Realistically, how safe is a dedicated HD or SSD as cold storage?

[timk225]

I prefer the idea of copying the wallet.dat file to another hard drive and keeping it safe and disconnected.

I'm amused by the way some have gone into details about years of storage.  Does anyone here really plan to hold BTC or other coins for years?

I'm mining and selling and converting to good old CASH.  That seems like the best wallet idea to me.

I don't plan to hold any of my coins for more than a few months.

And for those who suggest some sort of fire box but it still gets too hot and paper discolors, here's an idea:

Get some cement blocks.  Build a wall of blocks under, around, and over the fire safe.  That way, even if the house burns down, the blocks will keep the hottest heat from getting to the fire box, therefore keeping its contents cooler.

Or if you are using some sort of drive to store the wallet file, seal it up in an antistatic bag, put it inside a piece of 4" PVC pipe, cap the ends, and bury it in the back yard.  Lots of ways to do it.

[Realpra]

I think SSDs corrupt over time if unused...

Im doing paper. Ill buy a safe and house alarm one day and stick the paper and gold in there.

[scooter]

I would avoid backing up encrypted bitcoins to cloud storage considering it has been revealed that if the NSA finds you have encrypted files they can keep them as long as they want because they assume you are hiding something from them.

[n4ru]

Etching into stone would certainly be the best idea.

[scooter]

http://www.mdisc.com/  This promises 1000 years of stable storage.

[crazy_rabbit]

http://www.mdisc.com/  This promises 1000 years of stable storage.

I wonder when it fails after 999 years if there's still a company around to make a warranty claim. :-)

[Dabs]

I would avoid backing up encrypted bitcoins to cloud storage considering it has been revealed that if the NSA finds you have encrypted files they can keep them as long as they want because they assume you are hiding something from them.

They will crack your 30+ character password in, maybe 300 years. Probably a lot more. Or let's be optimistic and they get to crack it 10 times faster. 30 years. Or even 100 times faster. 3 years.

Let them keep encrypted files as long as they want. They will not have access to it in the time frame they need.

More than enough time for you to make a new wallet and transfer your coins to the new wallet.

[scooter]

I would avoid backing up encrypted bitcoins to cloud storage considering it has been revealed that if the NSA finds you have encrypted files they can keep them as long as they want because they assume you are hiding something from them.

They will crack your 30+ character password in, maybe 300 years. Probably a lot more. Or let's be optimistic and they get to crack it 10 times faster. 30 years. Or even 100 times faster. 3 years.

Let them keep encrypted files as long as they want. They will not have access to it in the time frame they need.

More than enough time for you to make a new wallet and transfer your coins to the new wallet.

That entirely depends on what passphrase is used.
A 30 character password composed of dictionary words with a few numbers can be quite weak.

[Dabs]

I would avoid backing up encrypted bitcoins to cloud storage considering it has been revealed that if the NSA finds you have encrypted files they can keep them as long as they want because they assume you are hiding something from them.

They will crack your 30+ character password in, maybe 300 years. Probably a lot more. Or let's be optimistic and they get to crack it 10 times faster. 30 years. Or even 100 times faster. 3 years.

Let them keep encrypted files as long as they want. They will not have access to it in the time frame they need.

More than enough time for you to make a new wallet and transfer your coins to the new wallet.

That entirely depends on what passphrase is used.
A 30 character password composed of dictionary words with a few numbers can be quite weak.

I always use randomly generated passwords, of the type that alternates letters and numbers. Sometimes symbols.

Here are a dozen examples which I just generated now, which I will never use:

Code:

riIrZrXOIkftU1h96awI8tKvJfcapiE
lBLw1JVOyd9Q5PLNYtfOhSNZsZryamt
y9IsUXORQKJcfOnovxEHnKHRfPmOGQ3
mf9a3E74COT0pAS26rAAUZizjkOwZpQ
vl5lsuN79xWWTRYF8Z1GhiFOYyvqtBK
u22rkgVAl9yxgZOKPB3dHTPjThV0twx
vpGeYMC1fmcA8AkFQEcALdkXY10iEsG
hjmAmli0Us8sLKHcZdm5dA2gbwTXjYs
fbzyClE8xcLcCnsF8sK4xwfTt9Hl7Sz
bVjmy7sDf7ClLKQierC4ghuTECR81C2
dcgUlUl5pHogjSxi24XDmTpKcCqagBe
dIRcNj242AByr6pBM2NQnZC0tUdl3UY

[GrantDe]

Probably safe enough if you encrypt it with a STRONG password and back it up (multiple copies!)

[scooter]

I always use randomly generated passwords, of the type that alternates letters and numbers. Sometimes symbols.

Ya, I use keepassx to generate strong passwords for me.

The crappy thing is every website has different requirements on which symbols and length can be used.

[Icon]

1 word LastPass FTW!