Need Advice Securing Bitcoin Core Wallet Any Tips?

[MicroScript]

Hello everyone!

I’ve very recently installed Bitcoin Core and loved the level of control over my funds I obtained. Unfortunately, I worry somewhat about security. It’s a full node implementation I understand and, as such, I will need to ensure I handle the private keys as safely as possible to avoid potential malware, hacking attempts, and similar risks.

Could I ask for practical advice from you regarding security measures or precautions with Bitcoin Core you have personally taken? I’d love to make sure I keep my wallet and funds as secure as possible.

I am very appreciative of your help and advice in advance!

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[promise444c5]

Encrypt  your wallet.dat and then back it up to a safe place like an external drive, use a very strong combination  for your passphrase while encrypting.
To prevent your external drive from getting  corrupt  do not use it on any random device
Write down your passphrase in a cold form mostly paper   but because  of some hazardous events  that may occur like fire you could  craft it on an aluminium  sheet keep it somewhere  safe.
Next time you try to import your wallet you will be needing the passphrase to make it possible

[MicroScript]

Encrypt  your wallet.dat and then back it up to a safe place like an external drive, use a very strong combination  for your passphrase while encrypting.
To prevent your external drive from getting  corrupt  do not use it on any random device
Write down your passphrase in a cold form mostly paper   but because  of some hazardous events  that may occur like fire you could  craft it on an aluminium  sheet keep it somewhere  safe.
Next time you try to import your wallet you will be needing the passphrase to make it possible

Thank you for advising me on how to secure the wallet.dat file. I would love to know how bitcoin core handles security threats. Can you enlighten me on the safety measures put on bitcoin core to redeem user’s funds and data?

[promise444c5]

Firstly, you  need to understand that Bitcoin core uses AES ( Advanced  Encryption Standard) to encrypt its  wallet, the encryption  is considered  a very  secure one.
That feels like   the major implementation
Apart from that, once you run a bitcoin Core you have the same advantage with running a full node along with your wallet  
 Check
https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-core/features/validation

[BitMaxz]

Do you have any reason why you chose to use a Bitcoin core wallet rather than a lite wallet like Electrum?
Because Bitcoin core wallet needs lots of resources unless you need a full node for development or something?

For the best solution securing your Bitcoin core wallet only install and create your wallet into cold storage never connect it to online to avoid malware and hacking.
You just need to learn how to do offline transactions you can use Electrum as your watch-only wallet and where you can make unsigned transactions and sign them in your offline Bitcoin core wallet.

[Z-tight]

I am interested to understand how Bitcoin Core tackles security threats. Could you share some insights into the security measures built into Bitcoin Core to protect users' funds and data?

No wallet 'tackles' security threats for you, it is recommended to use open source, self custodial and well reviewed wallets, but your funds is only as safe as the device you use, your opsec and your knowledge. Bitcoin core is recommended, but if you use it, just like any other wallet, in an unsafe environment, you may lose your funds.

If you want to use Bitcoin core only because you think it will protect your funds for you, then i feel you should go for open source light client wallets like Electrum or BlueWallet, and focus on your opsec as well as running your wallet offline.

[LoyceV]

I want to make sure my wallet and funds are as safe as possible.

That means: cold storage, and backups. A hot wallet should only be used for amounts needed for daily use, and amounts you can afford to lose. Anything else should be in cold storage. Setting up proper cold storage is a bit of work, but it's the only way to be sure online attacks are not possible.
Depending on your needs there are many different ways to create cold storage.

[MicroScript]

Do you have any reason why you chose to use a Bitcoin core wallet rather than a lite wallet like Electrum?
Because Bitcoin core wallet needs lots of resources unless you need a full node for development or something?

I chose it because of the security and autonomy it offers. And I have direct access to the entire blockchain if I running a full node with Bitcoin Core And I have full control over my funds. While lite wallets like Electrum offer convenience but I prioritize security.

[LoyceV]

I prioritize security.

On a hot wallet?

[un_rank]

While lite wallets like Electrum offer convenience but I prioritize security.

There really is nothing like a lite bitcoin wallet. Closest example I can think of is a web wallet which is constantly offline and is very unsafe.

How you handle your wallet determines the security you get back. A cold wallet on electrum which keys that have never been online is safer than a hot wallet on bitcoin core which is managed less securely.

- Jay -

[ABCbits]

This is somewhat vague question, so i only could give vague answer such as,
1. Avoid using Windows OS if possible.
2. Verify the downloaded Bitcoin Core. https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/ shows how to do it.
3. Do not execute command on Bitcoin Core's console or RPC-JSON if you don't understand what it does.

While lite wallets like Electrum offer convenience but I prioritize security.

There really is nothing like a lite bitcoin wallet. Closest example I can think of is a web wallet which is constantly offline and is very unsafe.

He probably use term "lite" because Electrum doesn't download whole blockchain. It's definitely lighter than Bitcoin Core.

[HeRetiK]

I chose it because of the security and autonomy it offers. And I have direct access to the entire blockchain if I running a full node with Bitcoin Core And I have full control over my funds. While lite wallets like Electrum offer convenience but I prioritize security.

Be aware that while running a full node via Bitcoin Core is commendable, it might not give the kind of security you are looking for.

Running full nodes versus just using a SPV wallet like Electrum is important for network health and more secure in the sense that your own node verifies transactions rather than relying on a third party to do it for you.

However for most people that is not how you get your coins stolen. What you are looking for is a way to protect your private keys. And for that you either need to set up cold storage, as mentioned by LoyceV, or a hardware wallet. While for the latter there have been various concerning developments I'd argue that they are still preferable over just keeping your coins in a hot wallet like the standard Bitcoin core setup.

Note that simply encrypting your wallet as suggested by promise444c5 will not protect your coins in case of a compromised machine. Even something as simple as a keylogger will completely break this "security" model.

[Synchronice]

Do you have any reason why you chose to use a Bitcoin core wallet rather than a lite wallet like Electrum?

Even without a reason, it's good that he runs a Bitcoin Node.

By the way, I would suggest you to buy an air-gapped wallet like Passport and Coldcard or download an Electrum wallet on separate air-gapped computer and use that wallet as a cold wallet. I suggest this because if you are looking for maximum security, you need a computer that doesn't have access to the internet and if you run Bitcoin Node, you need to access internet, so this combo is not the safest option. But this doesn't mean either that you'll become hacked. If your computer is clean, you don't download pirated content, don't visit malicious website, i.e. stick with FAANG websites (Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, etc), then you'll be safe (but for maximum security you need an air-gapped computer).

I also want to give you this advice: The more you try to protect your safety, the more responsibilities you'll have to take on your shoulders. The more you'll secure and encrypt everything, the harder it gets to recover things and please keep this in mind. Adjust your wallet's security to how much responsibility you can handle well.

[un_rank]

...don't visit malicious website, i.e. stick with FAANG websites (Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, etc), then you'll be safe (but for maximum security you need an air-gapped computer).

This will give Op the impression that popular means safe. Those top websites track us and have far more data on their user than all the other loew reputable websites, we just trust them not to do anything with it (publicly) that will harm their reputation.

- Jay -

[Y3shot]

Can anyone share some practical security tips or precautions they've taken while using Bitcoin Core? I want to make sure my wallet and funds are as safe as possible. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!!

Downloading wallet from a reliable source.

Choose passphrase that will be difficult for other people to guess to hack, but very easy for you to always remember.

[Z-tight]

Choose passphrase that will be difficult for other people to guess to hack, but very easy for you to always remember.

If it is easy for you to remember or commit to memory, then it is most likely weak and an attacker can brute force it. If you are going to extend your seed phrase with a passphrase, you should not try to create one you can remember, set a strong passphrase and back it up safely, just in a different location from your seed phrase.

[MicroScript]

I prioritize security.

On a hot wallet?

Whether it is hot or cold wallet, I think security is a top priority. I want to take necessary steps to safeguard my funds, whether they are stored in a hot or cold wallet,  I just want to ensure the security of my assets.

[Z-tight]

I prioritize security.

On a hot wallet?

Whether it is hot or cold wallet, I think security is a top priority. I want to take necessary steps to safeguard my funds, whether they are stored in a hot or cold wallet,  I just want to ensure the security of my assets.

You don't get the point. Anything online is prone to hacking, so the funds in your wallet is never safe if it is online, the most important step to ensure the security of your funds is to ensure that your keys are offline, and to do that you either have to use a hardware wallet or set up your own airgapped wallet. However, you can use an online wallet if it does not store a large amount of coins.

[Forsyth Jones]

I chose it because of the security and autonomy it offers. And I have direct access to the entire blockchain if I running a full node with Bitcoin Core And I have full control over my funds. While lite wallets like Electrum offer convenience but I prioritize security.

I'm glad you understood the importance of choosing a full node and not depending on third-party servers to validate your transactions. I've been using Bitcoin Core since 2017 and I think it's the ideal wallet for Bitcoin due to the multitude of features and control.

Your wallet is so secure as your computer, so take care of the security of your computer, it'd be ideal if you had a notebook just for this and/or a Linux partition just to manage the bitcoin core wallet, to protect the majority of your funds, you can use an air gapped offline computer where you use one to sign transactions (it would be in the offline machine) and the signed transaction would be broadcasted on the online machine, so if you don't know this yet, I recommend doing a lot of research on how to do this the way correct.

Encrypt your wallet with a strong password and make backups, bitcoin core allows you to export your wallet and it is encrypted with your password, therefore, I advise you to create a password between 16 - 20 characters and make sure you don't forget/lose this password. Use complex passwords containing letters, numbers and some characters, do not use well-known phrases or song lyrics as your password, as this is not recommended.

Never stop doing your research, you will find several good quality posts and learn a lot here.

[ABCbits]

But this doesn't mean either that you'll become hacked. If your computer is clean, you don't download pirated content, don't visit malicious website, i.e. stick with FAANG websites (Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, etc), then you'll be safe (but for maximum security you need an air-gapped computer).

Those popular website (especially Facebook) sometimes shows malicious ads and may be mistaken as regular content though. Some goods on Amazon (and other online shop) may be fake or malicious. Here's an example, Another crap Amazon wallet find: Material Bitcoin.