HOWTO: create a 100% secure wallet

[yuutt66]

There was some very helpful information in this thread. Thank you very much!

[1713869423]

1713869423

[HamBit]

Cheers, very useful for someone new to all this!

[lilphilog]

Thanks dude i just download the bitcoin wallet and needed this.

[miner2049]

This client, Armory -  http://bitcoinarmory.com/ , in conjunction with your bitcoin wallet says that it can give 100% security.  The trouble is you need to have an offline wallet held in a laptop computer dedicated to your bitcoins that never touches the internet. So I would invest in a paper wallet through Blockchain first and store the private keys in a safe, then put money in a offline wallet signing system like Armory once I have a fairly valuable amount of BTC. 

In other words, if you have over 50 BTC for example, use an Armory wallet signing software with a laptop that can be dedicated to just storing you bitcoins.  For amounts less than 50BTC, a paper wallet is a good and safe backup.

[McLuvin75]

Very useful and thanxx to miner2049 if my wallet ever gets in sync I'll DL CoinArmory.  Anyone got any fast ways to get Bitcoins in the UK without using Pingit pleas pm me.

[Lupus_domini]

There is no such thing as 100% secure on the internet nothing is sacred. Many things can destroy a wallet e.g. system errors, hard drive failure lemonade spillage etc...

[miner2049]

There is no such thing as 100% secure on the internet nothing is sacred. Many things can destroy a wallet e.g. system errors, hard drive failure lemonade spillage etc...

One way to look at the security is ; Whom have I given entrusted my private keys to? If the answer is no one but myself, then the weakest link is in yourself and no one else.

So paper wallets, Armory bitcoin signing software, (which can have paper keys as backups too) and even Bitbills http://www.bitbills.com/ are a safe way for storing the keys to your bitcoin assets.

Bitbills is based on trusting the company that has made the Bitbill and has destroyed their knowledge of the keys that are included in the cards they sell you.

Using these cold storage methods keep your coins off the internet until you want to use them.

[jonny1]

Great advice on this thread. Thanks for the heads up on securing your wallets

[DrButtFace]

Great thread, lots of real helpful info.

[l3sny]

Thanks for sharing this

[akinnee]

I like Electrum and Blockchain.

[PatMan]

Excellent and very helpful thread for semi noobs like me. Wealth of info that has really helped - Thanks! 

[kuaka]

A big fan of VM's myself, how about getting a VM (Used to use VMWare, but VirtualBox fan these days) of your favourite distro up and running, install all of the necessary software, take a "snapshot" of it (shut down is safer, but you can "snapshot" a running VM).  Do your wallet transactions inside the VM after booting it up, transfer the file to cd/usb stick/whatever..., shut down the VM reverting to snapshot.  Then you won't be needing to install the software every time, but you still get the benefit of having a system which doesn't actually contain your wallet.  If you are extremely paranoid, download the software installs separately and install them in the VM while not connected to the web.

[Richy_T]

A big fan of VM's myself, how about getting a VM (Used to use VMWare, but VirtualBox fan these days) of your favourite distro up and running, install all of the necessary software, take a "snapshot" of it (shut down is safer, but you can "snapshot" a running VM).  Do your wallet transactions inside the VM after booting it up, transfer the file to cd/usb stick/whatever..., shut down the VM reverting to snapshot.  Then you won't be needing to install the software every time, but you still get the benefit of having a system which doesn't actually contain your wallet.  If you are extremely paranoid, download the software installs separately and install them in the VM while not connected to the web.

I'm not sure what the VM gains you.

[kuaka]

A big fan of VM's myself, how about getting a VM (Used to use VMWare, but VirtualBox fan these days) of your favourite distro up and running, install all of the necessary software, take a "snapshot" of it (shut down is safer, but you can "snapshot" a running VM).  Do your wallet transactions inside the VM after booting it up, transfer the file to cd/usb stick/whatever..., shut down the VM reverting to snapshot.  Then you won't be needing to install the software every time, but you still get the benefit of having a system which doesn't actually contain your wallet.  If you are extremely paranoid, download the software installs separately and install them in the VM while not connected to the web.

I'm not sure what the VM gains you.

Like the live cd, your "wallet" is NOT on the disk (in this case image).  Any traces of it are disposed of when reverting to a snapshot.  Unlike the live cd, you only have to install the bitcoin software once.  If you really know your stuff, install the software and create your own live-cd with it.

[Richy_T]

Like the live cd, your "wallet" is NOT on the disk (in this case image).  Any traces of it are disposed of when reverting to a snapshot.  Unlike the live cd, you only have to install the bitcoin software once.  If you really know your stuff, install the software and create your own live-cd with it.

Ah, so basically an alternative to the live CD. Though I would assume that a useful live *would* have the software installed.

[kuaka]

Like the live cd, your "wallet" is NOT on the disk (in this case image).  Any traces of it are disposed of when reverting to a snapshot.  Unlike the live cd, you only have to install the bitcoin software once.  If you really know your stuff, install the software and create your own live-cd with it.

Ah, so basically an alternative to the live CD. Though I would assume that a useful live *would* have the software installed.

It is a trust issue.  If you know a source for a live CD with the Bitcoin software already installed that can be trusted to NOT have put in other stuff...

noids come in pairs you know.

[Richy_T]

It is a trust issue.  If you know a source for a live CD with the Bitcoin software already installed that can be trusted to NOT have put in other stuff...

noids come in pairs you know.

I guess one option would be for some kind soul to put together a live CD but include scripts which download and install the bitcoin software onto a known-good(ish) live-cd so that some others can verify that it's a good CD. You can then choose to either create the CD yourself or trust that if there was something up, someone would have found it.

[bbfunk]

Must try this as im getting paranoid with the whole bitcoin thing thanks for the guide.

[bitcoinsupreme]

Great Info...

However, as I am not a wealthy man in bitcoins, I still use blockchain.info 's wallet, as it appears to be pretty secure to me.

If I however be wealthy in btc's, I will surely add more protection to my money.

Thanks.