security window 10 Microsoft have access to my priv. keys.

[brunozisterer]

What is the chance on a Windows 10 system, Microsoft get access to my Bitcoin priv. keys if I don't adopt any special security arrangements ?

[Rath_]

Bill Gates is definitely going to steal our bitcoins and dump them because Bitcoin is pure evil... How about no?

I have been using Windows 10 for a long time and nothing bad happened so far. There are many guides which show how to disable telemetry but it has nothing to do with the security of your coins. If you are really paranoic then consider buying a hardware wallet or switch to other operating system which is based on Linux and is open-source.

[BitMaxz]

I think they wont and there is no chance that they can retrieve your private key from your PC.
You should be aware of any viruses and malware because they can steal your keys if your PC is infected that is why we need 3rd party software to protect our PC to any malicious files and viruses.

Bill Gates is definitely going to steal our bitcoins and dump them because Bitcoin is a pure evil....

If they do that no one will use and buy this kind of OS instead people will switch to Linux or Mac OS for better security.

Biicoin .. Etherum

[HeRetiK]

What is the chance on a Windows 10 system, Microsoft get access to my Bitcoin priv. keys if I don't adopt any special security arrangements ?

Slimmer than getting infected by some crypto-stealing malware or falling for some phishing site.

If you're worried about the safety of your coins, do yourself a favour and either get yourself a hardware wallet or set up a dedicated offline device for cold storage. You'll sleep better.

[Pmalek]

Considering that Microsoft hasn't emptied our bank accounts, credit cards, paypal in the past I would say you dont need to worry about that 

[pooya87]

the problem with windows operating systems is not the Microsoft itself. they are not making money by stealing your money. the problem is with the weaknesses that it has and worst of all with the backdoors that they have intentionally placed in this closed source operating system. many of them are unknown and when they are found they are exploited by hackers and lead to your loss.

Linux is a good solution as it is being suggested but you still should only think about cold storage if you want true security.

[AGD]

the problem with windows operating systems is not the Microsoft itself. they are not making money by stealing your money. the problem is with the weaknesses that it has and worst of all with the backdoors that they have intentionally placed in this closed source operating system. many of them are unknown and when they are found they are exploited by hackers and lead to your loss.

Linux is a good solution as it is being suggested but you still should only think about cold storage if you want true security.

You can also produce a cold storage with any OS, as long as it is not connected to the internet.

[o_e_l_e_o]

-snip-

Exactly. Microsoft aren't going to phish your private keys. They have a marketcap of $750 billion. They would lose far, far more money if it was discovered they were doing this than they would gain from stealing a handful of bitcoin.

Having said that, although they almost certainly won't steal your private keys, usernames, password, etc. you should be very concerned that Windows 10 very much could steal all these things, if they wanted. It collects all of your data, including everything from your name, relationships, contacts, hobbies, etc, to your browsing history, keystrokes, microphone and webcam input, and online purchases. By using Windows 10, Microsoft also have the right to share any of this data with any third party, without your consent. They have a complete profile of you and everything you do. So although Windows 10 might be relatively safe, it is a privacy nightmare.

[bitmover]

the problem with windows operating systems is not the Microsoft itself. they are not making money by stealing your money. the problem is with the weaknesses that it has and worst of all with the backdoors that they have intentionally placed in this closed source operating system. many of them are unknown and when they are found they are exploited by hackers and lead to your loss.

Linux is a good solution as it is being suggested but you still should only think about cold storage if you want true security.

I have used Windows since 80s ... I know it has security flaws, but ofc it's not a scam, it will never still your money.

It has also privacy problems, like Google...

I know Linux is far safer and better for developers, but it has compatibility limitations and it is, imo, not so convenient to use (in terms of interface). For average user it windows 10 is ok.

If you want only to use the computer for cryptocurrency, ofc Linux is better.

[Wind_FURY]

Bill Gates is definitely going to steal our bitcoins and dump them because Bitcoin is pure evil... How about no?

I have been using Windows 10 for a long time and nothing bad happened so far. There are many guides which show how to disable telemetry but it has nothing to do with the security of your coins. If you are really paranoic then consider buying a hardware wallet or switch to other operating system which is based on Linux and is open-source.

I believe everyone should start checking Bitkey Linux, https://bitkey.io/

It's a good concept, but it needs an update, and some publicity. It also might debatably be as good as hardware wallets.

[veleten]

the problem with windows operating systems is not the Microsoft itself. they are not making money by stealing your money. the problem is with the weaknesses that it has and worst of all with the backdoors that they have intentionally placed in this closed source operating system. many of them are unknown and when they are found they are exploited by hackers and lead to your loss.

Linux is a good solution as it is being suggested but you still should only think about cold storage if you want true security.

I have used Windows since 80s ... I know it has security flaws, but ofc it's not a scam, it will never still your money.

It has also privacy problems, like Google...

I know Linux is far safer and better for developers, but it has compatibility limitations and it is, imo, not so convenient to use (in terms of interface). For average user it windows 10 is ok.

If you want only to use the computer for cryptocurrency, ofc Linux is better.

Windows not being a scam is kinda stretching it 
it won't steal your money , will just make you overpay for their license, nothing else
and yes, Microsoft has better things to do than trying to steal your coins
for example, fixing the numerous never ending stream of bugs their products are
if you do not wanna use windows because you are afraid they would steal your data, there are many Linux based OS out there
also plenty of tinfoil to make hats from

[Pmalek]

Windows not being a scam is kinda stretching it 
it won't steal your money , will just make you overpay for their license, nothing else...

It is true that the license is very expensive but it does come with certain advantages. I have used both pirated and genuine Windows OS's in the past and a genuine OS is much safer, I have never experienced the blue screen of death or freezing that used to happen when I used a pirated OS. A genuine OS + good AntiVirus software is the minimum we should invest in especially if dealing with exchanges, keys, wallets etc. 

[DaCryptoRaccoon]

https://www.qubes-os.org/

Qubes OS is a security-oriented operating system (OS). The OS is the software that runs all the other programs on a computer. Some examples of popular OSes are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS. Qubes is free and open-source software (FOSS). This means that everyone is free to use, copy, and change the software in any way. It also means that the source code is openly available so others can contribute to and audit it.

** Well worth a look at if your wanting to take OS security and privacy seriously.

I have been testing this for a few months now and it seems like a very nice solution for multiple wallet installs if you are unsure of the authors code the vm's in this cannot interact thus allowing for a more secure enviro to work in or store coins.

[cellard]

Bill Gates is definitely going to steal our bitcoins and dump them because Bitcoin is pure evil... How about no?

I have been using Windows 10 for a long time and nothing bad happened so far. There are many guides which show how to disable telemetry but it has nothing to do with the security of your coins. If you are really paranoic then consider buying a hardware wallet or switch to other operating system which is based on Linux and is open-source.

What's the point of trusting your bitcoins inside a closed source environment? If you have private keys inside an operating system in which you have no idea what's going on at any rate, it's like keeping a chest full of gold inside shark infested waters. The chest can protect the gold, but for how long?

Much better to move your gold chest into clean waters (that is, an offline linux laptop, with wifi cards removed, and any other stuff that could connect to the outside world). Install a full client there, then install the same full client in an online computer and learn how to move the raw tx from the offline laptop into the online laptop to broadcast it and you are safe.

[Wind_FURY]

https://www.qubes-os.org/

Qubes OS is a security-oriented operating system (OS). The OS is the software that runs all the other programs on a computer. Some examples of popular OSes are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS. Qubes is free and open-source software (FOSS). This means that everyone is free to use, copy, and change the software in any way. It also means that the source code is openly available so others can contribute to and audit it.

** Well worth a look at if your wanting to take OS security and privacy seriously.

I have been testing this for a few months now and it seems like a very nice solution for multiple wallet installs if you are unsure of the authors code the vm's in this cannot interact thus allowing for a more secure enviro to work in or store coins.

Good suggestion. I believe Peter Todd is a Qubes user, and swears by it. Although, it will require you to install it in a high-end computer.

[veleten]

I believe everyone should start checking Bitkey Linux, https://bitkey.io/

It's a good concept, but it needs an update, and some publicity. It also might debatably be as good as hardware wallets.

I've heard that Distro few times, but personally without testing/review from expert (or i simply missed it), i wouldn't use it to create actual wallet. But their features are interesting and have wide selection of application, even altcoin wallet.

Unfortunately, they really need update (their GitHub last commit was at July 24) and looks like there's not enough contributor, especially wallet's library/dependency keep changed^[1]

if you do not wanna use windows because you are afraid they would steal your data, there are many Linux based OS out there
also plenty of tinfoil to make hats from

Additionally, there are few Linux distro which is designed looks like a windows or beginner-friendly such as Linux Mint, Ubuntu or Manjaro.


Source :
1. https://github.com/bitkey/bitkey/issues/84

Mint is a cool Linux distro to be starting your acquaintance with Linux based OS es
nowadays, Linux is not like it used to be where you had to compile core and make sure your hardware
was on the list of supported by OS, which was quite a short list
so people chose Windows systems because of their plug-and-pray , sorry, plug and play
things changed, a lot and Linux is much friendlier nowadays 
and what is more important, safer and cheaper than Windows

[DaCryptoRaccoon]

https://www.qubes-os.org/

Qubes OS is a security-oriented operating system (OS). The OS is the software that runs all the other programs on a computer. Some examples of popular OSes are Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS. Qubes is free and open-source software (FOSS). This means that everyone is free to use, copy, and change the software in any way. It also means that the source code is openly available so others can contribute to and audit it.

** Well worth a look at if your wanting to take OS security and privacy seriously.

I have been testing this for a few months now and it seems like a very nice solution for multiple wallet installs if you are unsure of the authors code the vm's in this cannot interact thus allowing for a more secure enviro to work in or store coins.

Good suggestion. I believe Peter Todd is a Qubes user, and swears by it. Although, it will require you to install it in a high-end computer.

I have it installed on a few Lenovo Thinkpad's 8GB ram and SSD runs perfect thought I would have to say at setup don't select the auto setup or you will end up with about 10 pre-set VM's as a default.  The other advantage of this OS is the fact it runs direct via Whonix gateways and is extremely secure way to operate.

Never knew Peter was a user of Qubes interesting,

[khalidxpert]

Microsoft cannot affoard to get this blame. No one will use windows if they ever steal our money. Nothing to worry about.

[pebwindkraft]

What is the chance on a Windows 10 system, Microsoft get access to my Bitcoin priv. keys if I don't adopt any special security arrangements ?

The chance is 100%. As long as this system comes with a default keylogger, your personal data is insecure.
It must not be Microsoft who uses your data. Wouldn't make sense. But what about their armada of external consultants, or any other person, who could look into the data, when data is transferred over wires, or remote support, or, or, or ...

The whole thing about bitcoin is "BE YOUR OWN BANK". Would you trust a bank without any fences? If yes, go and use Windows, but don't wine around for lost or stolen bitcoins. Forums are full of this...

Summary: one cannot accuse Microsoft to actually steal "your" data, but the numerous occasions of data theft and lost privacy makes Windows a product, that cannot be recommended "out of the box" in security relevant environments. You need to invest many many hours, to get it to a level, where it can be considered "secure enough". You can save these many many hours by using a  BSD/UNIX based OS, paranoia is your/the limit :-).

[o_e_l_e_o]

You need to invest many many hours, to get it to a level, where it can be considered "secure enough".

I agree with everything else you say, but you are mistaken here. The number of hours you spend tweaking Windows 10 is irrelevant - it is tracking you, regardless of what you do. You can make it better, certainly, but I would never consider it "secure enough" to be using for anything truly sensitive.

Even if you turn off all tracking and telemetry features, Windows 10 still tries to phone home a staggering 5,500 times in 8 hours. The additional use of third party tools designed to stop this did help a bit, but these researchers still reported 2758 connections in 30 hours.

Other researchers have similarly found that even when you disable Windows 10 features like Cortana, it is still logging your activity and sending it to Microsoft.