Bitcoin Forum

So I'm thinking about getting into bitcoin trading and stuff, and I plan to begin storing my first bitcoins soon. I've read for this sense it is much safer to have Linux than for example Windows (as it is for a lot of other aspects aswell). Do you think is this really a thing to consider? Do I need to have tons of bitcoins before I get concerned about their safety? Should I consider switching to Linux if I'm storing just a few of them, or is it stupid?

Thanks erry'one in advance.

Windows or MAC OS is fine, as long as you have security in place;IE solid antivirus software and firewall.

Just make sure you backup your wallet, either to offline hard drive or USB stick, and/or Paper wallet as well.

If you're really security conscious, you may want to consider one of these hardware wallets for another level of security:

https://www.bitcointrezor.com/

https://www.ledgerwallet.com/

What would be a good way to store an online backup for my wallet then? Maybe uploading it to Google Drive, or MEGA?

This will only make things worst . Keeping your wallet Online is the worst idea you can get mate .
Hacker don't need to hack your PC , he should simply hack your Gmail or MEGA Account (not even hacking probably simple Brute force cracking) and he is in .
I suggest keeping them in Offline device .
~ Madness

Makes lots of sense. What if my offline device gets broken, or burnt, or w/e? Is there a super safe way to store bitcoins? I'm getting to the idea there is no 100% safe way to do it. My online wallet could get hacked and my offline USB/HD could crack...

Use the OS you are most familiar with. Use any modern version of Windows, Mac or Linux and keep it fully updated.

About backing up your wallet, when storing a backup remotely make sure it is encrypted with a strong enough password to prevent against bruteforce. Assume your adversary can do 1 trillion guesses/sec. The best password is one that is randomly generated and is at least 120bits strong, which is roughly 14-16 characters of letters, numbers and special characters. If you are using a password you made up yourself and didn't randomly generate it will need to be significantly longer than this.

I would not recommend using MEGA, as if you lose your MEGA password there is no way to regain access to your encrypted wallet, so you have to remember two passwords and the chances of you forgetting passwords and losing your Bitcoins is greatly increased. Also as you probably know megaupload was shut down and all data was deleted, so I would stay away from MEGA just in case. Google Drive seems ok.


Remote backups are OK as long as they are done properly. They are useful in the event your house burns down or something terrible like that, or if you are travelling a lot.

OS does matter to be honest . Using Linux would be better then using Windows because most of viruses out there are written for Windows.
So you could increase your safety by using Linux .

I would suggest you to use Electrum as a wallet , because It gives you a 12 words seed when you setup the wallet for the first time , and you can recover your Bitcoins & wallet with those words in a case of a computer failure or device get burnt as you said etc ... So just keep those words in a vault in a piece of paper or whatever . and you should be fine

~ Madness

While were on this topic, is a MAC any safer than a PC?

If you don't know anything about Linux, then you shouldn't use it as you're more likely to configure something wrong, install something malicious or not update it properly. A lot of Bitcoin stealing malware have variants for Linux, the "less viruses" thing doesn't really matter when you are specifically being targeted by hackers. It's best to use the OS you are most comfortable with.


Not really. Most modern OS's have similar security features.

Believe that's where the beauty of Trezor and Ledger come into play.  If you somehow break or lose these devices or it gets stolen, I think you just need to provide the seed password or pin code to retrieve your full balance onto the replacement device.

I guess it is statistically a bit safer but I consider to be the same, personally, since Mac and Win are the democratized Operating Systems worldwide.


I like this one a lot, in case I lose my offline device I can get to my wallet again via these words seed. What are they (Electrum) doing with the wallet, then? Isn't this some sort of remote backup that can't get compromised aswell? Someone could get into Electrum's DB and... voila?

They don't store anything in their Database as far as I know, you can see here more informations about the seed : https://electrum.org/seed.html

~ Madness

I would ask the NSA.

Just kidding, you should only be using open source software.

I think that security is made for each of us! Independent on which operating system is using

The thing is that I'm not a fan of having an antivirus in Windows nor having a firewall, they need lots of resources, makes PC slowlier and clumsier...  :-\

You can always turn off real-time protection on your anti-virus scanner and just do a scan on every downloaded file and a full scan every 1-2 weeks. While this is significantly less safe, it's a lot better than no anti-virus and won't use up much resources. Anti-virus should really be a failsafe anyways, you shouldn't solely rely of them to keep your PC safe.

Windows 7+ has a built-in firewall which doesn't use much system resources.

I use linux since 2001 or so, I'm a big proponent of free open-source software.

You should start using GNU/linux not only because it's safer and better but because it's the right thing to do. :)

I use linux too lately. If im using Bitcoin qt and have people connecting on my node, might as well have an OS like linux and not windows for extra security.

Easy thing to do to test if your computer is not infected, get any desktop wallet without password and with 1$ bitcoin.
If noone will take it, computer is secure :)

Anyway, any OS is secure as much as big is its user security knowledge

So if you guys were to take any antivirus as your own, concerning your bitcoins security, which one would you chose? A free one like avast! is cool?

Also,


Damn, straight to my heart...  :-*

The flip side to this is that some basement dweller scanin ips is going to make a note of ones running linux.

Sorta related to this thread is the following bit of news that "Tails" OS now has a Bitcoin wallet option:

http://cointelegraph.com/news/113562/the-worlds-most-secure-operating-system-adds-a-bitcoin-wallet

Never used Tails, but from what I gather, it's the most secure operating system out there, even over Linux.  Them embracing Bitcoin readily, bodes as a great sign of things.

As long you add great security, every OS is secure for bitcoin wallet
Tails OS is one of most secure OS now, but you can't install it :(

Here it is. Totally free and ready for you to download and install it:

https://tails.boum.org/ (https://tails.boum.org/)

But I am afraid normal people would not want to use this type of OS...

Is this Tails a Linux distro? How come it is so safe? I might be finally doing the switch to GNU/Linux anyway, with Ubuntu in mind...

Edit: Yeap its built on Debian and it forces you to surf the net via Tor.

better not doing this
online is very risky, i would sugest you using VM
your vm is only use to store your wallet, nothing else

Antviruses aren't safe enough. Viruses can still sneak pass the detection. the best way is to never download any suspicious program or even better, wipe your PC before making a paper wallet.

You could potentially messed up someone due to the lack of knowledge in Linux. Linux isn't as user friendly as Windows in my opinion. As long as you install updates on Windows, a freshly wiped computer running Windows shouldn't pose any threat to your wallet.

I suggest OP to use a paper wallet and laminate it. It would pretty much prevents most damages. For safety purposes, make copies of tjemand put them at different geographical locations.

Nothing is forcing you. It is system designed for extreme uses. If you want ultimate privacy build in TOR requirements this is for you. I doubt that bitcoin users need that. Basic windows is more useful for mainstream bitcoin usage.

Linux is considered better in terms of security.
I would suggest going for cold storage once you accumulate some bitcoins. This matters more than the kind of OS you have.

Yes Electrum! You can have !the same! wallet on different computers, on different operating systems.
And linux distribution for anonymous web surfing Tails have pre-installed Electrum wallet...

"New features: Electrum is an easy-to-use Bitcoin wallet, you can use the Bitcoin client persistence feature to store your Electrum configuration and wallet; the Tor Browser has additional operating system and data security"

http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=08824

Edit:
Ups, sorry I see tails was already mentioned...

 

It's worth noting that by using Tor, you are risking the possibility of a 0 day exploit on https. People have been hacked like this. Unless you really want tor, try private internet access or don't even use VPN.

Well I have both mac and windows, and I asked someone with Linux to set up my main wallet. Less likely to get keyloggers there.

its far from the worst idea , the worst idea would be to post your private key on an forum ; )

Tails is not very convenient for everyday use imo. Unless you are paranoid you are ok with any normal Linux distro or even Win 7 + antivirus and firewall + common sense.

What is important is your security rather than operating system, but it is very easy to get a virus on windows and most are built for it. Using linux/ubuntu is much safer due to lack of viruses in my opinion but I'd just concentrate on making sure you have a safe and secure computer.

you don't need to switch to linux just because of bitcoin, there are other ways for securing your bitcoin like paper wallet or like this (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=853288.0)
but linux is more secure and if you are willing to migrate from "familiar" windows to a new environment then go for it, especially if the programs that you use day by day have also linux versions

That's your choice I think. If you to lazy to make your windows secure with high security switch to Linux but another choice is paper wallet

Refer this thread for a good explanation
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=17240.0

Awesome post, thanks man! Great idea from OP, gonna do just that.

The problem is if you like videogames. I do and I also tend to use audio programs for music making. So If I want to use Linux I have to shut down and boot under Linux. Going through Win to Linux just for Bitcoin isnt worth it for me.

yes, exactly. this is my problem too. that is why i said "the programs that you use day by day have also linux versions". well videogames are a big part of it. but mostly some professional programs do not have any linux version and so a peroson who uses them on daily basis will encounter problems

p.s. i am not sure but i think there are ways to run there apps in linux too

I will summarize this thread for you OP. If you are casual user of bitcoin, likes easy solutions, you like to play some PC games (they are awesome), you are using some software available only for Windows then there is no point for you to change your operating system to something 'more secure'.
If you are professional user you would not ask people if system matter in the first place. So stick to Windows and you will be just fine.

I don't see what the big deal or big effort is in 'shutting down to boot linux'. You can easily boot from a live cd or usb and its best to keep your coins away from your everyday computer. Far easier to get infected this way and your coins will be safe if they're effectively on a new system. You could also just buy a cheap raspberry pi to boot up to use your bitcoins. Problem solved.

Yeah you can sort of emulate Windows under Linux and play, but the performance is terribly bad compared to the real thing.

that's right. it is going to be a pain in the ass to do so. also you can create a virtual machine (i like virtualbox) and create a windows inside that, but you will need a somewhat powerfull pc!

Yea, it's like a sandbox... I use it too... every time you reboot the virtual machine, you start with a clean OS.

I also use a boot disk on a old "cheap" computer I have... it has no harddrive {dumb terminal} and I save everything to external storage. {This is only used on this computer}

Every time you restart, you use a fresh installed OS. {It cancel out any nasty stuff, that might have been installed -- eg. Keyloggers etc}

I assume gaming programs are more optimized due to the amount of windows users out there. Frankly speaking, those who are intelligent never get viruses or malware. If you use google chrome, dont install foreign programs, etc. you would be just fine. Ubuntu is just for those who are paranoid but it has exploits in it too.

I just switched to Ubuntu (besides this getting into bitcoin thing it was something I was looking to do for a long time, switching to free software) and mainly the 2 games I play the most, CS:GO and Dota 2 run silky smooth, so everything's perfect for me.  :)

I don't think that the Operating System is that important, actually. I think it is more important to make sure you don't have any malware on your system. Basically every system can have malware these days, and your not even safe on Linux os OS X machines if you installed the malware yourself by mistake.

If you know your way around it and keep yourself protected it won't but if you can't just start out with ubuntu.

Yes, but it's piss easy to get viruses on Windows and even an anti virus cannot protect against all viruses. There's next to zero viruses for linux and the chance of you getting one is very very slim but I agree you shouldn't just rely on linux to save you but I would recommend using it. Ubuntu is piss easy to use and you don't need to be an expert so there's no excuses.

I guess you have to pay attention what you're installing on Linux, as well. It's just too damn easy to sneak some BTC-stealing code into some repository you're using to compile something, man.

I have 2 windows machines and 1 linux. Both of my Windows machines dualboot linux. I prefer linux(ubuntu) over windows any day. It's a lot more efficient and safer. I don't have any anti-virus software, but then again, I am extremely cautious of what I do. As ChuckBuck said, it doesn't matter as long as you have a solid anti-virus and a firewall active.

If you're a technically advanced user- go for linux.
If you're an average joe - Windows is for you.
If you're computer illiterate - OSX will do the job.

Exactly. In a very pretty fashion, but you lose control of your own machine.

(And soul?)

Apple is one of those Ginger children(no offense to Gingers, I love you guys) who devour your soul and make you buy every overpriced simplified product they create.

I'm not looking for an argument with you Apple fanboys

What you talking about, I used Apple products and services everyday!  I don't see anything wrong with being like everyone else...

https://theyellowbrickroadfreeblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/iphone-5-crowd.jpg

For security, yes.
Linux is the most secure if you know how to follow security procedures.
Windows is fine for the casual user but once you start holding vast amounts of bitcoin, i recommend Linux or BSD.

hahahaha, way to offend Apple users AND gingers in the same sentence :P

Loved the small text, really. Reminded me of iTunes user agreement.

Ahh the trifecta!  Apple user, ginger, and hipster all wrapped into one ball of regret...

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/b3/b36183af739125d3eea62f15e7223922c42546dc8899032098a5df3133a8b569.jpg

you can use offline wallets and save your private keys in paper then put it somewhere safe so that even your hdd or usb got a problem so can still recover your stored coins

You can use linux if you are new, feel free to download

Tail Os 1.3 that includes electrum and it can be ran from usb and will have persistent memory.

https://tails.boum.org/download/

If you want to learn, you can get elementary Os and read some guides, you'll be enjoying a lot more after you have some knowledge on linux and can tweak it by your self.

;D
 
It was the best accurate comparison I could think of.

Might I just add, if you use Ubuntu, it's actually very user friendly. If you haven't used linux before you'll learn quickly with Ubuntu (at least I did)

It's been a second since I tried linux for the nth time but I always like how Windows 'just works' (usually).  With Linux it's like constantly googling for the next secret handshake to fix whatever issue.

But.. Linux can def have advantages too

Linux is better but i prefer windows as am familiar to it

It's just that you used windows first is which why you prefer it and why you're used to it. If you stated off with Linux you'd get to know it like the back of your hand

I started with Windows, and usability-wise it Linux feels much closer to it than Mac.

Linux distributions like Ubuntu are opensourced which might be more secure than Windows and you can compile it yourself.

Compile it yourself?
For a beginner, that is really not an option.

For beginners it's not. Linux isn't really an option for users who aren't very advanced with computers. Windows is better since there is a lot of support for it on the Internet. Linux is for the advanced users who know how to differentiate between chalk and cheese 

Pretty much this. If you are not scared to learn of course

Ubuntu can still be used by Newbies. It was easy for me when I used though Linux doesn't support GUI like Windows. I don't like Windows much because it isn't open and very easy for a malware attack. A malware can auto-run without are permission but this can't be done in Linux. We actually need to run a script for a malware attack, so it is secure. Correct me if I am wrong! :)

   -MZ

I finally made the switch to Linux, and Im enjoying it a lot more than expected. Not so difficult as it seems, makes you think a little bit more than a normal winows-user experience, so it's fun and exciting if you enjoy challenges, and it's free software!

If it is solved, please lock this thread to prevent spams by clicking 'lock topic' on bottom-left of this thread. Thanks! :)

   -MZ

You can use alternativeto.net to find alternatives for the software you are used to.

Awesome dude! Glad to hear you're using Linux! If you ever need any help just pm me, I should be able to help you out. What distro are you using?

If I could play videogames in Linux I would stay there, but like it has been said before most good video, audio and videogames are in Windows.

Well Steam OS is an option but there isn't a vast selection of games. It's something. Having an OS dedicated to gaming will definitely gain attraction from more developers and companies.

Thanks! I'm using Ubuntu 14.04 right now, I might stick with this one and not upgrade to 15 next april, I'm quite happy with it, not only looks great but is intuitive and user friendly!