Possibly Hacked

[Maxicap]

Honestly after lossing money 2 times like that I would consider that im getting hacked, I would remove your entire hard disk and install an OS from scratch, if you use windows don't forget that it's useless unless you install a firewall and decent av and anti malware at least.

I'm currently running windows 7 professional. I use my internal hard drive as well as an external 2tb hard drive. Would you suggest that I wipe both?

[sase007]

So I've only had my wallet for a couple months, casually buying and selling bitcoins.
About a month ago I mysteriously lost about $30 USD, it said that I'd sent the coins the night before but I didn't remember doing that.
I just passed it off as me being tired and making a transaction I didn't remember.
Well it happened again, with the same amount, and I'm pissed off.
If anyone can give me advice on what to do in this situation please help
On another note, the blockchain address said the coins were sent to the middle of the Gulf of Guinea. Yeah, definitely wasn't me....

https://blockchain.info/tx-index/1e75ffea8e1d8a22696d32c7ddbd373a8c5212c4656fb755e65d6b694f3566da?show_adv=true

What platform was this on.
If it was a software wallet then it is unlikely that it could be hacked... but not impossible.
I suggest that you spread your savings around or use some old storage for coins that you don't need to be "hot".

Even, just use 2FA on a platform like coinbase or blockchain.info to send your bitcoint too and keep them secure.

[Maxicap]

........
So when I set up coinbase to automatically sell $200 worth of bitcoins once a month, and it does it without me logging in, how exactly is it doing this?

No I haven't configured it to do this, but I can.

I don't know how all the web wallets work, but with coinbase only the coins you have in their so-called "vault" require some type of pass phrase to unlock. The normal account, the private keys are not tied to your login password or a passphrase.

I don't use their vault, I use cold addresses instead for similar purpose, so all my currency at coinbase (which I keep small) could be spent by someone who got into my account - though large amounts or several small amounts trigger 2FA but single small amounts don't (mainly because I don't need it to, I keep less than 1 BTC there)

web wallets are different from each other. a service like coinbase is something like what you said. (I don't know if they have the auto pay option) but assuming you set such option they deduct the amount from your "account" not bitcoin address. in wallets like coinbase AFAIK you don't have access to a single bitcoin address/private key they have all the access and you only have an account.

but other web wallets like Blockchain.info is different. they don't have any access to your funds/private keys the wallet is created in your browser, encrypted in your browser, decrypted in there too and they are only keeping an encrypted version of it on their servers with no access to your funds whatsoever.
this is what people usually don't know about these services.

The OP never said they were taken from a private address he controlled.

To clear some of this up.. It was not a web wallet

[aarons6]

........
So when I set up coinbase to automatically sell $200 worth of bitcoins once a month, and it does it without me logging in, how exactly is it doing this?

No I haven't configured it to do this, but I can.

I don't know how all the web wallets work, but with coinbase only the coins you have in their so-called "vault" require some type of pass phrase to unlock. The normal account, the private keys are not tied to your login password or a passphrase.

I don't use their vault, I use cold addresses instead for similar purpose, so all my currency at coinbase (which I keep small) could be spent by someone who got into my account - though large amounts or several small amounts trigger 2FA but single small amounts don't (mainly because I don't need it to, I keep less than 1 BTC there)

web wallets are different from each other. a service like coinbase is something like what you said. (I don't know if they have the auto pay option) but assuming you set such option they deduct the amount from your "account" not bitcoin address. in wallets like coinbase AFAIK you don't have access to a single bitcoin address/private key they have all the access and you only have an account.

but other web wallets like Blockchain.info is different. they don't have any access to your funds/private keys the wallet is created in your browser, encrypted in your browser, decrypted in there too and they are only keeping an encrypted version of it on their servers with no access to your funds whatsoever.
this is what people usually don't know about these services.

The OP never said they were taken from a private address he controlled.

To clear some of this up.. It was not a web wallet

is it a "brain wallet"

tell us what program it is..

core-qt? electrum?

perhaps you downloaded it from a phishing site.. not all wallets are legit and you should only download them from the source.

[Maxicap]

........
So when I set up coinbase to automatically sell $200 worth of bitcoins once a month, and it does it without me logging in, how exactly is it doing this?

No I haven't configured it to do this, but I can.

I don't know how all the web wallets work, but with coinbase only the coins you have in their so-called "vault" require some type of pass phrase to unlock. The normal account, the private keys are not tied to your login password or a passphrase.

I don't use their vault, I use cold addresses instead for similar purpose, so all my currency at coinbase (which I keep small) could be spent by someone who got into my account - though large amounts or several small amounts trigger 2FA but single small amounts don't (mainly because I don't need it to, I keep less than 1 BTC there)

web wallets are different from each other. a service like coinbase is something like what you said. (I don't know if they have the auto pay option) but assuming you set such option they deduct the amount from your "account" not bitcoin address. in wallets like coinbase AFAIK you don't have access to a single bitcoin address/private key they have all the access and you only have an account.

but other web wallets like Blockchain.info is different. they don't have any access to your funds/private keys the wallet is created in your browser, encrypted in your browser, decrypted in there too and they are only keeping an encrypted version of it on their servers with no access to your funds whatsoever.
this is what people usually don't know about these services.

The OP never said they were taken from a private address he controlled.

To clear some of this up.. It was not a web wallet

is it a "brain wallet"

tell us what program it is..

core-qt? electrum?

perhaps you downloaded it from a phishing site.. not all wallets are legit and you should only download them from the source.

It's called MultipBit HD. Downloaded from the official site

[aarons6]

It's called MultipBit HD. Downloaded from the official site

Secure by design
All your data is kept encrypted on your machine

so unless someone else knows your password or you made an insanely easy one like password123 should have been safe..


do you have as roomate or girlfriend that knows your passwords?

at any rate, id make a new wallet.. and move your bitcoins to it..

make it with a secure password (10 digits or more).. using CAPITAL, lowercase, 1234567890 and !@#$%^&*() characters.

[LiberOptions]

I already got hacked as well. I had a blockchain.info wallet with a very bad password. it was hacked in just a few days and I didn't had too much in there... so I imagine that if you have a little more they can steal you even faster

[btcltccoins]

what do u mean bad password ? can you tell me whats the good password at block chain ?
The transactions also require you approve on the email. so your email was also hacked ?

[btcltccoins]

Reading this post i am feeling insure...why can our wallets be stolen so easily?
We have online bank accounts and they never get hacked...so why bitcoins online wallets get hacks too easily ?

[erikalui]

You must have possible used a service that charges you $30 every month and your bitcoin account must be linked to it (ponzi website, forex or any other website). Hence it's better you open a new wallet and store your coins there instead of your old wallet. If it was hacked, you would have lost everything.

[calkob]

The last couple of days there has been a number of attempts to brute force a lot of blockchain.info wallets, dont know how they got the id's.  but i would guess as has already been said that you where not hacked, does anyone else have access to your wallet?

[calkob]

You must have possible used a service that charges you $30 every month and your bitcoin account must be linked to it (ponzi website, forex or any other website). Hence it's better you open a new wallet and store your coins there instead of your old wallet. If it was hacked, you would have lost everything.

Another site cant take bitcoin from your wallet like a direct debit, they could only do that if they had the privkey in which case its not your bitcoin its theirs.......

[aarons6]

The last couple of days there has been a number of attempts to brute force a lot of blockchain.info wallets, dont know how they got the id's.  but i would guess as has already been said that you where not hacked, does anyone else have access to your wallet?

it could be people that make aliases the same as their username here.. or their real name.

that could be a very bad idea.

[AliceWonderMiscreations]

The last couple of days there has been a number of attempts to brute force a lot of blockchain.info wallets, dont know how they got the id's.  but i would guess as has already been said that you where not hacked, does anyone else have access to your wallet?

it could be people that make aliases the same as their username here.. or their real name.

that could be a very bad idea.

Yes, people tend to use the same ID at many different sites, or related IDs at many different sites.

My bank requires a user ID contain both upper and lower case and a digit to try and avoid that, because most user ids that people reuse are either all lower case or several easily discernible words with ucfirst.

That's in addition to their password requirements, and 2FA.

[DodoB]

An up to date anti virus is the best way to protect offline wallets stored in your PC. if it was an online one,well id recommend you to completely stay off online wallets. besides that,there is nothing you can do to get your money back,just be more careful in the future.

[aarons6]

An up to date anti virus is the best way to protect offline wallets stored in your PC. if it was an online one,well id recommend you to completely stay off online wallets. besides that,there is nothing you can do to get your money back,just be more careful in the future.

the blocktrail web wallet seems very secure..

i have 2 passwords i have to enter to get to the wallet.. first is the site login, the second is to decrypt the wallet..
then i have 2fa enabled so they need that code as well..

you have access to the private keys.. altho they are encrypted.. so you need to keep the 2nd password handy if you ever want to import them to another wallet.


they also have an android app. but i also dont see a way to increase the default fee. :/

[btcltccoins]

The last couple of days there has been a number of attempts to brute force a lot of blockchain.info wallets, dont know how they got the id's.  but i would guess as has already been said that you where not hacked, does anyone else have access to your wallet?

Brute force attack .. It the responsibility of the Block chain to protect their site from Brute force attacks.
They should make their network secure . It will be benefit form them and for ourselves also who keep an
online wallets there.

[btcltccoins]

The last couple of days there has been a number of attempts to brute force a lot of blockchain.info wallets, dont know how they got the id's.  but i would guess as has already been said that you where not hacked, does anyone else have access to your wallet?

it could be people that make aliases the same as their username here.. or their real name.

that could be a very bad idea.

Yes, people tend to use the same ID at many different sites, or related IDs at many different sites.

My bank requires a user ID contain both upper and lower case and a digit to try and avoid that, because most user ids that people reuse are either all lower case or several easily discernible words with ucfirst.

That's in addition to their password requirements, and 2FA.

Same Id and more importantly same passwords on the different sites in not a good practice. You can easily loose your bitcoins if one of your password is hacked.
Always keeps the passwords for your wallet
1-differnet
2-difficult

[pooya87]

~~~~
It's called MultipBit HD. Downloaded from the official site

just a theory since i am not using Multibit but you might want to consider this or ask around in the appropriate section here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=99.0

AFAIK MultiBit HD charges you a fee in order to use it, it means that you have to pay an extra amount of bitcoin to the developers for each transaction, but i don't think it is $30 (maybe accumulated a lot of these fees over time and paid them in one place?!)