Best thing to do if you lose your wallet.dat file?

[calkob]

Hi all quick question.  what is the best way to secure your bitcoin if someone else gets hold of your wallet.dat and knows your password?  would changing the password in bitcoin core make any difference?  i am guessing the old password will still allow the other person to access your keys no matter.

[cr1776]

Move the coins to a new address - one to which only you have the private key.

Changing the password of the wallet.dat won't help, you are correct.

Hi all quick question.  what is the best way to secure your bitcoin if someone else gets hold of your wallet.dat and knows your password?  would changing the password in bitcoin core make any difference?  i am guessing the old password will still allow the other person to access your keys no matter.

[Goins]

The password isn't stored online, it just encrypts the file and if you know the password you can decrypt it. So yes, your only option is to move the bitcoins to a new address before the other person does that.

[calkob]

Yes thanks for that info, so i take it all 100 addresses stored in Bitcoin core would then be useless?  if you wanted can you dump all addresses and generate new ones in the same wallet?  after moving all bitcoin off course.

[Goins]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

[unholycactus]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

That describes useless to me.
Any funds send to those addresses will be available to anyone who can use the private key.
@OP, create another wallet from scratch, there's no point in keeping your old address even for signing.

[calkob]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

the 1st 100 address are already created in core, so all the privkeys are stored on the wallet.dat for each of them address. so that is why you would want to dump them.  and create new addresses with new keys

[calkob]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

That describes useless to me.
Any funds send to those addresses will be available to anyone who can use the private key.
@OP, create another wallet from scratch, there's no point in keeping your old address even for signing.

Thanks for the reply, so when you say create a new wallet from scratch, what do you mean?  do you mean uninstall bitcoin core and reinstall?  would that then remove the blockchain from my hard drive or is there a simpler way to just delete my wallet within core? 

cheers

[Pk880058]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

That describes useless to me.
Any funds send to those addresses will be available to anyone who can use the private key.
@OP, create another wallet from scratch, there's no point in keeping your old address even for signing.

Thanks for the reply, so when you say create a new wallet from scratch, what do you mean?  do you mean uninstall bitcoin core and reinstall?  would that then remove the blockchain from my hard drive or is there a simpler way to just delete my wallet within core? 

cheers

It means that if you are using blockchain core desktop wallet then change to other wallet like electrum or online web wallet like coinbase or xapo and create a new address  and send all your coins to the new wallet address created and just leave the old wallet as it is and never ever try to touch it .

[Goins]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

That describes useless to me.
Any funds send to those addresses will be available to anyone who can use the private key.
@OP, create another wallet from scratch, there's no point in keeping your old address even for signing.

You should still be able to create a new address which won't append in the wallet file of the other person then. It's not like it automatically updates, assuming Core is not using xPub.

[shorena]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

That describes useless to me.
Any funds send to those addresses will be available to anyone who can use the private key.
@OP, create another wallet from scratch, there's no point in keeping your old address even for signing.

You should still be able to create a new address which won't append in the wallet file of the other person then. It's not like it automatically updates, assuming Core is not using xPub.

STOP. YOUR. ASSUMPTIONS.

As someone else already said, core keeps (by default) 100 addresses pregenerated in the wallet.dat file. If someone else has the file they also have these 100 hidden keys. They will e.g be used for change. Your solution is plain dangerous.

A completely new wallet file can easily be created by just renaming the old file when core is closed.

[Moloch]

STOP. YOUR. ASSUMPTIONS.

As someone else already said, core keeps (by default) 100 addresses pregenerated in the wallet.dat file. If someone else has the file they also have these 100 hidden keys. They will e.g be used for change. Your solution is plain dangerous.

A completely new wallet file can easily be created by just renaming the old file when core is closed.

Fo real yo... here's your solution

1) Close bitcoin (if it is open)
2) Rename wallet.dat to wallet_old.dat
3) Start bitcoin (creating a brand new wallet.dat file)
4) Copy receive address to clipboard
5) Close bitcoin
6) Rename new wallet.dat to wallet_new.dat
7) Rename old/compromised wallet_old.dat to wallet.dat
8] Start bitcoin and send all bitcoins to new wallet address you copied to clipboard
9) Close bitcoin
10) Delete or rename wallet.dat (old compromised wallet) (*AFTER* transaction has confirmed!)
11) Rename wallet_new.dat to wallet.dat
12) Start bitcoin and encrypt your new wallet with a new password
13) Pretend none of this every happened

[Goins]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

That describes useless to me.
Any funds send to those addresses will be available to anyone who can use the private key.
@OP, create another wallet from scratch, there's no point in keeping your old address even for signing.

You should still be able to create a new address which won't append in the wallet file of the other person then. It's not like it automatically updates, assuming Core is not using xPub.

STOP. YOUR. ASSUMPTIONS.

As someone else already said, core keeps (by default) 100 addresses pregenerated in the wallet.dat file. If someone else has the file they also have these 100 hidden keys. They will e.g be used for change. Your solution is plain dangerous.

A completely new wallet file can easily be created by just renaming the old file when core is closed.

Sir, your problem is that you simply don't understand what I'm saying. I never said anything about using these 100 addresses which Core creates by default. But sure, just creating a new wallet is an option too and I never said it wasn't.

[shorena]

Well, they are not useless but I suggest you not to use them anymore if someone else has access to the wallet file and password and thus having access to the private keys.
I haven't used Core myself yet but you should be able to just create a new address and then move the bitcoins to that address. That other person shouldn't have access to your newly generated address if he/she doesn't gets a new copy of your wallet file. You don't necessarily have to dump the other addresses, just don't use them anymore.

That describes useless to me.
Any funds send to those addresses will be available to anyone who can use the private key.
@OP, create another wallet from scratch, there's no point in keeping your old address even for signing.

You should still be able to create a new address which won't append in the wallet file of the other person then. It's not like it automatically updates, assuming Core is not using xPub.

STOP. YOUR. ASSUMPTIONS.

As someone else already said, core keeps (by default) 100 addresses pregenerated in the wallet.dat file. If someone else has the file they also have these 100 hidden keys. They will e.g be used for change. Your solution is plain dangerous.

A completely new wallet file can easily be created by just renaming the old file when core is closed.

Sir, your problem is that you simply don't understand what I'm saying. I never said anything about using these 100 addresses which Core creates by default. But sure, just creating a new wallet is an option too and I never said it wasn't.

Dont Sir me, Im no knight. You said "create a new address". Please explain how to do so securely without risk that the other person also has the same address.

[Goins]

Why should the other person have the newly created address if he's not able to get the latest wallet file? The copy of the wallet file that person has does not automatically update.

[shorena]

Why should the other person have the newly created address if he's not able to get the latest wallet file? The copy of the wallet file that person has does not automatically update.

I already explained to you that there are pre generated hidden addresses. Please explain how you "create a new address". If you talk about hitting the button that says "+ New", well fucking done you just risked someone elses coins because you have no idea what you are talking about.

[tommorisonwebdesign]

Why should the other person have the newly created address if he's not able to get the latest wallet file? The copy of the wallet file that person has does not automatically update.

I already explained to you that there are pre generated hidden addresses. Please explain how you "create a new address". If you talk about hitting the button that says "+ New", well fucking done you just risked someone elses coins because you have no idea what you are talking about.

Newbies should do more research on Bitcoin before talking like they know what the fuck they're talking about.

[Goins]

Why should the other person have the newly created address if he's not able to get the latest wallet file? The copy of the wallet file that person has does not automatically update.

I already explained to you that there are pre generated hidden addresses. Please explain how you "create a new address". If you talk about hitting the button that says "+ New", well fucking done you just risked someone elses coins because you have no idea what you are talking about.

That's like me creating a PNG file, sending it to you, opening it in paint and drawing a line and the line appears in your file too. As I already said he has to create a new address and when I say create a new address I mean an actual new address. I didn't say anything about how to create this new address, you're just assuming I did. If there's 100 pre-generated addresses, then he must just skip these and the problem is solved.
And again, I never said creating a new wallet is wrong. So what is your problem?

[shorena]

Why should the other person have the newly created address if he's not able to get the latest wallet file? The copy of the wallet file that person has does not automatically update.

I already explained to you that there are pre generated hidden addresses. Please explain how you "create a new address". If you talk about hitting the button that says "+ New", well fucking done you just risked someone elses coins because you have no idea what you are talking about.

That's like me creating a PNG file, sending it to you, opening it in paint and drawing a line and the line appears in your file too.

Well wallet files work somewhat different than pictures so your analogy is wrong.

As I already said he has to create a new address and when I say create a new address I mean an actual new address. I didn't say anything about how to create this new address, you're just assuming I did. If there's 100 pre-generated addresses, then he must just skip these and the problem is solved.
And again, I never said creating a new wallet is wrong. So what is your problem?

My problem is that you are giving bad and borderline malicious advice to someone with a problem. A problem that potentially involes a lot of coins. And your solution is for them to "create a new address", without any indication on how to do it. What advice is that? If you tell them to "create a new address" and they are using a software that has a "+ New" button that is creating seemingly new addresses, what do you think will happen?