accordingly if you have problems differentiating one type from the other.

@DaveF
I wouldn't worry too much about missing support. Don't forget, it's an airgapped wallet. All you need is for it to sign your transactions properly so you can export the files to your online device for broadcasting. Unless there is a vulnerability found in the older models and versions, everything is ok.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: satscraper on December 28, 2023, 11:12:16 AM
@satscraper
The separation of unsigned and signed transactions isn't an important feature. You can name the files however you want. Just name then accordingly if you have problems differentiating one type from the other.


Yeah, you are correct, however two separate SD slots could speed up the whole process and, thus,  help to save on the spent time, but must be tested on the working device  to be sure .

Anyway, I’m burning up the hope for this model considering to assign  it  a role of  the second cosigner in my multisig wallet in addition  to the first one represented by Passport2.



Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on December 28, 2023, 12:38:22 PM
@satscraper
The separation of unsigned and signed transactions isn't an important feature. You can name the files however you want. Just name then accordingly if you have problems differentiating one type from the other.

@DaveF
I wouldn't worry too much about missing support. Don't forget, it's an airgapped wallet. All you need is for it to sign your transactions properly so you can export the files to your online device for broadcasting. Unless there is a vulnerability found in the older models and versions, everything is ok.

Mk4 is slowly getting support for spending Taproot the 6.x.x beta firmware supports it Mk1 to Mk3 looks like they never will
What happens when something else comes along that is not supported?

Says it right here in the Dec Firmware:
Enhancement: Continuation of removal of obsolete Mk2/Mk3 code-paths from master branch.

So we KNOW that they are no longer doing a lot of things for the older units


Something minor but this is in the Mk4 firmware:
Bugfix: Remove label from Bitcoin Core importdescriptors export as it is no longer supported with ranged descriptors in version 24.1 of Core.

It is still in the older ones. How long till core (and other other apps) change something that is no longer supported and you have to go dig up older versions of electrum / core / whatever to run this and THOSE have vulnerabilities.

Time marches on and things will get outdated and no longer supported I get that. But come out and say it. Don't just ignore it and hope we forget about it.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: satscraper on December 29, 2023, 09:02:07 AM

Time marches on and things will get outdated and no longer supported I get that. But come out and say it. Don't just ignore it and hope we forget about it.

-Dave

I  am quiet on this and take it for granted.

Even leather wallets for bills  are wearing out and  we need to acquire new ones.

Mark 1 was released somewhere about 5-6 years ago.  Over the years things has been changed dramatically in both field software (consider   the occurrence of taproot  for instance ) and hardware (new chips, fabricated with nano-lithography). Thus, new models develop features that can not be supported  by old flavors.  


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: Pmalek on December 29, 2023, 09:18:49 AM
@DaveF
If you think that Taproot and any upcoming features will be important to you, then I can only suggest that you abandon Coldcard that has already let you down several times in the past. It still remains a safe signing device for regular transactions, though.

I have yet to make and use a Taproot transaction. Have you ever used them?


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: DaveF on December 29, 2023, 01:40:12 PM

Time marches on and things will get outdated and no longer supported I get that. But come out and say it. Don't just ignore it and hope we forget about it.

-Dave

I  am quiet on this and take it for granted.

Even leather wallets for bills  are wearing out and  we need to acquire new ones.

Mark 1 was released somewhere about 5-6 years ago.  Over the years things has been changed dramatically in both field software (consider   the occurrence of taproot  for instance ) and hardware (new chips, fabricated with nano-lithography). Thus, new models develop features that can not be supported  by old flavors.  

I have less problem with them no longer supporting the Mk2 or Mk1 then the Mk3. They were actively selling ONLY the Mk3 a recently as 18 months ago.
The Mk4 was just a preorder then:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220511012758/https://store.coinkite.com/store/coldcard

So if you wanted a coldcard you paid $140 + shipping for a Mk3 because that is what you could get.



@DaveF
If you think that Taproot and any upcoming features will be important to you, then I can only suggest that you abandon Coldcard that has already let you down several times in the past. It still remains a safe signing device for regular transactions, though.

I have yet to make and use a Taproot transaction. Have you ever used them?

Yes, I do use it whenever possible. It saves on fees :-)
a lot of people do:
https://transactionfee.info/charts/transactions-spending-taproot/

-Dave



This for me is not a 'hate on coldcard; thing it's more of a massive complain about coldcard thing. If I buy a $149 Motorola cell phone I know I am getting a lower end smart phone and it's only getting support for a couple of years. It is what is is. coldcard was touted (and priced) as a premium product in the rage of hardware wallets. If my $100 keystone with a color screen and camera and fingerprint sensor gets support dropped after a couple of years I am going to complain too but it is what it is.

But I have bought a $150 hardware wallet less then 2 years ago which was middle to higher priced and they more or less walked away from it when they Mk4 came out.

<shrug>
And this entire thing of keeping peoples money for 10+ months with the Q with no updates just annoys me, but that is just me.


-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: hZti on February 14, 2024, 01:12:41 PM
Sincere ColdCard is one of the more expensive wallets that you can buy I would also think it is a shame if they would stop the support of the MK3 so quickly. In some European countries you are now even allowed to request a full refund if there are no software updates for at least 2 years after purchase.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: SFR10 on February 14, 2024, 03:00:22 PM
Sincere ColdCard is one of the more expensive wallets that you can buy I would also think it is a shame if they would stop the support of the MK3 so quickly. In some European countries you are now even allowed to request a full refund if there are no software updates for at least 2 years after purchase.
That's interesting... IIRC, they had [probably still have] a strict no-refund policy for their products, so you're telling us there's a law that can overwrite the terms end-users agree to before purchasing the products?
- I had no luck in finding anything on Google (can you point me in the right direction?).


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: DaveF on February 14, 2024, 05:33:13 PM
Sincere ColdCard is one of the more expensive wallets that you can buy I would also think it is a shame if they would stop the support of the MK3 so quickly. In some European countries you are now even allowed to request a full refund if there are no software updates for at least 2 years after purchase.
That's interesting... IIRC, they had [probably still have] a strict no-refund policy for their products, so you're telling us there's a law that can overwrite the terms end-users agree to before purchasing the products?
- I had no luck in finding anything on Google (can you point me in the right direction?).

I'm guessing that if it comes to that if they put out even a minor release at the 731 day point after their last sale it covers the 2 years and they are clear.

They had a good reputation and they blew it for some reason. Could be lack of resources, could be lack of caring, could be they know a lot of people don't care and will keep shelling out $150 to $200 every couple of years for a new HW wallet anyway.

I used them, I supported them, I endorsed them, I stopped using them......

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: hZti on February 15, 2024, 08:53:31 AM
That's interesting... IIRC, they had [probably still have] a strict no-refund policy for their products, so you're telling us there's a law that can overwrite the terms end-users agree to before purchasing the products?
- I had no luck in finding anything on Google (can you point me in the right direction?).

It is actually totally normal in Germany and most of Europe that there are very strict laws that overwrite the end-user agreement. This means that you can write a lot of stuff in the end-user agreement but only the parts that are not covered by these laws are actually in effect. If there is a law that disagrees with part of the end-user agreement you can refer to that law as the user.

In this case there is a law in Germany § 475b BGB and § 475c BGB that require that you have to release updates for two years. This means that the product must be able to be used in a correct and safe way for two years. If the product can not be operated in a correct and safe way then there needs to be an update or you can return the product for a refund. Vice versa this means that you would not need an update if the products works without any security or functional deficits for two years.
What is also interesting to note is that you start those two years form the day of the sale and not from the day when the product was produced.

Sadly I can’t really find good explanations of this law in English since it is a very new law that went into affect only a year ago (01.01.2023). There a not really cases so far where courts had to fight with big companies about this, since there a probably not to many people right now that request a refund because of it.

This is an official German website where they try to inform people about this new rule: https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/vertraege-reklamation/kundenrechte/softwaregewaehrleistung-welche-rechte-habe-ich-bei-fehlenden-updates-74911

In general you can read about German warranty law and AGB-Law


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: Synchronice on February 15, 2024, 11:42:33 AM
That's interesting... IIRC, they had [probably still have] a strict no-refund policy for their products, so you're telling us there's a law that can overwrite the terms end-users agree to before purchasing the products?
- I had no luck in finding anything on Google (can you point me in the right direction?).

It is actually totally normal in Germany and most of Europe that there are very strict laws that overwrite the end-user agreement. This means that you can write a lot of stuff in the end-user agreement but only the parts that are not covered by these laws are actually in effect. If there is a law that disagrees with part of the end-user agreement you can refer to that law as the user.

In this case there is a law in Germany § 475b BGB and § 475c BGB that require that you have to release updates for two years. This means that the product must be able to be used in a correct and safe way for two years. If the product can not be operated in a correct and safe way then there needs to be an update or you can return the product for a refund. Vice versa this means that you would not need an update if the products works without any security or functional deficits for two years.
What is also interesting to note is that you start those two years form the day of the sale and not from the day when the product was produced.

Sadly I can’t really find good explanations of this law in English since it is a very new law that went into affect only a year ago (01.01.2023). There a not really cases so far where courts had to fight with big companies about this, since there a probably not to many people right now that request a refund because of it.

This is an official German website where they try to inform people about this new rule: https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/vertraege-reklamation/kundenrechte/softwaregewaehrleistung-welche-rechte-habe-ich-bei-fehlenden-updates-74911

In general you can read about German warranty law and AGB-Law
How will you be able to request a refund if you buy it from Coldcard.com? As far as I know, they ship their product from Toronto, Canada. You are simply in Germany, they are simply in Canada, there is not much that you can do to force them to refund you or offer you a guaranteed 2 years from the day of the sale. To my mind, it will be possible to request and receive refund on items bought in Germany or in EU but I think that refund from the rest countries is impossible.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: NotATether on February 15, 2024, 12:00:19 PM
In this case there is a law in Germany § 475b BGB and § 475c BGB that require that you have to release updates for two years. This means that the product must be able to be used in a correct and safe way for two years. If the product can not be operated in a correct and safe way then there needs to be an update or you can return the product for a refund. Vice versa this means that you would not need an update if the products works without any security or functional deficits for two years.
What is also interesting to note is that you start those two years form the day of the sale and not from the day when the product was produced.

I think that's very easy to side-step, just by continuing to push firmware updates so that they don't have to take people's refunds.

And then if they ever stop selling the Coldcard, just keep pushing firmware updates for two more years and then they can pull the plug on the product.

I don't think there is a set interval that the product needs to have updates made for it in, correct?


Title: Re: ColdCard
Post by: hZti on February 15, 2024, 02:53:06 PM
How will you be able to request a refund if you buy it from Coldcard.com?

You can easily sue them before any German court and win the case. The issue would be to get the money from them in Canada.
What is the correct way is to buy the ColdCard from a german vendor and then get the refund from this vendor. He will be responsible for the warranty.



I think that's very easy to side-step, just by continuing to push firmware updates so that they don't have to take people's refunds.

And then if they ever stop selling the Coldcard, just keep pushing firmware updates for two more years and then they can pull the plug on the product.


The intention is that you will have at least 2 year of updates from the day of the purchase. If the manufacturer gives you those updates then that’s not a side step because he is simply delivering what you want  ???

Obviously you can not force a company to give updates forever and usually a product also will not stop working instantly simply because there are no new updates.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: Pmalek on February 15, 2024, 05:41:26 PM
<Snip>
It's much easier to refer to that law if you are dealing with companies and businesses registered and regulated by the German authorities or at least if they operate within the EU. I don't think it applies internationally. In this case, Coinkite is from Canada, and they are subject to whatever the law states for Canadian businesses. This is my personal opinion, but it doesn't mean that I am right.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: hZti on February 15, 2024, 06:13:35 PM
In this case, Coinkite is from Canada, and they are subject to whatever the law states for Canadian businesses. This is my personal opinion, but it doesn't mean that I am right.

This is somewhat right but also somewhat wrong. It actually depends on international law and trade agreements between the countries involved. There are even different trade agreements between the same countries about different topics. In short it can’t really be answered without a lot of research. But this will only matter if you would try to force a court ruling of a european law directly on on them in canada. Usually you will just buy from an european vendor and then they will be liable.
The general point however is right: If Coinkite is willing to sell Coldcards to european customers they will have to obey national laws. This is what you can see for example with apple and the USB-C stuff and also the App-Store developments.


Title: Re: ColdCard
Post by: Synchronice on February 15, 2024, 08:46:58 PM
You can easily sue them before any German court and win the case. The issue would be to get the money from them in Canada.
What is the correct way is to buy the ColdCard from a german vendor and then get the refund from this vendor. He will be responsible for the warranty.
Yes, the problem is that you won't be able to get money from them in Canada and if that is the thing you worry about, you shouldn't order from them. If you buy them from a vendor, then vendor should be 100% reliable and verified because you are buying a cold wallet, you shouldn't risk here. There is only one official reseller in Germany, Copiaro.com
There are many others in Europe, here is the list: https://coinkite.com/resellers

To be honest, if I were to buy Coldcard, I would buy directly from their website.

If Coinkite is willing to sell Coldcards to european customers they will have to obey national laws. This is what you can see for example with apple and the USB-C stuff and also the App-Store developments.
Coinkite is not an Apple. If Coinkite sells their product from their website and offers shipping from Canada to Germany, I don't think it will be obey of laws to ship them in Germany without guaranteed 2 years of update service. It will become obey of laws if they open a shop in Germany and start selling without guarantees.


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: dkbit98 on February 15, 2024, 09:35:35 PM
Sincere ColdCard is one of the more expensive wallets that you can buy I would also think it is a shame if they would stop the support of the MK3 so quickly. In some European countries you are now even allowed to request a full refund if there are no software updates for at least 2 years after purchase.
I don't think they are more expensive, it's similar price like worst ledger X, and with some coupons it can be even cheaper.
Now, I don't like coldcard, I don't support anything NVK is doing and I am boycotting all their products, but I am simply stating the facts.
And I think coldcard is based in Canada so good luck asking for refund, especially if you paid with bitcoin.

The intention is that you will have at least 2 year of updates from the day of the purchase.
I am sure that is only for smartphones and maybe computers, not for toasters or wristwatches.  ;)


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: hZti on February 15, 2024, 10:30:27 PM
I don’t really want any kind of refund on my cold card since I am still a happy user of my mk4. Still at the time when I bought it it was around 3x the price of the cheaper options that were available at that time (ledger, trezor)



The intention is that you will have at least 2 year of updates from the day of the purchase.
I am sure that is only for smartphones and maybe computers, not for toasters or wristwatches.  ;)

As I said before this applies to any product with electronic components, if they need the update to work correctly. Usually a toaster would function happily for more than two years without an update. A smart toaster however could maybe need a security update to work correctly.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: Pmalek on February 16, 2024, 04:52:05 PM
This is somewhat right but also somewhat wrong. It actually depends on international law and trade agreements between the countries involved. There are even different trade agreements between the same countries about different topics.
Right, but like you mentioned previously, this is a relatively new law in Germany. The law has been in force for like a year, and whatever trade agreements exist between different nations and territories, those would also have to be revisited to include this new law or change it to make it work internationally. Such administrative work usually needs its time.

It is an interesting subject, though. Too bad that we don't have any legal experts here (that I am aware of) who could tell us more about our rights and obligations. 


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: hZti on February 18, 2024, 04:18:41 PM
It is an interesting subject, though. Too bad that we don't have any legal experts here (that I am aware of) who could tell us more about our rights and obligations. 

This is not really an easy question to answer I think. If you want to get an answer with 100% certainty you would need to go to court and see what they tell you, since there are always at least 2 possible solutions to law problems. I think however that this is not really an issue with coldcard right now and there is probably no real need to discuss this more, if there are not really people that issues with their ColdCards software.

As far as I understand all the Coldcards form MK1-MK4 can still be used safely as of now or is that not correct?


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: Pmalek on February 19, 2024, 04:37:02 PM
As far as I understand all the Coldcards form MK1-MK4 can still be used safely as of now or is that not correct?
I don't know about the first two models. But I think they should all work. Coldcards are airgapped offline signing devices. They create partially signed bitcoin transactions that you import to micro SD cards and broadcast on an online machine. As long as each Mk model can do that, they essentially work. I believe DaveF was complaining about Coinkite dropping support for the older models and not adding new features to it. But their main (signing) purpose can't and shouldn't simply stop working all of a sudden.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: hZti on February 19, 2024, 04:45:47 PM
But their main (signing) purpose can't and shouldn't simply stop working all of a sudden.

Thanks for clarifying that! In my opinion you can not complain about this because you then get exactly what you paid for. Yes it would be nice to have more features that were not available when you bought the device, but you can surely not complain of the company does not give you those features, since they never said that they would.
The only thing that I could imagine that would be very bad is if some newer wallet versions would not recognize the transactions from the older ColdCards, because maybe some kind of format change. But that does not seem to be the case in any near future.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: Pmalek on February 20, 2024, 05:04:37 PM
The only thing that I could imagine that would be very bad is if some newer wallet versions would not recognize the transactions from the older ColdCards, because maybe some kind of format change. But that does not seem to be the case in any near future.
Yeah, I don't see that happening, and even if it does, you can always use an older version of the same software where those changes were not made.

Coldcards, like most other hardware wallets, have a maximum size limit for signed transactions. I wasn't sure how big these were, so I had to look it up quickly. For the Mk3 model, the maximum size is 384k-bytes. Also, the transaction can have 20 inputs and up to 250 outputs. The Mk4 offers much more: 2M bytes in size and many more inputs and outputs. The source says they successfully tested signing a transaction of 250 inputs and 2000 outputs.

https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/blob/master/docs/limitations.md


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: DaveF on February 22, 2024, 01:02:32 PM
As far as I understand all the Coldcards form MK1-MK4 can still be used safely as of now or is that not correct?

Sort of.

There are some really out there attacks that cannot be mitigated such as this one: https://blog.coinkite.com/laser-fault-injection/
or this one: https://blog.coinkite.com/version-3.0.6-released/

But worrying about these kinds of attacks is probably not a big deal since they would be targeted and it does come back to the $5 wrench attack.
And look they still do exist: https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/wrenches/pipe-wrenches/8-inch-steel-pipe-wrench-39641.html

It's not a new thing, there are probably hundreds of millions old phones out there that people are using that vulnerable versions of the OS on them due to their age.
And just in general, those would make better targets.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: Pmalek on February 22, 2024, 04:57:16 PM
There are some really out there attacks that cannot be mitigated such as this one: https://blog.coinkite.com/laser-fault-injection/
All fault injection attacks require physical access to the hardware wallet. If someone gets their hands on your HW device, you should move your coins from it regardless of what model you own. I wouldn't be comfortable with someone, who perhaps knows what they are doing, playing around with my wallet and trying to break into it even if I had the world's safest one.

or this one: https://blog.coinkite.com/version-3.0.6-released/
This particular attack is only possible on multisig wallets. If you are using a standard singlesig wallet, you aren't affected.


Title: Re: Coldcar
Post by: DaveF on February 23, 2024, 09:20:21 PM
There are some really out there attacks that cannot be mitigated such as this one: https://blog.coinkite.com/laser-fault-injection/
All fault injection attacks require physical access to the hardware wallet. If someone gets their hands on your HW device, you should move your coins from it regardless of what model you own. I wouldn't be comfortable with someone, who perhaps knows what they are doing, playing around with my wallet and trying to break into it even if I had the world's safest one.

or this one: https://blog.coinkite.com/version-3.0.6-released/
This particular attack is only possible on multisig wallets. If you are using a standard singlesig wallet, you aren't affected.

Not debating any of that. It was more of a yes you can still use it, but there are some very minor / obscure things that are not going to be fixed due to hardware limitations.

Yet again, what I had in my brain didn't make it to the screen.

At this point the Mk1 + Mk2 are very old devices and if an issue does come up even if it WAS fixable and they did fix it, it's probably not worth it.
For the Mk3 I would think that if possible they would patch it, because it would just make them look even worse if they did not.

-Dave


Title: Re: Coldcard
Post by: cygan on May 07, 2024, 08:36:27 AM
new versions of the two coldcard wallets mk4 and q have been available since yesterday.
for both versions (5.3.0 for the mk4 and 1.2.0Q for the q), there are numerous new features as well and bug fixes. under the following link you can read the complete changelogs:
https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/blob/master/releases/ChangeLog.md (https://github.com/Coldcard/firmware/blob/master/releases/ChangeLog.md)

download files are available here: https://coldcard.com/downloads (https://coldcard.com/downloads)