Introducing Prokey hardware wallet

[prokey]

Hey there, everyone!

We're excited to share with you guys about a hardware wallet project that we've been working on the past years. We've completed most of the boiler-plate stuff like the software, firmware, and the overall design of the product and we'd like to share with you the stable version of it!

Our hardware wallet, the Prokey Optimum, consists of three main parts:

1) The hardware wallet device (storing keys and sign transactions offline)
2) A Client side JS library that allows device communicate with browser through WebUSB
3) Web-based wallet interface (manage accounts, sending, receiving and sending messages, changing device settings)


Currently, both the hardware and JS Library are open-sourced on Github and developers can create their own interface to communicate with the device.  

Now, let's dive in the hardware wallet's functionalities a little bit:

Secure Firmware
Thanks to mutual authentication, our bootloader doesn’t allow installation of any non-genuine firmware. So you can rest assured that your device is always untempered and original.

Web-based wallet
Prokey optimum works with the WebUSB feature in chromium-based web-browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. There is no need to install any driver, application, or bridge to use your wallet. Quite literally Plug ‘n’ Play!

Device design
The device is designed to connect with a USB cable and there are two USB cables in the box; one that wraps around the device for mobility and one longer cable for more convenience.

HD hardware wallet ( BIP39)
This is a hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallet, so you may import/export your seed from/to many other compatible wallets on the device 100% offline.

Support of Passphrase
You can add one or several passphrases to the wallet where it will be combined with your recovery seed and let you create several wallets with each passphrase.

FIDO authentication (Hardware 2FA for Google, Github, Dropbox...)
The Prokey Optimum does not only function as a cryptocurrency hardware wallet but also a security key to protect your online accounts.

All-in-one wallet
You can manage all of your crypto assets in one place. In addition to supporting 3rd-party wallets, we integrated all crypto assets onto a single web interface. You can switch between 1700 cryptocurrencies with just two clicks. Easy-peasy!

Our development team is working to add more cryptocurrencies to both the hardware and web interface with each passing day.


As such, you might be wondering about a few things:

Where can you get a Prokey Optimum now?
https://prokey.io/prokey-optimum

You can also take a look at our FAQ should you want to know more about the product:
https://support.prokey.io/help-center/categories/4/faqs

https://i.imgur.com/YC3H410.jpg

The objective of this project is to not only provide an easy means of dealing and managing cryptocurrency but to also provide a stronger, more efficient form of security. So, join us in this journey to make cryptocurrency easier, safer, and faster to use.

If you want to learn more about us, you can head to our support portal at support.prokey.io or simply visit our website at https://prokey.io

Thank you from all of us here at Prokey!

[dkbit98]

Me and few other Bitcointalk members examined all possible hardware wallets in market, and one of them I found in November 2020 was Prokey.
I have to be honest and give my feedback and impressions, according to information I saw on your website, so please correct me if I made some mistake.

- I can't find any information about firmware and software so it is safe to assume everything is closed source, and code can't be verified or reproduced.
- There is no secure element or any information about it (similar like for Trezor that is open source)
- Price is similar like for Trezor One

I don't see any advantages compared to all other hardware wallets, and Prokey has not been tested more by security experts.
I like testing new devices but I would not trust Prokey for holding my coins, until I see some improvements, open source code and more testing for flaws and bugs (maybe by Kraken labs).

[prokey]

Me and few other Bitcointalk members examined all possible hardware wallets in market, and one of them I found in November 2020 was Prokey.
I have to be honest and give my feedback and impressions, according to information I saw on your website, so please correct me if I made some mistake.

- I can't find any information about firmware and software so it is safe to assume everything is closed source, and code can't be verified or reproduced.
- There is no secure element or any information about it (similar like for Trezor that is open source)
- Price is similar like for Trezor One

I don't see any advantages compared to all other hardware wallets, and Prokey has not been tested more by security experts.
I like testing new devices but I would not trust Prokey for holding my coins, until I see some improvements, open source code and more testing for flaws and bugs (maybe by Kraken labs).

It’s great to hear that you already know Prokey! Thanks for your honest feedback!

As we mentioned in the first post, the firmware and webcore are open-sourced and you may check the source code here: https://github.com/prokey-io

Our firmware is based on Trezor's awesome project, so not only does our device inherit all security features of Trezor, but we also added more security features to improve the security like :

• Mutual authentication to protect firmware installation
  
• PIN input on the device (not on the computer)
• Restoring wallets and checking recovery seeds without connecting to a computer(100% offline)

The Prokey-webcore project has been developed by our team from scratch to build a secure connection and provide development simplicity for 3rd party wallets. You can check the source code out here:
https://github.com/prokey-io/prokey-webcore


We also developed our own dedicated blockchain explorer to extract data from blockchains and provide data for the wallet interface. It's much faster than other solutions, making our web-based wallet provide a better experience to the end-user. 

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions, We're here to answer them all!

[dkbit98]

firmware and webcore are open-sourced and you may check the source code here: https://github.com/prokey-io

Fair enough, I added Prokey wallet to LIST of Open Source Hardware Wallets, but my issue is that I still can't find a single information on your website showing that code is open source and based on Trezor.
You are not the first to use and modify Trezor code (Keepkey, Bithd....) that means that you have all the vulnerabilities like Trezor, and attackers can easily extract seed words and steal your crypto if you are not using passphrase feature (shown by Kraken labs example).

I like that you added new features for entering PIN only on device and restoring wallets without connecting to computer, but that means you modified the code and Prokey can have totally new bugs unrelated to original Trezor.
I see you changed the board, added more buttons and bigger screen, but I would also like to see what exactly in code was changed compared to Trezor.
You are using similar web wallet and firmware installation like Trezor and with same price as Trezor One I with all this changes I am still not convinced why someone would buy Prokey and pay the same money as for Trezor One.

People will choose to try new hardware wallets only if they offer better security or if it is cheaper than competition, and I don't see this is the case with Prokey.

[o_e_l_e_o]

I'm interested in privacy. I don't want to use a web based interface, and I definitely don't want to install a Chromium based browser on my computer. You say you support third party wallets. How easy or otherwise is it to pair the Prokey with third party wallet software? Could I use your device with say, Electrum, today?

Also, given the recent Ledger database hack, I'm interested in your policies regard the storage of customer information. I couldn't find anything relevant in your Privacy Policy or Terms and Conditions. What information do you require for a device to be purchased? How do you store it? How long do you store it for? Who do you share it with?

I wish you luck in the future.

[prokey]

Fair enough, I added Prokey wallet to LIST of Open Source Hardware Wallets, but my issue is that I still can't find a single information on your website showing that code is open source and based on Trezor.
You are not the first to use and modify Trezor code (Keepkey, Bithd....) that means that you have all the vulnerabilities like Trezor, and attackers can easily extract seed words and steal your crypto if you are not using passphrase feature (shown by Kraken labs example).

Thanks for updating the topic! The aforementioned attack needs physical access to the device and also it's easier said than done! In-depth knowledge coupled with specialized hardware, only slightly guarantees successful hacking attempts. Even if there wasn't such an issue, someone may force the wallet owner to connect the hardware wallet to a computer. Having a passphrase is a must for people who are afraid of physical attacks.

I like that you added new features for entering PIN only on device and restoring wallets without connecting to computer, but that means you modified the code and Prokey can have totally new bugs unrelated to original Trezor.
I see you changed the board, added more buttons and bigger screen, but I would also like to see what exactly in code was changed compared to Trezor.
You are using similar web wallet and firmware installation like Trezor and with same price as Trezor One I with all this changes I am still not convinced why someone would buy Prokey and pay the same money as for Trezor One.

The firmware is based on Trezor, not a direct copy. We have our own security requirements with internal security auditing that tests and reviews the codes and that should tell you that we're not really in a rush. We assume you've known about our project since 2020 and this is the first time we are introducing our project here, because we try our best to write bug-free codes and make sure they are tested completely. Bug-free codes often have more to do with thinking time, patience, and learning more about the problem.

People will choose to try new hardware wallets only if they offer better security or if it is cheaper than competition, and I don't see this is the case with Prokey.

Definitely security is the priority for us. Some people may care about the price tag but some others are willing to pay more for a better experience. We support thousands of coins in our wallet interface and we're adding more coins day-by-day to ease access to crypto for our users.

We'd love to hear your feedback about our device, so please send us a DM to get a free Prokey Optimum and review it yourself. We invite you to share with us your experience was with that!

[prokey]

I'm interested in privacy. I don't want to use a web based interface, and I definitely don't want to install a Chromium based browser on my computer. You say you support third party wallets. How easy or otherwise is it to pair the Prokey with third party wallet software? Could I use your device with say, Electrum, today?

We value and respect users' privacy and our web interface is a client side web-based app. As such, we do not save anything on the server. Settings like coins priorities and menu preferences are saved to the user's local storage. Most popular browsers like Google Chrome, Brave and Microsoft Edge are chromium-based. If other browsers start supporting WebUSB, our device can be compatible with them. On the other hand, we believe that installing a chromium browser is more secure than installing a bridge or executable application on your computer.

We support the highest number of cryptos on our platform for easy access. And by the way, the prokey-webcore is a simple 3rd-party library for integration with any software wallet.

Also, given the recent Ledger database hack, I'm interested in your policies regard the storage of customer information. I couldn't find anything relevant in your Privacy Policy or Terms and Conditions. What information do you require for a device to be purchased? How do you store it? How long do you store it for? Who do you share it with?

I wish you luck in the future.

Kindly check here: https://support.prokey.io/help-center/articles/2/8/7/return-policy

We remove our customers' information 60 days after the date of purchase, unless they choose to receive email updates and news on the checkout page. Also, our store and even blog sections have been developed from scratch by our team, without using open-source codes and premade CMS.

[o_e_l_e_o]

Thanks for the response.

Most popular browsers like Google Chrome, Brave and Microsoft Edge are chromium-based.

Firefox and Tor aren't, which are the only browsers I use.

If other browsers start supporting WebUSB, our device can be compatible with them.

WebUSB is JavaScript, which I have disabled by default and have no intention of turning on. It has been plagued with security and privacy concerns. I have no intention of ever using it. Chromium based browsers are loaded with Google trackers and spyware, and again, I have no intention of ever using one.

I appreciate you are saying that it is easy to integrate with other software wallets, but I'm interested to know if any have done so yet. If I bought this device, which software wallets could I use it with today?

We remove our customers' information 60 days after the date of purchase, unless they choose to receive email updates and news on the checkout page.

This is good to know. How and where is it stored during those 60 days?

[dkbit98]

We remove our customers' information 60 days after the date of purchase

This is nice to hear especially after ledger wallet leak fiasco(s), and I tested purchase on your website and saw that you accept Bitcoin and credit card for purchasing Prokey.
Do you also accept PO boxes for shipping?

the prokey-webcore is a simple 3rd-party library for integration with any software wallet.

Can we see some example or documentation how we can connect Prokey with Electrum wallet or maybe use it as multisig with other hardware wallet?

I would not underestimate and neglect number of people in crypto who use Firefox browser, so there must be some solution for them and for others who don't want to use browsers at all.
Trezor for example made very nice open source Trezor Suite app that can work in browser and it can be downloaded as separate app for desktop.

I also tested Prokey website for tracking and cookies and it is much better than both ledger or Trezor did in my previous testing, with only 2 ad trackers found.


https://themarkup.org/blacklight?url=prokey.io

[20kevin20]

Another privacy advocate here. I was curious to know whether there is any plan to also build a software as a replacement for the client-side interface you currently have. Being in the same situation @o_e_l_e_o is in (having JS off by default), I am looking for an alternative to the popular HWs that would also be privacy-focused.

Ledger requires to go through Live in order to use a cryptocurrency (besides BTC I believe, which should come preinstalled) and has a closed-source component in it. That's quite sketchy for me. On the other hand, Trezor is open-source but the only thing keeping me away from it is exactly the fact that I have to use a browser with it.

If anything, I would try my best to heavily support any HW that comes with privacy as a first. An interface where you can choose between light wallet and local full node, where you can check balances through Tor rather than the clearnet etc. I feel like these are features that shouldn't be missing.

Are you planning to add and work on anything privacy-wise? Also, does Prokey work with XMR? If negative, do you plan to make this happen?

[prokey]

Firefox and Tor aren't, which are the only browsers I use.

A standalone application for desktop and mobile is in development for users who do not prefer to use web browsers. https://github.com/prokey-io/prokey-app

This is good to know. How and where is it stored during those 60 days?

We keep customer information for the sole purpose of providing after-sales services in case of a faulty device. This information will only be kept for 60 days. During this period, all information is kept in our shopping database which has passed security tests and was also developed by our own team from scratch.

I appreciate you are saying that it is easy to integrate with other software wallets, but I'm interested to know if any have done so yet. If I bought this device, which software wallets could I use it with today?

Can we see some example or documentation how we can connect Prokey with Electrum wallet or maybe use it as multisig with other hardware wallet?

Not today. Metamask, MEW, and Electrum wallet libraries are in development by third parties. We'll update you here once it is done.

This is nice to hear especially after ledger wallet leak fiasco(s), and I tested purchase on your website and saw that you accept Bitcoin and credit card for purchasing Prokey.
Do you also accept PO boxes for shipping?

It depends on the selected courier. We use a wide range of couriers in our shop but most users prefer to use FedEx but FedEx doesn’t accept P.O. boxes for delivery to the United States.

Are you planning to add and work on anything privacy-wise? Also, does Prokey work with XMR? If negative, do you plan to make this happen?

Thanks for your interest, Currently, our wallet fully supports Zcash and Dash as privacy coins but not Monero, as of now. We don’t have any plan to add XMR in the near future because there are several cryptocurrencies with higher priority and demand in the market.

[Pmalek]

Currently, our wallet fully supports Zcash and Dash as privacy coins but not Monero, as of now.

I don't want to go off-topic, but Dash is not a privacy focused coin. They have a PrivateSend feature (a type of CoinJoin), but I have read articles that Dash is as private as Bitcoin is. They did brand themselves as being a privacy coin in the beginning, but have since then changed their claims. I can't seem to find the articles detailing their PrivateSend feature and the lack of privacy, but there is this piece where their developers state that it's not anonymous.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/dash-should-not-be-considered-a-privacy-coin-dash-team-says 

[o_e_l_e_o]

A standalone application for desktop and mobile is in development for users who do not prefer to use web browsers. https://github.com/prokey-io/prokey-app

Great! I'll keep an eye out for this. A standalone and open source app would certainly be far preferable to a Chrome based web app.

Not today. Metamask, MEW, and Electrum wallet libraries are in development by third parties. We'll update you here once it is done.

Again, I'll keep an eye out. I've been really turned off hardware wallets recently due to the major issues with both Ledger and Trezor, but I'd be keen to find and use a new device. Once your device is no longer dependent on a web app, I'll definitely take another look.

Again, best of luck with your ongoing development. I would also echo the request for Monero support though, since it is the only privacy coin which is actually private.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

I don't want to use a web based interface, and I definitely don't want to install a Chromium based browser on my computer.

Yep, those are both deal-breakers for me--in addition to the fact that the Prokey has no track record of being a secure wallet with minimal problems.  The way I see it, there would be no reason to choose one of these over a Trezor or Ledger (yeah I know Ledger's got it's problems, but I'm a fan)....at least not yet.  I'm not saying the Prokey couldn't become a player in the hardware wallet space, but it'll take time and I do wish OP luck with it.  It's certainly not an ugly device, but that web-based crap just isn't for me.

It might be more attractive at a lower price, but I'd probably only buy it as a crypto collectible personally.

[dkbit98]

...

OK thanks for answering.
It would also be interesting to have multisig support with Prokey wallet and that is impossible now because Electrum is not supported, and my issue with all hardware wallet smaller projects that forked from Trezor (or other opensource wallets) is hard time for keeping up with all the updates and security fixes.

I guess it's impossible for Prokey to support any other coin that Trezor One wallet is not supporting like in case for monero, and few other coins I don't care about.
After checking Prokey website I see that it's almost exactly the same support as for Trezor.
https://prokey.io/all-coins

[20kevin20]

I guess it's impossible for Prokey to support any other coin that Trezor One wallet is not supporting like in case for monero, and few other coins I don't care about.

I don't think it's necessarily impossible - AFAIK, Trezor One doesn't support XMR due to the RAM limitations. Ledger Nano S supports it, but sometimes (especially when you have lots of inputs) it takes up to 5-10 minutes for a tx to be loaded on it.


The only question I have left is.. as far as I read, there aren't that many pros when it comes to Prokey if compared to its main competitor device, Trezor One. But having a roughly tested device with a quite long history and a very large base of users, it still makes me think these small changes such as device PIN or manual authentication are not worth the downsides such as missing support for the most used wallets and the lack of rough testing phases and audits.

Why should I choose Prokey over Trezor One?