2.5 BTC stolen i wanna cry :-(

[pooya87]

Every person that goes through this is a person that potentially will not be bothered to use BTC again..

I wouldn't say so. BTC is extremely safe if used right.

And we don't even know what happened. OP refuses to say how he generated the vanity address or give more information.

maybe it is the same story ever about people using blockchain.info in an unsafe way and blaming the online wallet. i mean using TOR, having keyloger, no 2fa ...

[fryarminer]

Every person that goes through this is a person that potentially will not be bothered to use BTC again..

Not necessarily true. I've had a ton stolen - you learn what you did wrong and move on. If you get held up on the street and get your wallet stolen, does that mean you will never use cash or credit card again?

[deepestfear]

replace them as soon as possible so you dont get regrets
learn and move on

[AGD]

I don't believe this story.

[viboracecata]

Not that much, I think you can afford, just treat as you pay the lesson

[sakira]

hey buddy sad to hear that, I hope lb coming soon and could slightly recover your balance

better to lose a parlay, rather than hacked very painful

by: gelar24

[knocte]

Where did you create the vanity address? Did you have 2-factor set up? You don't need to throw out your comp but I wouldn't use it to store or send bitcoins unless you know its safe as you could have some keylogger malware.

Im throwing it away :-( i already have new one paid for i was about to go pick up before i seen this

Well if you're going to get a new computer, make sure to have extensive security measures installed.

As for me, what I do is use Linux.

Linux's software installation model prevents you from getting infected by malware and viruses.

[AGD]

Where did you create the vanity address? Did you have 2-factor set up? You don't need to throw out your comp but I wouldn't use it to store or send bitcoins unless you know its safe as you could have some keylogger malware.

Im throwing it away :-( i already have new one paid for i was about to go pick up before i seen this

Well if you're going to get a new computer, make sure to have extensive security measures installed.

As for me, what I do is use Linux.

Linux's software installation model prevents you from getting infected by malware and viruses.

When you know how to use it  ...

[stingleword]

As for me, what I do is use Linux.

Linux's software installation model prevents you from getting infected by malware and viruses.

This almost true.

It is more accurate to say that Linux' software installation model insulates you from infections. It doesn't prevent it, and a poor decision by a computer's user will always bypass even the most strict security model.

There is no automated system capable of preventing a user from being tricked.

[knocte]

Where did you create the vanity address? Did you have 2-factor set up? You don't need to throw out your comp but I wouldn't use it to store or send bitcoins unless you know its safe as you could have some keylogger malware.

Im throwing it away :-( i already have new one paid for i was about to go pick up before i seen this

Well if you're going to get a new computer, make sure to have extensive security measures installed.

As for me, what I do is use Linux.

Linux's software installation model prevents you from getting infected by malware and viruses.

When you know how to use it  ...

LOL, do you know that Linux has now graphical installers right? It's not hard anymore. That was a valid argument 10 years ago.

[JLynn171]

You should figure out how does he steal your money and prevent the issue from recurring.

Lol i tried to send that address a public note saying I would pay him another .25 btc if he just let me know how he did it and that im not even mad just curious

[JLynn171]

I don't believe this story.

lol yes because im a dishonest person and didnt post the txid for proof of and just made this story up to pass time you are correct ding ding ding we got a winner...

[MakingMoneyHoney]

As for me, what I do is use Linux.

Linux's software installation model prevents you from getting infected by malware and viruses.

This almost true.

It is more accurate to say that Linux' software installation model insulates you from infections. It doesn't prevent it, and a poor decision by a computer's user will always bypass even the most strict security model.

There is no automated system capable of preventing a user from being tricked.

I've been wondering about this. I've tried both, Ubuntu and Windows, and Ubuntu would take getting used to for beginners, but it is pretty easy. People had to get used to Windows 8, same deal.

If 75% of people decided to switch to Ubuntu (if they weren't already using it), would there be a way for hackers to start targeting them, as they always target the majority of users to get the most bang for their buck, so to speak.

How hard would it be, for the hackers to start targeting Ubuntu users if a bunch of newbies to Linux started to use it (Because they heard it was fool-proof)?

[hhanh00]

Linux is *not* without [malware](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_malware). It hasn't been so as soon as it became popular.

[rokkyroad]

If 75% of people decided to switch to Ubuntu (if they weren't already using it), would there be a way for hackers to start targeting them, as they always target the majority of users to get the most bang for their buck, so to speak.

How hard would it be, for the hackers to start targeting Ubuntu users if a bunch of newbies to Linux started to use it (Because they heard it was fool-proof)?

The only reason there are not more linux exploits out there is because of the very low percentage of people using it. As it gains popularity expect more trouble.
Security risks are always at the user level when questionable attachments are opened and suspect software installed.

No operating system is immune to browser exploits.

[MakingMoneyHoney]

Thanks hhanh00 and rokkyroad, that's what I figured. It's really just best to keep money in a paper or hardware/offline wallet.

[rokkyroad]

I urge anyone to use VirtualBox. Great way to try operating systems as well as utilize them. Most modern computers have enough resources to run VB. I have 4 VB operating systems on a linux host.

I do all my work on VB OS without ever touching or putting my main OS at risk.

A sweet and lightweight linux OS is Linux Lite. Ideal for Virtualbox usage.

https://www.linuxliteos.com/

[dothebeats]

You're Girl scout?

yes :-( I guess electrum is safer wallet and will be trying to use it from now :-(

Can you explain better "what is happened"?

I signed onto blockchain.info to send some BTCs somewhere and my balance said 0.00 i looked and thhat was the last transfer to that address every fkn coin ughhhhh this sucks

As CrackedLogic told , check your pc  (and for the moment generate a new address on a new clean computer).

im leaving right now to go get a new laptop throw this one away fk fk fk... i knew i shouldnt have kept so much in 1 spot :-( i know not alot for some people but its taken me a long time to finally get that :-(

This is basically the problem for some people here using btc. Why would you keep such a high number of coins in a wallet that is always connected to the internet? You don't need to throw that laptop though. Just check for some spywares and malwares that may have caused the disappearance of your coins. Hope you've learned a lesson from this, though a very expensive one. Sorry for your loss.

[knocte]

As for me, what I do is use Linux.

Linux's software installation model prevents you from getting infected by malware and viruses.

This almost true.

It is more accurate to say that Linux' software installation model insulates you from infections. It doesn't prevent it, and a poor decision by a computer's user will always bypass even the most strict security model.

There is no automated system capable of preventing a user from being tricked.

I've been wondering about this. I've tried both, Ubuntu and Windows, and Ubuntu would take getting used to for beginners, but it is pretty easy. People had to get used to Windows 8, same deal.

If 75% of people decided to switch to Ubuntu (if they weren't already using it), would there be a way for hackers to start targeting them, as they always target the majority of users to get the most bang for their buck, so to speak.

How hard would it be, for the hackers to start targeting Ubuntu users if a bunch of newbies to Linux started to use it (Because they heard it was fool-proof)?

If you say this then you don't understand the difference between opensource and propietary software, basically.

There are 2 ways in which one person can be infected by malware/viruses:
a) By a vulnerability of the operating system. In this case, Linux is superior to proprietary operating systems because the code is open, then anyone can develop a fix, and as a consequence of this, the updates to fix vulnerabilities are normally provided faster in Linux or other opensource operating systems. However, with Windows or Mac, you rely on how fast Microsoft and Apple want to provide you with an update. Not to mention that, as Mac&Windows are not opensource, there could be easily backdoors that these companies know about, and we don't, because they are the only ones that have access to the code.
b) By installing infected software. In proprietary operating systems, it's easier that these happens because normally when you install Mac or Windows you need to look for software that you manually download and install. Users are not good at differentiating who they can trust (in terms of providers of software) so they end up installing programs that contain Malware or viruses. In opensource operating systems, however, this is not usually the case, because the operating system (i.e. Ubuntu) includes ways to install software that comes from trusted sources (i.e. Ubuntu package repositories), which are compiled from opensource software. The possibility of an opensource program to be infected by virus or malware routines is next to zero, because being opensource, all programmers have access to the code and could detect this before the software gets packaged.

So my point is, of course there have been viruses and malware that affect Linux, but as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_malware already states, most of them are not dangerous anymore (because they were only risky at the moment that a vulnerability was found and not yet patched), or only affected brave/ignorant users that went ahead and tried to install software in their Linux OS outside of the network of trusted repositories (which, is, BTW, hard to do, so it's not very likely that it happens).

[champbronc2]

Happens to the best of us man.. Everyone gets screwed at one point or another