Buying Used Computer Equipment For CryptoCurrency Unsafe?

[xWolfx]

Many keyboards also have a memory function. I have a cmstorm keyboard where you can assign a key or function to every single standard key, meaning that you can have a space function under alt if that's what you want.

That's true. Nowadays, with the right amount of resources almost nothing is really impossible - Only unlikely.

If someone wants to target you really bad they will find the way to do it, with or without specific hardware attached to your machine. Now unless you are considered a valuable target for anyone then it's almost sure that it would be only a hacker trying to fish something, whatever that could be profitable.

I believe that you now have a pretty good knowledge level to know which parts you can safely buy in the majority of cases or if the conditions mentioned above don't really apply to you.

[Artemis3]

To the people that say use hardware wallet and forget about anything else.  I have one.  But the thing is other coins i have... they are not compatible with the hardware wallet.  So what do you do then?

Also if you trade on your computer for example and have wallets on it because your hardware wallet doesn't support those coins, you need to keep those wallets in your computer.  So what is your option there?  

So for example say your internet modem broke and you need to replace it.  Or your internet router broke and you need to buy a new one.  Would buying a used modem be fine or not if its used?  What if the seller is very reputable?  Now what if its a router?  If you buy a used router from a reputable seller online, is that reputable?  Because what would concern me is if the modem or router, you go online with it... then that person or anyone that put something in it could track your visiting websites and also track anything you do such as crypto or trading or banking etc.  Could they put a keylogger or virus on a used modem?  What about a router?  I assume a router would be more likely but a modem isn't?  Because if you need a new modem or router, is it unsafe to buy a used one or not?  Also those of you that say well a new computer or equipment isn't safe because what you do it on can cause issues.  Well of course.  But i mean getting the actual equipment.  So has anyone heard of cases where someone bought a used modem or wireless router and their computer got hacked/keylogged or anything like that with crypto?

A piece of paper with 12 words makes a solid cold wallet. You seem to be a little mistaken in what a wallet is, contrary to what the name suggests, it doesn't store coins. If anything, its the private key that allows you to move them, but they are not stored on any computer but the blockchain itself. What people lose when they lose their wallet (priv key) are not the coins, but the ability to move them anymore...

Now, being paranoid about the moment when you do want to move the coins is logical. You should, in fact, forget windows and osx, stick to linux, perhaps a live iso if only for the time you want to move coins around. If you use something like Tails, it connects via Tor only, so even if there is some sniffer in your router, it won't be able to catch anything.

If you DO install Linux, you can use encryption in your entire drive. With a decent password, even if stolen they won't be able to obtain anything.

While no OS is perfect, something like Linux is highly unlikely to fall victim to most common attacks. The best effort you can ever do towards protection, is starting to use it to drop any fears about it. There are several distros to choose from, each catering to a different type of community. You should experiment and eventually find one where you feel confident, and start using that.

I have said it many times: It is far more difficult to secure windows than Linux, and for the most part Windows is always at risk due to its flawed design. The fact that you don't have full control of it, should give you a warning.

[TheCoinGrabber]

I'm not sure about the risk with the RAM but I'd definitely wipe the hard drive clean. That's where malware would get installed.

[CryptoInsights]

The meta data can cause many issues like the malware that modifies the clipboard data can check the address while transferring funds. Due to such issues it is not advisable to by used equipment for crypto related uses.

[Kurva]

When i got in to crypto Desember 2017 i did buy a new laptop only for crypto. I use this laptop only to buy and sell crypto and i have another one that i use to pay bills and read emails and so on.

[Pursuer]

When i got in to crypto Desember 2017 i did buy a new laptop only for crypto. I use this laptop only to buy and sell crypto and i have another one that i use to pay bills and read emails and so on.

that is an unnecessary overkill my friend. you have spent a lot of money on something that you only use for cryptocurrencies and it is not that safe if it is connected to the internet so you are not really increasing your security.
if you wanted to spend money like that, then you could have simply bought a hardware wallet to store your bitcoin (and a bunch of other altcoins that are copies of bitcoin) which would have cost a lot less and provided a lot more security.

[ePesoInitiative]

Well, the best way is using a piece of paper for your private keys. Make QR codes of them for easy copying.

If you need to use an online wallet, I suggest running it on its own dedicated virtual machine. I have a Windows 64 machine and many of my wallets have their ubuntu VMs in it.

[Lucius]

To the people that say use hardware wallet and forget about anything else.  I have one.  But the thing is other coins i have... they are not compatible with the hardware wallet.  So what do you do then?

If you look the list of supported coins&tokens by Trezor or Ledger, who support over 1000 coins / tokens then you are using some fairly exotic coins, and they probably have very low value.

If you are concern about used equipment, then just no buy such things and use one device only for cryptocurrency, or pay attention to device security (antivirus, firewall, antimalware), and try to using common sense when surfing / download on internet. That's quite enough to be pretty safe when it comes to security of any coin, everything else is exaggerated paranoia that does not help you in life.

[imstillthebest]

When i got in to crypto Desember 2017 i did buy a new laptop only for crypto. I use this laptop only to buy and sell crypto and i have another one that i use to pay bills and read emails and so on.

Cool . same here happen to me actually , i buy a laptop on the 3rd quarter of 2017  so that i can i use it on working on this forum ( specifically for posting )  . i find it hard to use mobile because the screen is small , my eyes were also hurt when using a mobile phone .

@op i dont see anything wrong on buying a used computer for doing crypto works because i did also done that before in which i buy a second hand laptop from an online seller that i didnt know personally  . the laptop is not reformated and it includes freebies such as the original owners hardrive and software accounts  .

[Becky666]

Unfortunately there's no fairly used Computer Equipment that's safe for cryptocurrency, or safe for any type of document generally. Many used Computer equipment are purposely hacked before there are sell out, this was my experience when i worked with Computer dealers years back, they do the hack, sell to their friends and then exploit their systems for selfish interest. Just to gain access to their privacy.

Advise: Buy fairly used Computer equipment, format the system by self or another dealer and then do the installation by self.

[xWolfx]

When i got in to crypto Desember 2017 i did buy a new laptop only for crypto. I use this laptop only to buy and sell crypto and i have another one that i use to pay bills and read emails and so on.

that is an unnecessary overkill my friend. you have spent a lot of money on something that you only use for cryptocurrencies and it is not that safe if it is connected to the internet so you are not really increasing your security.
if you wanted to spend money like that, then you could have simply bought a hardware wallet to store your bitcoin (and a bunch of other altcoins that are copies of bitcoin) which would have cost a lot less and provided a lot more security.

Or he could do both if he wants even more security.

Both of your ideas are pretty good especially the hardware wallet, but both implemented can be a huge change when it comes to security.

I would say especially if you have a really huge amount of Bitcoins, but this is something i might use in the future. It's really good.

[vapourminer]

First off, is buying anything that used for the computer unsafe if you plan to store crypto in it?  Example buying a used laptop but then doing a complete factory reset and wiping everything?  Or could a hacker still put a virus/keylog in it?

Nope, once a computer hard drive has been formatted all the installed application even a virus is wiped out.

there are viruses that now can live in the BIOS. they will survive a drive format or drive replacement and reinfect any new OS installed on that system.

EDIT: see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS#Security

[LbtalkL]

I guess there is a possibility on Modem or Router and USB Flash Drive. On router the old owner can login back to the network and maybe it will infiltrate the computer within the network if you did not change the settings, like admin password, wifi pass, etc,. and in the flash drive there is a possibility that it has a virus the simple solution is format or scan with antivirus. That's it there is nothing to worry about.

there are viruses that now can live in the BIOS. they will survive a drive format or drive replacement and reinfect any new OS installed on that system.
EDIT: see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS#Security

Well, this is another story I didn't know until now that this is possible, I guess it is better to buy a brand new item and then build it with protection and security from antivirus. Anyways do you know how to remove this kind of virus (Mebromi)?

[jerry0]

Hey all related question.  So i want to buy a new security camera for my apartment.  The reason is because if there are any thieves or if someone were to access my laptop and do something with it and then leave it as is and then if i use it, then i might have no idea they installed malware/trojan or anything like that.


Im going to buy a camera on amazon and i notice some reviews, they say the camera is hacked etc.  Reviews were like they heard or saw someone viewing their home or apartment with it.


Now if that is the case, does that mean they could view your keystrokes or anything you view on your laptop or anything like that?  However, if you are setting it up with only your cell phone which most of these security cameras seem to do, then thats fine?  I want to buy a security camera and point it at my door when im not there or even there but one concern is if it gets hacked, could i potentially hack my laptop or something or internet network or hack my wallet?  Or make sure you get a security camera where you dont read anything like this in the reviews.

[lyks15]

Yes I believe that buying and using already used computer for cryptocurrency purposes is unsafe habit. And I think even a second hand cellular phone is also unsafe. Why? Because we know how technology become progressive now. Nothing is impossible. Anyting what you do  can steal specially when they put a device in used computer that you used. All your info and private keys can be steal.

[figmentofmyass]

When i got in to crypto Desember 2017 i did buy a new laptop only for crypto. I use this laptop only to buy and sell crypto and i have another one that i use to pay bills and read emails and so on.

that is an unnecessary overkill my friend. you have spent a lot of money on something that you only use for cryptocurrencies and it is not that safe if it is connected to the internet so you are not really increasing your security.
if you wanted to spend money like that, then you could have simply bought a hardware wallet to store your bitcoin (and a bunch of other altcoins that are copies of bitcoin) which would have cost a lot less and provided a lot more security.

it might be overkill but for some people (especially the more gullible ones) this is a basic defense against social engineering and malware attacks so a couple hundred bucks for a cheap laptop might be a small price to pay. i wouldn't want to keep private keys or log into exchange accounts on the same PC i use to torrent or open email attachments.

i don't keep any keys online myself but that also requires a second (offline) pc. i prefer the airgapped pc/qr code method for signing tx vs hardware wallets. i'm still a tad paranoid about using hardware wallets with potentially infected computers. maybe i'm just old school.

[dark08]

Yes I believe that buying and using already used computer for cryptocurrency purposes is unsafe habit. And I think even a second hand cellular phone is also unsafe. Why? Because we know how technology become progressive now. Nothing is impossible. Anyting what you do  can steal specially when they put a device in used computer that you used. All your info and private keys can be steal.

Yes everything can be steal especially if you buy used computer because in our generation technology are so progressive its better tobe safe used ledger nano if you want to stock your altcoin or maybe buy unused computer do a self manual installation.

[dmty.0809]

Why should you buy used goods? To save a bitcoin wallet so that it is safe not to save it on a computer if we cannot buy the item, I only store it in my cellphone, memory or flashdick and use a passcode to open the file. For the past few years all of my wallets are under control.

[jerry0]

Few other items im curious about.



1.  Laptop Charger

[stompix]

Few other items im curious about.
1.  Laptop Charger

Are you serious?
Equipment that can't store data can't be used to transmit viruses to your laptop.
Not only that but also the charging port is not designed to accept data transfer.

It's a big difference between a laptop charger and a USB phone/tablet data cable that can also charge.