hardware wallets and magnetic fields

[bitdaric]

Are hardware wallets like ledger magnetic safe? can magnetic fields destroy them!?

[1715692055]

1715692055

[1715692055]

1715692055

[stfN2128]

Probably not, just check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6k4bIuDbn4

a hardware wallet is equipped with similar hardware so magnetic fields shouldnt have any impact on it.

[OmegaStarScream]

That's not the case apparently[1][2]. Besides, that's why you have a backup seed with you, to recover your funds If the device gets damaged.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/6tpku1/are_nano_ledger_wallets_vulnerable_to_magnets/
[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/comments/7s0jvs/ledger_vs_magnets/

[jackg]

Hardware wallets are as magnetic safe as a smartphone.

If there's a really high magnetic field then there might be some damage (I'm talking a field about as high as produced by an MRI or a powerful electron microscope).

They are more magnetic resistant than a hard drive as they usually just have a piece of flash storage, a processor and some memory which don't use magnetic fields.

[o_e_l_e_o]

Bear in mind that if someone did attack your device with a strong magnet, the best they could do is scramble or wipe the data. They couldn't actually steal anything from you.

As others have said, this kind of attack is fairly low risk. However, if you are really concerned about it, the thing you are looking for is a Faraday cage, which essentially shields anything inside it from electromagnetic fields or charges. Some bank vaults have these built in, and there are also ones you can buy yourself, either as a stand alone box or built in to a home safe or vault.

[jackg]

However, if you are really concerned about it, the thing you are looking for is a Faraday cage, which essentially shields anything inside it from electromagnetic fields or charges.

Yay physics!

Faraday cages don't do anything for magnetic fields? Compasses work in them for example (according to google). Electromagnetic fields are a field induced by alternating poles of magnetic or electric flows, I don't think we know the force that causes magnetism? (I could be completely wrong, my knowledge is a year old).

Faraday cages also protect against a large magnetic field, if you're going that way, get a leather case for it and then put it in the faraday cage (the leather case can block RFID/radio waves and microwaves afaik).

[bob123]

[...] (the leather case can block RFID/radio waves and microwaves afaik).

Leather does not stop RFID cards etc. being read.
Leather does not block radio frequency.

You'd need some aluminum for that. You know.. the material which also protects us all from the governmental mind control.

can magnetic fields destroy them!?

Short answer: Yes.

But this doesn't mean that you lose access to your coins.
As long as you have your mnemonic code (the 24 words), you will be able to recover your coins.
You should ALWAYS have the 24 words.. the device could always break or fail.

Having a backup of these words is the only way to guarantee access.