Wallet Breach?

[shamzblueworld]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

[GreenBits]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Yes, yes and this has actually happened more than quite a few times


I cant recall any specific coins because so much of this has been shit. but consider this: if you are experienced in cryptocurrencies enough to install an obscure altcoin wallet, there is a really strong chance that you also have a bitcoin wallet on the same terminal. most people dont keep the level of security that is really required to make bitcoin safe (remember, transactions are one way only ) so, knowing that you are most likely using x, y or z wallet makes it that much easier to compromise said wallet.


you would even just want to be wary of getting cryptolocked. the hassle it causes makes it extremely undesirable.

[BitcoinIsAlgebraic]

Any wallet you don't trust don't download otherwise you do risk losing the integrity of your bitcoin wallet

[HeRetiK]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Definitely. Installing untrusted alt coin wallets not only potentially compromise your Bitcoin wallet, they potentially compromise your whole operating system -- including every online account you are using on the same PC.

You could try running alt coin wallets in a virtual machine though. Some people argue that even this can put the host system at risk, however those kind of attacks are fairly advanced and rather unlikely.

[swogerino]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Definitely. Installing untrusted alt coin wallets not only potentially compromise your Bitcoin wallet, they potentially compromise your whole operating system -- including every online account you are using on the same PC.

You could try running alt coin wallets in a virtual machine though. Some people argue that even this can put the host system at risk, however those kind of attacks are fairly advanced and rather unlikely.

I am in an altcoin signature campaign so I was forced to install a Komodo wallet as that is how I will get paid. I decided to install the Agama App komodo wallet. Is this a safe wallet or not, I am not experienced with altcoins just wanted to try a signature campaign paid with them that's all. Should I uninstall it or is this a trusted wallet ?

[shamzblueworld]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Definitely. Installing untrusted alt coin wallets not only potentially compromise your Bitcoin wallet, they potentially compromise your whole operating system -- including every online account you are using on the same PC.

You could try running alt coin wallets in a virtual machine though. Some people argue that even this can put the host system at risk, however those kind of attacks are fairly advanced and rather unlikely.

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Yes, yes and this has actually happened more than quite a few times


I cant recall any specific coins because so much of this has been shit. but consider this: if you are experienced in cryptocurrencies enough to install an obscure altcoin wallet, there is a really strong chance that you also have a bitcoin wallet on the same terminal. most people dont keep the level of security that is really required to make bitcoin safe (remember, transactions are one way only ) so, knowing that you are most likely using x, y or z wallet makes it that much easier to compromise said wallet.


you would even just want to be wary of getting cryptolocked. the hassle it causes makes it extremely undesirable.

Thanks guys, this actually makes some sense. I'd say airdrop coins are a NO NO because it could be a strategy to make people install such wallets.
So the best option would be keep the bitcoin wallet on a separate machine, and also only install wallets from trust worthy alts and sources. 

[digaran]

You never read this all this time? people who would install any shitcoin's wallet for a few bucks, they have nothing valuable on their computers anyways, but the hacker could access other things, or when they try to deposit a large sum of money, they will get hit then. I wanted to suggest using VPS to install alt coin wallets but you are beggars like me with no $10 to buy one. exponential lol. BTW be careful with WiFi connections, WPA2 is also compromised, you need to update your routers, modems and phones.

[Vatimins]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Yes. I absolutely can. So you have to be careful not just with every alternative coij wallet that you install but also with every link you click on or every site you think of vusuting. Always make sure that the sites are secured and that the letters and spelling are correct. If you cannot stop yourself from downloading alternative coin wallets, then at least do a lot of research about the developing team of the altcoin wallet. Do not risk your hard earned bitcoins for some small amount of possibly scam coins.

[HeRetiK]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Definitely. Installing untrusted alt coin wallets not only potentially compromise your Bitcoin wallet, they potentially compromise your whole operating system -- including every online account you are using on the same PC.

You could try running alt coin wallets in a virtual machine though. Some people argue that even this can put the host system at risk, however those kind of attacks are fairly advanced and rather unlikely.

I am in an altcoin signature campaign so I was forced to install a Komodo wallet as that is how I will get paid. I decided to install the Agama App komodo wallet. Is this a safe wallet or not, I am not experienced with altcoins just wanted to try a signature campaign paid with them that's all. Should I uninstall it or is this a trusted wallet ?

I know little about Komodo but at a first glance it looks okay for the following reasons: (1) medium sized alt, ie. within the top 50 regarding market cap, (2) Agama being an open source wallet and (3) google search revealing posts about the Agama Komodo wallet and social activity surrounding Komodo itself.

Personally I still wouldn't install it on my main system, but if you installed it from Agama's official website ( supernet.org ) you should be fine.

[TheGodson]

As others above me have said. Yes, it is a possible security breach.

No point in uninstalling now. If the damage was to be done, it has already been done. Just don't make any large transactions on any other big accounts. Also, don't put personal information on your computer. To be safe, I'd move your bitcoins to another address with the private key securely kept not on your computer. Make sure you send it to an address that hasn't used its private key before.

[MaryCris]

Your wallet needs a way to communicate with a network. Let's assume you have an Ethereum wallet. Your wallet needs a way to communicate with the Ethereum network. The best way to think about that communication is to think about sending an email. Just like an email you need some kind of software to send the email. That’s where your wallet comes in. Also just like an email, you can give anyone your email address and with a cryptocurrency you can give them your public address. There is a second part to your wallet and this is your private key. All someone needs to know to send you money is your public address. The one thing you should never share is your private key. If someone gets access to your private key, they could steal all your coins.

[DeathAngel]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

If you have enough bitcoin to be worried about protecting then please do not download any altcoin wallet platforms on the same computer. In all honesty you should have a computer solely for bitcoin use, daily browsing etc should not be done on the same computer you hold bitcoin’s on.

[audaciousbeing]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

There is a possibility even though those of us who does not understand how it might happen, the best is to avoid it. I have not witnessed it before but there was one time that I wanted to install some wallet on my system and it was leading to some running diagnostics on my system, immediately I had to just end the whole process.

Another way I knew it possible was a release by Electrum during the time of claiming bitcoin cash that they emphasis the need of installing on another device any software to claim the BCH because of compromise of their own wallet.

[darkangel11]

Download wallets only from trusted sources. It happens often that people post links to compromised wallets or mining software, or send such software in compressed packages with a trojan inside. I've seen such fake links here on the forum. The worst thing you can get is a keylogger because it will not only compromise your previous wallets, but also all your other passwords for emails, bank accounts and so on. Don't be careless, watch what you're downloading and what sites you're visiting.

[chiggz]

Yes this is the case that can happen. No wonder there are a huge number of airdrops going on. Some airdrops ask you to download their wallets and people out there think they are getting free money but instead you are installing keylogger and who knows what virus.

Better to stay away from such Altcoins. If its an ERC20 coin then you are safe since you can just use MEW to get the coins.

[Hydrogen]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

Any software, even browser extensions might be potential avenues of coins being stolen.

Anything can be a keylogger which records keystrokes (copied & pasted info) to learn passwords or private keys.

Thieves typically focus on easier methods like phish websites which resemble official websites to capture data. The path of least resistance is by far the road most taken when it comes to identity theft and scams/thievery.

But it is possible that a determined attacker with good resources could use other methods/software to do the same thing.

To give you an example of what a phish website is, http://electrum.org is the official site of electrum wallet.

There have been many websites with similar URL's like http://electrum.is which fooled users into typing their private key which was used to steal coins.

Its a good idea to check to see if its the official website when downloading things or entering important data.

[jekjekman]

Can installing altcoin wallets on the same PC that has bitcoin wallet breach the security of bitcoin wallet?
Is it possible that someone actually designs such an altcoin wallet that breaches or somehow harms a certain bitcoin wallet installed on the same machine?

In my own opinion it can really happen actually because you let that altcoin's wallet software to install in your own personal computer meaning you give that a permission to access your computer, and usually people that have too many cryptocurrencies in their computer has been having almost the same username and password with their different wallets and that is a bad practice that resulted to vulnerability from hacks.