Bitcoin Forum

Hackers are constantly looking for new hacking techniques. Roll Eyes

So to keep your precious Crypto/Bitcoin BTC safe
I shared the following simple tips.


1 Do not engage with any function of social media that asks/request  you to know or see anything
   such as:
   a. Click here to know how rich you will be in 2030.
   b. Click to know what it would be like to be a celebrity.
   c. Go to this link to see how you are as a person.
   d. Check here to see what your future husband/wife will look like
       etc
2 Don't Click any social link or inbox link

3 Don't go/click any porn site

4 Never download or install any unknown apps or mobile function

5 Never use any unknown external extension for your browser

6 Don't use or never jump quickly to any latest update software and installed browser or updated website, you must wait and give few time to use new updated things.

7  Never use ( one) 1 online wallet or one crypto exchange site, always divide your crypto and put/use it 25% for per wallet

8 Use different email address for different wallet and exchange site

9 Try to use more symbol with your passwords like: $ , @, #, %, &, *, (, <, |, ? etc

10 Don't save your email and password to online or computer, always try to put and save it with a hard-copy /Diary

11 Don't login all account with one device or computer use minimum 2 device if you have huge btc in online wallet or exchange site.

Majority of your suggestions will already be handled if you simply use a hardware wallet or an airgapped device. Keeping your bitcoin in a wallet which you use on a day to day basis exposes you to a lot of risks which is much better avoided.

This is not necessary, more so if all the wallets are on the same device.
What you can have is a cold storage wallet and a hot wallet.

Never use a wallet that requires email address.

- Jay -

Thanks for suggest  > For this I means online exchange site for no 8

You have some good points and some not so good points, in your list are some impossible or not necessary precaution, like the not updating your software if you already have the App on your phone then updating it should also pose the same risk as well.
Well the fun of having a mobile device is exploring not saying porn is a good habit neither am I saying it's bad so I think everyone should be allowed to enjoy what they like.

A better protection us having your wallet or any where you keep you valuables off line or if you can then you can have them on a completely different device that is strictly for transactions.

Do not click on ANY THING unknown on a computer you use for Security.  It is the most basic thing you should know.  Also do not use your Security computer for personal business.  You should not play around with it, there is important stuff on there you have to protect.

It is one thing to get your computer infected if there is only a browser and some downloaded music on it.  It is another thing to get your computer infected if you have important files and assets stored on it.

Use strong Passwords.  Use airgapped device for Cryptocurrency holdings.  It is all a little bit inconvenient but you either have an inconvenient way of securely storing your assets or you prefer risking your assets for a three minute wank.

Hmm, OP is a very good initiative, assuming content to be completely on your experience base, Assets security is a major concern when it comes to efficient investment. Keep it simple don't go for any unusual activity and be more careful in the usual activities as well while using Hot wallets.

The choice in the First concern is really something. WHo use the wallets asks fo your mail address. I'm really not familiar with any of such Hot wallets.

Also, OP better move this topic to the Help & Beginners section.

These tips are very valid as long as am concerned and anyone who adhere to it would be better off protected against hackers than loss from trading or any investmental loss.
I took more notice of the points that speak on using several wallets and diversifying ones portfolio, also is that of trying to avoid clicking on pop ups or ads that may redirect one to a different site. The one of pop up ads is one that is mostly discussed about because it most of the times seems too good to be true and when one does visit the sites that have such pop ups it is like an impulse to just click to see more. Hence the chance for hackers to dominate.

I also don't like saving passwords on my browser or desktop because it is an easy hub for hackers to gain access to.
These tips are very important and helpful and I think this post should be shared to the newbie section as well do as they get informed on how to avoid hackers and scammers in total.

Computers and laptops or other devices used to do work, use the necessary applications. After completing work activities, turn off the internet and make sure all history is safe.
This goes into points 4 and 5.

For all the other types of points, I agree because they all seem to me to be useful for security.
Any unknown links should not be opened. For those who like to do activities on computers and laptops or other devices including smartphones, this is a bad habit that cannot be ignored. The person must receive medical treatment immediately.

I appreciate all the tips you have provided for us as they can be a lot helpful most especially for beginners, even though some of those tips seem too obvious for us not to get aware of it. To make it short, the best way to safeguard your account from all types of hackers is save it an offline wallet, that way your account is free from hacking. And just don't entertain any messages or provided links from strangers, if possible turn off notifications so that you don't have to worry from appearing in your screen series of phishing sites and unrecognized links.

Educate yourself on how to secure your account 24/7, just like you educate yourself on how to enter the market safe and sound. If you can do that, most likely you will get to avoid a lot of scams in line for you.

OP, your post is quite useful and timely. We have a lot to know and understand about wallet security, not just depositing bitcoins in the wallet but also ensuring security to keep those bitcoins safe from hackers. Especially nowadays, a hacking method of hackers is to create a Phishing scam site and ask them to connect the wallet through the link of the Phishing scam site. If any wallet holder connects to the Phishing scam site and connects the wallet, the access to his wallet will be taken by the hackers. So we  Be aware and we will not connect our wallet through the link of various Phishing sites.
However, many people are careless about giving passwords and passwords are usually weak, in which case the wallet holder's wallet is more likely to be hacked. In choosing a password, a strong password must be given. In this case, the password must be long and have different characters. Passwords with only uniform numbers are more likely to be hacked.

It is that simple, we need to assess the security risks that we a are willing to take depending on the importance of the information we have on our personal devices, that way you can have the best of both worlds, as on the device that use on my everyday life I simply do what I want, while I still take some precautions with it, but when it comes to the device I use to store my coins I give to it no other use than to store my coins, it is always offline, I connect nothing to it and I even keep it unplugged, so the chances I will lose my coins due to a hack are not very high.

great tips OP, thanks for sharing!

It's not just application developers on smartphones and PCs who update their software, hackers are also increasingly updating their hacking abilities, in another section there is a member who wrote about his fear of spyware activity which might infect the device he uses, if we don't do it maintain the security of our devices so don't expect your devices to be safe, always use 2fa verification on each of your Bitcoin wallets because currently, 2fa verification has become a good key to security for devices.  hackers won't be able to easily break into your device to steal your bitcoins if you don't give them a chance to infiltrate.

It's good to see you, OP. I really appreciate you sincerely offering your contributions to guide our newbies. 
However, this topic is best suited to Beginners and Help (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=39.0). If you look at it well, move it now.

The OP explains it well, but I will talk a little bit about it from a terminology perspective. Wallet privacy is important; do not engage in any suspension activities. It will cause you harm because a wallet is just for funds or to keep for investment, and if your funds or investments are not in a secure place, this will make you concerned.

So be careful with your wallet, guys. Follow all of the best for your wallet, because funds are the main subject, and if your wallet is not safe, how should your investment or funds be safe? Do all of your best steps towards privacy to protect yourself from loss.

But this should be taken care of even for personal documents.  Not only digital assets.  Separate the device containing your personal photos from the device you are browsing weird things on.  Or at least use a Virtual Machine for browsing weird things.

People take nudes and store them in computers they are browsing all the shit on.  Then they are surprised when their bum is public.  Maybe it was not that intelligent to watch weird videos online on the same computer you have weird pictures on.

But only very little few preach what they praise.  Most of us know this but few of us do it for real.

Those are good advises but they alone won't guarantee that you will not get hacked. Nothing is 100% bullet-proof, but you can get to 99.999% certainty that your coins won't get stolen. First things first you need to have an isolated environment for dealing with private keys - this is either a cold storage setup or a hardware wallet. Next, if you are using online services that handle your coins, like exchanges for example, then you have to practice strong security like you have described. But isolating private keys from potentially dangerous environments should be your priority #1.

Those tips are indeed useful for beginners but to be honest, if you limit yourself from online transactions or stay away from creating online wallet but prefer cold storage, then the chances to get scammed is very rare. All these hacking incidents you've mentioned is actually avoidable if you free yourself from online identity exposure or online transactions that give the chance to scammers to steal the sensitive information you have.

However, I still believe that we can't get rid from hacking 100% but if we always practice caution in all that we do most especially if finances is involved, I think hacking will surely be prevented.

This still doesn’t protect it that much, because the few minutes you spent online with that device might have been enough to make it catch the necessary malware or virus needed by the hacker. The best still remains that you should not use the same device you use for regular activities as the same for your bitcoin or cryptocurrency holdings. Use a full airgapped device for storing your funds and this will reduce any risk of hacker attempts

 
For This advice I will say do not even have huge amount on any online wallets, as for exchanges that is even totally out of the question, because you can still practice all the security tips in the world to avoid getting hacked but you can’t stop it if the exchange in question gets hacked then you funds will also go down with it.

You cannot eliminate all risk of hacking but with an offline and proper storage of your funds and keys you can reduce the risk to bear minimum

I'll just talk about numbers 1 through 4. Numbers are very important for everyone, not just newbies, even the members who are greedy in making it on social media. There are no easy ways to make money online, so never believe anyone who says this is the simple way to make money on social media. All of your suggestions can be handled by having one hardware, but it is also good for some people who have not experience anything before, like newbies. In the second place, never click on a link that you do not understand. There are con artists that use email addresses to send you links that, if you click on, will give them access to your wallet.

Thirdly, visiting any pornographic website is also risky these days because con artists are aware that men are drawn to entertaining content. However, as a man, I believe it would be better to go find a girlfriend rather than watch porn. Lastly, as a responsible individual, you won't open any unknown apps on your device because they are all very risky.

You can write it simple like

Have your healthy Internet surfing habit.
Use strong passwords for your wallets, accounts.

What is healthy Internet surfing habit?
- Don't click on links
- Don't interact with strangers
- Don't interact with strange, new websites, platforms.
- Don't let your greed, curiosity controls you.

Passwords?
Are your passwords in the green? (https://www.hivesystems.io/blog/are-your-passwords-in-the-green)
[GUIDE] How to Create a Strong/Secure Password (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5132378.0)

Don't use one email for all things because it increases risk to lose all when your email is compromised.
https://haveibeenpwned.com/

Since hackers have caused so much disruption in the cryptocurrency field, protecting our wallets, private data, passwords, and any other information that could allow them access to our assets should be our top priority. We should adapt by implementing different security protocols to safeguard our assets and data from hackers, just as they do with their cunning tactics. Even though we've been seeing posts similar to yours more frequently, you've still come up with some excellent recommendations that will help us strengthen our security. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to constantly remind ourselves of the risks posed by hacks and how crucial it is to protect our privacy. Reminding ourselves of the significance of maintaining tight security is something we should do on a regular basis.

certain users like updating to the newest software version too soon, which is generally not a good idea because certain software updates may be released with minor flaws or issues that endanger user data and provide opportunities for scammers to capitalise.  It's best to hold on for a few days to make sure the new software works flawlessly and doesn't have any problems.

Scammers employ silly techniques to entice amateurs who are so concerned with money that they blindly believe whatever they read or hear online. It is not a good idea to click on links from unknown sources when browsing the internet because this is a popular way scammers trick people who are naive.  Make sure you double-check and are aware of the link you are clicking on before clicking anywhere on the internet. Don't click on any random link simply because it has a flashy title or says it will double our money. You should stay away from anything that seems too good to be true.

It's amazing that I never came up with this brilliant concept before. It's not a terrible idea to divide your valuables around two or more cryptocurrency wallets, as this lowers the likelihood that you would lose them all at once to hackers. This is also an excellent method since, in the event that one wallet is compromised, you will still have some funds left over. However, this strategy is not without its drawbacks. Having your assets spread across multiple wallets also makes it more likely that one of your wallets or the exchange where you keep your coins may be compromised. This technique is safe, but you need exercise caution and ensure that the wallets being used are reliable. Additionally, I would advise against using cryptocurrency exchange wallets as you are not fully in control of your assets because you do not have access to the private keys.

Non custodial open source wallets are recommendable online wallet you can use but hardware wallets are the most suitable and most scecure wallets to use when holding larger amounts of coins.

I'm a bit perplexed by the instruction not to click on links.  The internet kinda loses its usefulness if we can't access other sites by clicking links.  Instead of a blanket prohibition, it would be better to recommend checking the destination URL before clicking, being cautious around links from questionable sources, or using security software that screens links.  But saying I can't click on any links at all leaves me unable to utilize the webs that makes it valuable.  There should be some nuance here rather than an extreme ban that defeats the whole purpose of browsing online.


I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about here!  ;D

Hackers don't need much time to hack if they want to do it. I realize that's not enough to protect against hacking.
The speed of hackers is very fast even if we only use computer devices for a short time.


Correct. There must be a separation of devices that will be used for two different purposes. Using different devices for two types of activities is very important as a security measure. The device that will be used for Bitcoin activities must be completely safe from viruses.

Hackers are starting to act smarter than us. Even if we practice with high caution, hackers will certainly find hints or motives that will guide them to hack our wallet. And if you're not mindful, you will really be taken advantage by these hackers and just wake up one day that you lose everything you have in your wallet. And this happens because you tend to trust everything in online, without knowing that the social media or the internet world is the home of hackers and scammers.

However, if you  resort into freeing yourself  from any online transaction, I think that will help a lot to lessen the chances of getting hacked. It's either you turn off your phone when you are doing important transactions, or you simply cut yourself from online exposure so that hacking will never be a serious problem.

Lol, how do you turn off your device and still be able to make your transaction, and turning off your internet connection at certain intervals doesn't protect your assets from being hacked, it is either your device is completely offline/air-gapped or it is not.
It depends on the "us" exactly, because this is definitely not true!
So many other beautiful things are created and happens on the internet.

For those that are fans of porn, it's true that hackers go on by adding some phishing link as a hyperlink, and they will ask you to click on the link to watch the full video. That stands to be a threat to victims who will unlucky click on the link because they want to actually watch the full video.

There was one time a friend's Facebook account got hacked because of the link he clicked on Facebook. Starting from that day, any time I want to open any link that I am not very sure about, I will either open it in the incognito window or I will totally avoid it.

 I don't agree with this phrase "impossible to hack" because no matter how good you are in safeguarding your account, if you don't exercise caution online, there are still bigger chances of hacking. That is why instead of protecting your account online 24/7, it's best to shift your account into creating a hardware wallet that is free from online hackers and even scammers.

With this, although hacking might still happen but that is rare to expect. Hackers cannot access your account offline so it would be hard for them to hack your coins, unless if you accidentally share your wallet keys to some unreliable friends.

This seems to give you that overconfidence that you'll never get hack. I think someone who still gonna follow all of these tips are unlikely to get hacked.
However, it varies on how the person browses and if he's overconfident by just knowing all of these. Do not forget that there were people who were overconfident and thought that they'll never get scammed/hacked.
But in the end, due to their carelessness, they've been a victim. Always verify the links and apps that you download, the characters and the authenticity of those.

What does it mean that I shouldn't keep my email address on my device? Why? What could this mean for me? Moreover, I deliberately make some addresses public so that clients can contact me. Why is my address so dangerous?
And the second question: Why do I need to use several devices—as you specified, at least two? I prefer to limit my travels to one device, fully understanding the full level of responsibility for my actions. But still, should I multiply my devices in order to be logged in everywhere? Do you understand what you are offering? :)

To keep your precious cryptocurrencies safe, don't use online wallets in the first place because they are not completely safe and are highly vulnerable to hacks and exploits. That's why, someone who has a large amount of Bitcoins or any cryptocurrencies, they should use hard wallets or cold wallets that are not connected to the internet and the private keys and seed phrases are kept somewhere very safe that hackers can't reach them.

I don't recommend keeping a lot of funds in an exchange unless they are being used for day trading purposes because exchanges are not for storing assets but they are for trading. And it isn't necessary to use different platforms but using just one should be enough and one should only use one email for that but just be careful about their email being secure and should avoid opening links or using that email almost everywhere they create an account. One should essentially avoid using the same email and same password on other websites.

I got infected with clipboard virus twice in the last 2 days and thrice in total. What to say, no matter how secure we try to be there will always be some loopholes. Luckily for me, my device didn't contained any kind of wallets or funds. The most frustrating thing is that, I had to reinstall windows again and again, because of this sly virus.

I agree with this tip. Social media scams are becoming increasingly common, and it is good to be cautious about what you click on. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.


It is not always easy to tell which links are safe and which ones are malicious, so it is best to be cautious and avoid clicking on any links that you dont recognize. But I believe it is impossible to completely avoid clicking on links when actively using the internet.


This tip is more subjective. I understand the concern about malware and viruses, but I dont think it is realistic to expect people to never visit porn sites.


I agree with this tip. Only download apps from trusted sources, and before you install any app, make sure you read the reviews and check the permissions that the app is requesting.


Browser extensions can be a great way to add functionality to your browser, but they can also be a security risk. So basically the same as for apps, only install extensions from trusted sources, and make sure you read the reviews before installing any extension.


I disagree with this tip. It is important to keep your software up to date, as this can help to protect you from security vulnerabilities. Most reputable applications will issue patches and updates as soon as a security flaw appears. People often become victims of 0-day attacks precisely because they do not update their software in time.


In fact, it would be best not to use online wallets and exchanges at all, but if you have to, use them only for the amounts you need. Keep the rest in a cold wallet.


I agree. Using different email addresses for different wallets and exchanges can help to protect your privacy and security. If one of your email addresses is compromised, it will be more difficult for hackers to access your crypto holdings.


Yes. Using strong passwords is important for protecting your online accounts. Strong passwords should be long, complex, and include a variety of characters, such as uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.


It is not always practical to memorize all of your passwords, and writing them down is not always secure. A better option is to use a password manager. Of course, it is important to choose a secure password manager with good encryption.


I do not understand this tip. Yes, it is better not to use the same device for holding cryptocurrencies and daily activities. But that is not practical or feasible for everyone. Better advice is not to keep large amounts in an online wallet or exchange.

I think what he was actually implying is the fact that one shouldn’t be clicking on links sent privately to you on your social media accounts or even through emails. This links are mostly sent based on algorithm to people who regularly browse about cryptocurrency or who follow various influencers on social media. There is softwares that actually filter this messages but the problem is sometimes hackers create sites that look so unique and end up not getting caught by this softwares. The best solution to all this phishing attacks is to have a separate device for your wallet or use the safest option of going into cold wallet

Well, no matter how much we try to safeguard our account, there are really times that hacking becomes hard to control. Even professional investors are still prone from hacking if they become careless at some point. So investing with caution and protecting the security of our coins should always be a must, and not only when hacking becomes rampant.

However, even if we end up following all these tips, we cannot guarantee that hacking will never happen. It's part of any investment already that sometimes hacking even becomes inevitable.

I don't see "never connect the device to the internet where your wallet is installed" That means even if you manage not to do every mentioned points still there is no assurance that your cryptos are safe.

Those points were good but in the tech world never use the word impossible to hack because a hacker always takes that as a challenge and will accomplish that even if its just for fun.