Bitcoin Forum

So that I can start researching in the right area, I plan to buy BitCoin here and there as I can afford it, and I do not plan to sell or use it.   Is there a way to move it offline, either by printing something, a card, or something else that would make it super super secure (provided the physical info is in a safe place).  I read so many posts about people having stuff stolen over the years, or exchanges getting hacked or going broke, and since I don't plan to use or sell it, what would be the uber-safest solution?  I don't mind if it's complicated, or a harder thing to do, once I know it's the right option, I will take the time to learn how to do it.


Thanks in advance! 

maybe you can use a cold storage method like paper wallet usb storage that would become your safe deposit,,

How about Electrum wallet? I'm planning to use, is it safe to save my bitcoin here and hold it for longer term, just like the thread starter i just want to  know if it is really good on saving my coins offline.

Electrum wallet is the best and safest place to keep your bitcoins safe as I am using it from the day I came to know about bitcoins and never saw any coins missing from my wallet and your coins will be intact if you follow the basic steps to store them and it won't be easy for anyone to hack your wallet and steal your coins.

Yeah, been keeping my Bitcoins here for a long time now. I wrote my private key in my favorite place so I can't forget where I put it. I just use my bitcoin wallet exchanger when I will be converting some of my bitcoin into fiat. But I think this depends on how you will be taking care of your bitcoin and it don't really depend on what kind of wallet you use.

Ledger nano s/ Trezor are good options

I would recommend having at least 1 or 2 hardware wallets, or you can also store your bitcoin on a paper wallet.
Just make sure that you keep these hardware wallets or paper wallets in a secured place.
The only risk I see in keeping your bitcoins using these wallets it that, since its a hardware, it might be stolen if not placed in a secured place.

I distribute my bitcoin in blockchain wallet, hardware wallet and paper wallet.

1. I've been using blockchain wallet for few years, and I find this wallet to be safe and has no rules as to your part as the owner of the wallet

2. Hardware wallet such as trezor or ledger is now widely use by bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiast. So far these are the most trusted and well-known hardware wallets used nowadays

3. Paper wallet is literally a paper wallet. So just like hardware wallet, you have to keep it on a secured vault.

As suggested by other users, you should try hardware wallets as it is the safest way to protect your bitcoins. You can hold the bitcoins for longer time without any fear of theft.

What an amazing forum!  This was my first question on here, and so many helpful replies.  Thanks so much everybody!   Having a forum like this is priceless when researching topics, especially ones like this.   So glad I joined!   :)

As an upgrade from paper, you can make your own metal backup so it's Water/Fire-proof. Should last a lot longer. Just just posted about this yesterday and made a short guide whilst experimenting over the weekend:

https://pinode.weebly.com/hardened-cold-storage.html

https://i.imgur.com/At6Hg7U.png

Good fun and easy to do if you like afternoon projects.


Commercialy products like "cryptosteel" exist in the US

Besides the suggested Hardware Wallets and software, you can have either an old laptop or a Raspberry Pi disconnected from the network with Electrum or Armory and use either USB, a camera or the audio ports to copy the transaction to the offline computer for signing and copying it back again for broadcasting.


Interesting project, thanks for sharing! Does indeed look like Cryptosteel.

Only if you're not good enough to keep the paper wallet safely but this looks like an amazing idea. The fact that one puts in time to make a backup like this tells so much about the person and their safety concerns. Either ways this is a good way to backup the paper wallet.

Cold storage is the best way to store bitcoin for a long term and is the safest way because your the only one who can access it, you can keep your bitcoins in a usb drive or other data storage medium in a safe place or put your paper wallet in a safe box so no one can steal it.

Another option is to use a trusted program like "Veracrypt" (it's the new maintained version of Truecrypt) to create encrypted containers.

It basically makes a virtual disk drive of a user defined size, the contents of which is encrypted with AES-256. To quote https://veracrypt.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=AES

"In June 2003, after the NSA (US National Security Agency) conducted a review and analysis of AES, the U.S. CNSS (Committee on National Security Systems) announced in [1] that the design and strength of AES-256 (and AES-192) are sufficient to protect classified information up to the Top Secret level."

For example make a 20Mb encrypted container, secure it with a strong password, and put your backups in it. You can then email this file to yourself, keep it in your google drive, or keep it on a USB stick.

The encryption is good enough that the computer power required to break it would be better off mining blocks themselves for the 12.5 reward.

bitcoin is very secure and save to use because a lot of online and off line wallet are now invented that if we will put our bitcoin in those wallet it will provide safety for pour bitcoin it is suggested by the majority to use hardware wallets to put your bitcoin in. blockchain is also being use by people it will provide you password and the key of your wallet never ever share it with anyone and save your bitcoin for years to years and it will make you earn a lot of money as well.

Back to OP, for cost effectiveness I wouldn't recommend a hardware wallet. Yes they are great, but they are great for regular user interaction, for people needing a secure way to spend your funds without exposing keys/passwords. This is not the case the OP is asking, he/she wants a way to store keys and deposit funds only.

Once a wallet has been created and the Private key backed up somewhere (using any of the methods suggested by other users) he/she will only need the address to keep sending funds to that wallet and increase the balance. Online exchanges and merchants usually have an address book feature to make repeat payments.

A hardware wallet in this case is an unnecessary expense (they're not cheap). An encrypted container on a USB stick would serve the same purpose on a $5 USB drive, keys stored on the drive, address kept in the address book of where ever you'r buying them from, (I assume an online wallet/exchange).

I would go with hardware wallets, especially Ledger Blue or Trezor. They are the safest wallets as of now, and it is quite easy to take the backups and store them. And has anyone ever heard about coins getting stolen from hardware wallets?

There are many options to keep your bitcoin safely. One of the safest ways to store your bitcoin from stealing and hacking is that you should keep all the bitcoin in your hard cold mining pocket and not in the soft. Although the soft wallets are also very safe but by this way you will be more secure and there will be tension of stealing and hacking and you can also use it very easily and comfortably without any obstacles and hurdles.

Hardware wallet is the best to store your bitcoin but you need to buy the device and it's a little bit expensive. But there's one wallet that most likely a hard wallet it's the PAPER WALLET.

So what's a paper wallet?

A paper wallet is a document containing all of the data necessary to generate any number of Bitcoin private keys, forming a wallet of keys. However, people often use the term to mean any way of storing bitcoins offline as a physical document.

Advantages: The advantages of paperwallet is that you hold your private key and not stored online. Because if you place it to online wallet and the company gets hacked your bitcoin may hack too.

Disadvantages: If you lose the paper wallet. You will lose your bitcoin too.

You can try this site: Bitress.org

The way I secure my Bitcoin almost ensure only I, and my family members know how to unlock my funds. I create a my own Bitcoin address and print it out as a paper wallet. I print three or four copies of it and laminate them. I have different spots that I trust and I know are secure and safe and store these paper wallets at these locations.

Maybe storing bitcoin for a long period of time is a good idea and you are securing your future. The advantage of storing bitcoin for a long period is bitcoin is simultaneously increasing it's value. There a fluctuation of value but the rising of it's value is time to time.

I'm not saying that I am the ultimate truth, but it seems to me that the people themselves create problems. Any physical media can break or get lost. Then you won't be able to access their bitcoin. I think it is safer to keep money at trusted electronic wallets parts.

I actually do not know as I only know and familiar with one wallet. Which is the coins.ph. And I think there are a lot more wallets out there that I need to try because a lot of my friends are telling me about it. But what I liked about coins.ph as aside from being a wallet, I can easily convert my Bitcoins to pesos and use that to pay for the bills from coins.ph itself. Also, it has different ways on how to cash out money, my favorite one is through bank transfer.

Hardware wallet would be the safest to store bitcoin for the longest time in my opinion because you get to manipulate and keep your private keys and only you would know them.

I should add this is the single greatest thing from getting folks to buy in.
Years ago I dabbled, kept my money on an exchange but when mount GOX happened I panicked. I had my stuff held on a Canadian exchange but that scared me badly.
If I buy in again I want to be able to pull funds onto a USB key. Anyone do that?

The safest way for me in keeping bitcoins is think like you're keeping a valuable item and must always keep it secure. That includes the device where you keep your bitcoins, to have it stolen will spell a great loss on your end. Also avoid providing information which is also associated to your bitcoin account. Also the best option is to keep quiet about having bitcoins. It’s a sure fool proof way of hiding anything valuable that you have.

The majority of people are saying that a more secure wallet is that you place your wallet because they've experienced how secure you are to their proposal. I'm absolutely sure that the coinbase is secure as well because my bitcoins are not missing and I often use an ether wallet and what most people suggest is that I'm also safer because they have the experience they are using.

Yeah, been keeping my Bitcoins here for a long time now I think that hardware wallets are the best. Otherwise, you can store your bitcoin in a random wallet and save your private key in somewhere that no one can find. It will make your bitcoin safer than ever because no one can access without private key.As suggested by other users, you should try hardware wallets as it is the safest way to protect your bitcoins.

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You just need a wallet and as long as you make sure you don't loose the password of the wallet everything should be fine with hodling

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I have no doubt that Coinbase is probably one of the most secure exchanges out there, but the argument you make (my bitcoins have always been safe there) is a shaky one.
It'll always be safer to be in control of your own coins, preferably by using a hardware wallet.

Exchanges can always disappear or get into legal trouble, however low the chances may be.

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The safest way to store bitcoin for long term i think it's hardware wallet. My brother has it and it surely has high security. You don't really need to worry that you will lose your bitcoin because it's hacked or something, because it has some kind of double security or something, i don't really understand that can keep your bitcoin very very safe.
But online wallet is great enough for me, but it might be a bit risky, especially if you're careless enough to let people know your password or private key. But as long as you can be careful, then it won't be a problem.

Best option is a hardware wallet like Ledger, with a backup copy of the private keys on paper.

Send to some stranger on the internet with username containing "HODL". They are pretty much safe there ;)

He/she eventually uses Trezor or BIP38 encrypted paperwallets.

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Yes it is a good option too, but beware that the more complicated you will make it, the higher the chance you made a simple mistake that will render your founds irretrievable! (as an example, I was really paranoid at the time and I created a multilevel structure of a passphrase protected wallets inside the password protected RAR archives inside the password protected hidden TrueCrypt volumes; I distributed the passwords to different levels to different family members. I was sooooo scared when I was untangling this mess).

In my opinion, currently the best option is a hardware wallet, it is simple, easy to use, very secure, and human-mistake proof.

Wow, that does sound like a Web of passwords. I can see your intention but that seems a little excessive withe encrypted RAR files.

I was using the Truecrypt example as it's a reasonably user friendly method that is free and works for all coins/wallets.

Hardware wallets are deffinatly the best for usability however not every coin is supported yet. I'm looking out for when someone makes one that supports Monero (I don't think they're far off ). It's deffinatly easier to spend coins using a ledger or treezor, but if you just hodl then Truecrypt will do.

You can use a hardware wallet to store your cryptocurrencies, this is the best and safest wallet that you may use to store you crytos specially bitcoin, and also the most recommended of all long term holders. It's quite expensive, but it's worth it and you will not regret of choosing this wallet.

Yes Monero is not supported but it is on the Ledger Todo list, so hopefully it will be too.

You know, I needed three levels of passwords because I was the guardian of bitcoins for a number of siblings and I wanted to distribute the passwords so no group of them could cheat me :) but on the other hand, if something happened to me, I wanted them to be able to retrieve founds.

Now I think that it was totally useless and excessive :)