Bitcoin Forum

I lost my phone days ago and now I got a used phone, the problem is this phone is rooted, I hope this doesn't carry any danger to crypto related security? Either wallets or stuff? I am careful not to import my recovery seed on the phone first, not before having a answer, I've also reformatted the phone through recovery mode but root is still present. Any Danger?.

Avoid to use cracked softwares, rooted devices if you want to be safe completely.

If you buy an used (second-hand) phone from official stores, it should be tested and you will be able to buy a good one (not rooted). Of course by this you still depends on the checking of that store.

I don't say you must buy a new phone to be safe because I know each person has different budget.

Better reflash it with another rom, or replace the recovery software completely. Who knows maybe the previous owner place something on the recovery mode itself to hijack your phone, better to be safe than sorry. That being said, i've been using a rooted phone in the past and as long as you know what you're doing the risk is lower. But if you don't, maybe it's better to use a non-rooted phone and avoid installing suspicious apps on it. For now use your pc or something else to manage your crypto.

Some general opinion is that a rooted device is more insecure for applications like crypto wallets or bank apps, but it all boils down to being careful when downloading such applications and being careful about what permissions you give them on your device. It is also important that the device has all the security updates to prevent any attack vector through all the vulnerabilities that exist on Android devices (I assume you have such a device).

Regarding the use of crypto wallets on smartphones, I hope you know that these should never be our main wallets where we store significant amounts, but usually hot wallets on the go where we periodically transfer smaller amounts.

I personally have never unrooted a smartphone, but there are guides on how to do it, so you can read them. Of course, always be careful when doing such things, you don't want to brick your device.

https://www.wikihow.com/Unroot-Android

Good move for asking first, many newbies won't do this, do you know what rooted phones are capable of? Even if you want to root a phone you will be warned of less security on the phone, you will need to jailbreak the phone bootloader, its simple to see that the phone is no more secured, do not use that phone to install crypto wallet.

As far as I know, root has been heavily warned and discouraged from security experts. Rooting makes the device vulnerable to spyware that pretends to be apps, in addition, rooting will make it impossible for you to automatically update OTA from the company, and security patches, that will make your phone unsafe. We can unroot the device by reinstalling the original ROM for them, if you do not have expertise in this, you should bring the device to the nearest phone store for technical support.

Rooted phones can cause grave security issues. You can unroot your phone by re-installing the device's stock firmware. I came across an article on how to do that after reading your topic. They also provided other options to unroot a phone. You can read the complete article here (https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-unroot-android-phone-tablet-652905/).

Though rooting gives you full control of your device and you can modify a lot of stuffs like the theme of your phone and tweak something to your phone performance such as its battery life and CPU clock speed (as far as I am aware to some devices). If one is really enthusiastic doing it for the hobby, s/he should just do it in another device that does not contain any sensitive information.  

@OP, like everyone mentioned in here, better get that unrooted first before you attempt to do anything that would involve your money. Reformatting won't unroot your phone. You either need to flash your stock ROM from the phone's manufacturer or use a dedicated rooting tool which I used back then from my old dead phone. Just be careful though as the process might brick your phone like Lucius mentioned, but it should not be a problem as long as your phone has plenty of battery power and a reliable USB connection.

This is quite nice to know. Back then, I did not install any apps that would involve my money so I was not sure. Either way I might not install one anyway since I am scared to brick my phone and lose access to my banking apps.

One of those things that is fine if you really know what you're doing, and could be totally disastrous if you don't know what you're doing (e.g. giving too much permissions that you don't understand).

Since you're not sure though, I'd say don't go for it. Grab a cheap Ledger/Trezor hardware wallet instead.

@OP, in case the referred link is unclear for your device, I suggest you try to search using the keyword, "unroot 'your device model/type' xda". There might be a guide that made specifically for the device, XDA is known for Android forums.

It’s not dangerous if you knew what you are doing especially on installing mod software because that’s what rooted software main purpose. It bypasses the system restrictions which means you can do anything to your mobile phone software including installation of malicious software that can steal your credentials. Much better if you will not login your wallet on that phone if you are not sure on what software previously installed there.

According to what I read about rooted devices, I will advice you not to use it.

I will not advice you to use a device which its firmware might have been changed.

for me the software is difficult to detect if there are certain groups who slightly infiltrate any program. Choose the official rom and the brand of cellphone you are using.
try not to copy and paste the entire phrase and all of it. try in a few bars type manually to avoid key loggers.
if the window you are sure is correct. I think the condition of any cellphone is not a problem.

Rooted Android is more volunerable to attacks because everything can be modified from the system settings so even if the playstore wants to scan the installed apps then it may not be able to but since you already formatted the device I hope every settings back to default as original so all you need to do is to avoid installing third party applications and anything you doubt that its not safe.

From what we know an android device(smartphone or tablet) is  on the whole safer than a PC connected to internet. So IMO even rooted your smartphone is certainly safer than a random PC using a common OS. Bitcoin hasn't been made to be hoarded by dwarfs and dragons into a magic vault, but to be used by anybody to pay anything. Satoshi Nakamoto whoever he use to be, designed it to be a "Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System". So if I were you, I would only leave few mBTC on it but I would still use it. When you send your cryptos to an exchange, to a gambling site or to any platform, you face the same risk of losing your coins but nobody panics about that while the amount of funds sent is usually way larger than what you need to be brought with you for a common use.

What phone model are you using?
I would not used rooted phones for anything serious, but maybe you could install something like Divest OS or Lineage OS if you want more privacy with less bloatware.
Best thing would be to use any google pixel phone (even used) and you can easily install Graphene OS in no more than ten minutes, following simple instructions.
Than you should add good unique password and use only open source bitcoin wallets , but I would only do this for pocket money and small amount of coins.
More coins should be kept offline on cold storage of your choice.

I've read four comments stating that some ROM aka OS are reliable and they can be installed on a rooted phone, what you don't know is most ROMs are build by unknown builders, it can be edited and repacked by downloaders too , do not trust any ROM, you can be spy on or monitored without you knowing.

It's better not using a rooted phone at all.But in terms of security in crypto if you use any official custom rom then you are fully safe and there is nothing to worry. But always try to be an unrooted user for the best security.

If you want to secure your investment in the cryptocurrency market always go for the best new gadget because crypto holders are the main target of online thefts.
This reminds me of the issue I had with my computer when using the free anti-virus I later learn my lesson after a virus affect my computer and I have to spend double the money to fix everything.
Everything is fine now that I am using Kaspersky internet security.

If you've got a huge amount holding in your wallets, I'll have no second thinking of not using this phone. You got it from someone, right? Then that's already not ideal to entrust with the applications that you need for your crypto wallets.

Much better to buy another phone that's brand new. Buying a new one is like a personal security and will have you worry-free instead of thinking if a rooted phone can still have backdoors for your data stored on it.

you just need to reinstall or do a format data or wipe data / cache / dalvic it will restore everything to the initial settings of the phone. nothing will be dangerous. If you are still really unsure, re-flash with the official rom using a special flashtool for the type of smartphone processor you are using. I am quite familiar with smartphone rooting and even I use it. just how you use it and check all applications with some trusted antivirus applications. if you just unroot it will not restore everything to the initial settings, but if it has been re-flashed using the official rom all rooting problems will be resolved.

OP what type of phone you using? I am very good with installation of ROMs on phones both unofficial and official, you can install the official ROM and gain access to better security, the tutorial is available online too, try using google and watch some YouTube videos for guidance, its not hard.

Rooted device is double edged sword, it can make device secure and as well as make it vulnerable. If you aren't tech savvy, better get new device.

You guys should calm down, a rooted phone doesn't mean it's vulnerable to attack, it means the phone company isn't responsible for it's security any longer, there are things you can do with that phone that you can't on official OS, you just need to know what you are doing is all.

I won't allow you to store your crypto in rooted phones. That means it's been creaked original operating system. So an attacker would gain access too easily if they can push malware to your device. You should first move your funds to a secure wallet. Then I will suggest buying a hardware wallet to store your crypto which is the safest way to handle your cryptocurrency. It's become hard to secure crypto even on mobile phones which we have been using regularly to visit various sites.

This is how I see security in Crypto-currency: once I have the slightest doubt I don't do it, recommendation is secondary to me. I don't think safety here in crypto-currency has to be difficult especially when we have our sensitivities high.

There are high chances that the amount you may have in your crypto wallet is more than the device in question, except you don't value what's inside the wallet or the wallet itself then you can take the risk. But if you do then all this is very simple, always used a fresh device best one that is brand new I prefer direct from the device company this is safer to me, you can't go wrong by taken adequate precautions.

Your privacy is crucial in every situation, but it's especially crucial when using crypto applications because you need to import your private keys in order to access your wallet. It makes no sense to use a device whose security you are unsure of, and any rooted phone operating system has been compromised, making it insecure for using wallets and other crypto-related apps.


 

I've ones used a rooted device for all my crypto activities until I sold it and bought a new phone, I never had any issues including security, non of my accounts, both wallets and social accounts ever got hacked.
But the thing is that I was the one that rooted the phone myself, and I was pretty much very careful with the kind of apps I install, I gave really good attention to app permissions, that is, the things the app Is going to be needing access to on my phone, I also avoided clicking unknown links, most especially, when it's shortened for absolutely no reason.

So in conclusion, for me personally, based on my experience using a rooted device for my crypto stuff, I see no difference between a rooted device and a non-rooted device in the physical aspect of things, maybe technically, or systematically, there is, but I never encountered any issue in terms of security of my funds and accounts.
But my advice is, if you are that scared or skeptical, then maybe you should consider getting a hardware wallet.

I have heard an experience of a rooted phone but it has been long. I am just wondering if such phones still exists. What I can remember is that my rooted phone then was not running on android version. It could be a symbian phone with infrared connectivity. I also can remember that before I rooted the phone, I was warned about the privacy risk and also the company that produced the phone not liable for any software related issues. I remember I did many manipulations with the phone then, but I have lost my savvy skills. But relating to your question, what I will say is that using a rooted phone makes you totally vulnerable.
Even though no harm will happen, since you are having a skeptical mind already, you won't use the phone with rest of mind. Just prevent it  now you can.

Knowing its rooted, i guess that still on android version 3-5. I found difficulty to root phones higher than 6 versions so outdated security patches is really the main issue here. I dont think you can still install apps from play store with that version, unless you install lower version of the crypto apps as well which  give more insecurity to you.

Rooted phones will remain secure depends on the applications installed. But I will probably uninstall those apps that require root access. Say root explorer which is one of the best root apps before that can read, write, almost any apps on the rooted phone. Also reflashing stock rom will also help but like i said lower android version can only install lower versions of the apps which is probably insecured.

Afaik rooting is only android thing, searched for 'symbian root' on Google and found few articles but it doesn't exactly translate to rooting as in android.

You can unroot the phone you bought, then do a factory reset of the device and then install the antivirus application and install wallet applications from its official sites or from Google Play Make sure that they are official applications and not fake applications and you should not download any cracked applications on your new phone from unknown sites and sources, And always activate two-factor authentication for any exchange application or any of the personal accounts through the Google Authenticator application.

Unrooted phones won't keep your wallet safe either, if you click on the wrong links you will be sorry for yourself later, a rooted phone gives more power to the user, you will be able to do extra things that only devs are able to before rooting the phone, rooting your phone doesn't make it unsafe until you do something stupid.

Safe if you use device carefully,just not installed any apps in your phone, rooted phone will be volunerable very esaily so be careful use your phone.

I would not use a device on which security principles have already been violated to store such important information. Who knows what surprises the previous owner might have left? Maybe it'll be better to find another place for your wallet?

As the majority says, it's a big NO.

With a rooted phone, it can be malware that can easily breach your mobile security which is completely not ideal for security purposes especially if your phone has improper roots which are possible easily to put a system glitch.  The rooted phone is only for those who want to modify or customize their software.

I'd rather buy a hardware wallet because it has built-in security features.

it's really hard for me to understand, why people are ready to use risky variants to store cryptocurrencies when there are hardware wallets with a reasonable price.
I use Trezor, I don't remember that he himself ever complicated my work. and I use it on a daily basis.

I am wondering, how to make a backup of the rooted phone. What if something goes wrong?

that makes sense, I've also experienced a difficult phase sir when there was only one cellphone and needed access to create and run certain applications. I couldn't help but combine those risky things with crypto wallets, although I didn't experience anything but it wasn't worth it. copying because it's dangerous. Maybe the op does that for a reason and knows the real risk, but the op wants to know the user experience here.
if it's like trezor maybe a good support and keep the OTP more secret. at that time I didn't think about it because I didn't have enough funds

It all goes down on what app you are installing and how active your security of the smartphone being updated. The problem with rooted phone is that you give an easy access of your phone internal memory to yourself and to the apps to operate your phone without your knowledge since the layer of security has been removed(easy access to the internal memory). If you know how to unroot your phone back then you should do it already since you are using it for saving crypto. And just like what they've said, installing cracked version of apps may have caused your device to be compromised.

In some instances it is already have a malware which is when you rooted the phone you make a changes something with it's default settings and sometimes we need to crack and most of the software has this malware of course the developer or sources don't waste some time without getting something with those cracks. The most ideal is find another device which is more secured than riskying your self and funds with the rooted device.

Those are quite rare instances if I can recall correctly from my "long-time ago" researches. This would potentially happen if you were using software that are not reliably verified by the Android community.  Usually I check out XDA Developer forums when it comes to tinkering my old Android phone back then, since sometimes there are suspicious tutorial in Youtube that seems to modify these tools needed and also putting into consideration that they can moderate comment section in case someone flags the video that it contains malicious content.

Just by rooting itself would not yield malware, so I think we're good at that part.

You using rooted phone is not really advisable, when a mobile phone have been rooted the security of the phone is no more strong, your phone is at risk of any attack, you have to be very careful with whatever you are doing with the phone because it can easily be hacked, all your funds can be accessed, whenever it comes to wallet security, always make sure you use a new device to avoid unnecessary story, the rooted phone you bought is not safe when it comes to security, so to be at a safer side is better you don't import you wallet address on the phone, or just look for money and get a new phone which I believe is the best and your mind will be at rest that your phone is safe from hack.

It's not just rooted phone that is at risk but also non-rooted phone and that is why it is not recommended or advisable to use your phone as a wallet like installing a crypto wallet that have mobile version of the wallet that can be installed on mobile phones though rooted mobile phone have much higher risk compared to non-rooted in terms of the security your phone have. I don't think newer version of Android can't be rooted since I don't see any sites that share some guide to root the phone. If you have old phone and rooted then better not use the phone like importing wallet for example and for browsing using the rooted phone won't be a problem.

As far as I'm aware, security professionals have strongly advised against using root. In addition to making it impossible for you to receive OTA updates from the manufacturer and security fixes, rooting puts the device exposed to spyware that masquerades as apps and makes your phone dangerous. If you don't have experience in this, you should take the device to the closest phone store for technical support. We can unroot the device by reinstalling the original ROM for them.