Altcoins Talks - Cryptocurrency Forum
Cryptocurrency Ecosystem => Bitcoin Forum => Topic started by: CryptoLaila on April 06, 2024, 09:55:49 AM
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Over the months, I've been inactive a little as I was busy with some other stuffs but I had the time to learn some new things about btc.
Security
I learned something new about the most secure way of storing your btc which is Usage of Airgapped devices and I felt I should also share this here too
What are Airgapped devices:
Airgapped devices are devices that are completely free of any access to Internet I.e they donot use or get connected to the Internet at all.
what are the benefits:
Using of an airgapped device gives the ultimate security level for your datas and using it as your means of cold storage gives your wallet the tight security it needed as issues like (malwares and attacks) will be completely eliminated since there're no relationship with the Internet
How can we use Airgapped as a means of cold storage:
We can use Airgapped devices as a means of cold storage by taking our wallet offline completely , here we will have two wallets, the one that connects to the Internet [view only wallet](this can be used on other devices that connects to Internet as it only view and make transaction that need to be signed]
The other wallet is used on the Airgapped device as cold storage and is capable of signing transaction for broadcast on the other view-only wallet.
For now, I can only speak of Electrum as a way to do this (by connecting the two wallet using a public key) because I've only read about Electrum but I know others will know more wallet that does it , a little share of knowledge will do here :).
##CryptoLaila
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Storing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies by means of using airgapped devices is an agelong tradition, it's not something new at all, but still, I am glad that op is sharing this here for us to discuss about it, so that newbies who don't know a thing about airgapped devices can learn.
The truth is, when we talk about airgapped devices, some usually think or believe that only hardware wallets can be used as airgapped device for cryptocurrency storage, the fact actually is, even our mobile phones can be turned into an airgapped device for our cryptocurrency storage.
How?
Just get an old mobile phone that you intend not using any more, connect to the internet and install electrum, or any other open source non custodial wallet, create a new wallet, write down your seed phrase and keep it somewhere really safe, move as much of your crypto you intend holding for a very long time into the new wallet, after confirming receipt of the crypto, now disconnect the old device from the internet, delete all network access settings, remove the Sim card from the device, turn the device off and remove the battery, congratulations, you just moved your funds to a new airgapped device, now, all you have to do is, keep the mobile device somewhere safe, as well as your seed phrase, also copy/paste and save the wallet address to the airgapped wallet somewhere you can easily access it, so that in the future when you need to move some funds into that wallet, you just get the address where it is saved and move funds there, you can import the airgapped wallet into another device in view-only mode using the public key/wallet address, a lot of non custodial wallets supports importing wallets in view only mode, wallet like electrum, trust wallet, mycelium and a host of others.
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For easy understanding about wallet on airgapped device, here is one example https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/coldstorage.html
For now, I can only speak of Electrum as a way to do this (by connecting the two wallet using a public key) because I've only read about Electrum but I know others will know more wallet that does it , a little share of knowledge will do here :).
Sparrow is also a good wallet which can be used for it
The truth is, when we talk about airgapped devices, some usually think or believe that only hardware wallets can be used as airgapped device for cryptocurrency storage, the fact actually is, even our mobile phones can be turned into an airgapped device for our cryptocurrency storage.
Some hardware wallets are not airgapped devices, only few are.
To remove mobile phone Bluetooth and WiFi card is not easy. I prefer laptops instead which these modules can easily be removed.
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the fact actually is, even our mobile phones can be turned into an airgapped device for our cryptocurrency storage.
I think this is dangerous and you will be facing unnecessary risk.
Just buy a good hardware wallet such as trezor and be happy and safe. Unless you are a cyber security specialist, you shouldn't try to create your own system... it is like reinventing the wheel imo.
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Some hardware wallets are not airgapped devices, only few are.
To remove mobile phone Bluetooth and WiFi card is not easy. I prefer laptops instead which these modules can easily be removed.
Yes, I think laptops should be a good one, drivers can be removed with ease but windows itself is a bad idea although I'm not used to Linux but I think it should be better with Kernel , I'm even thinking of migrating to Linux .
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Yes, I think laptops should be a good one, drivers can be removed with ease but windows itself is a bad idea although I'm not used to Linux but I think it should be better with Kernel , I'm even thinking of migrating to Linux .
Linux is open source and better. But this is an airgapped device and there is nothing about it that is going to the device external environment than signed transactions. These makes any of the operating systems to be good. But Tails OS is also open source and come with Electrum installed in which no wallet download and no installation needed.
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Just get an old mobile phone that you intend not using any more, connect to the internet and install electrum, or any other open source non custodial wallet, create a new wallet, write down your seed phrase and keep it somewhere really safe, move as much of your crypto you intend holding for a very long time into the new wallet, after confirming receipt of the crypto, now disconnect the old device from the internet, delete all network access settings, remove the Sim card from the device, turn the device off and remove the battery, congratulations, you just moved your funds to a new airgapped device...
This is not the way to make an airgapped wallet - because the whole point is to create a seed on a device that is not online, and the way you would do it could very easily expose the seed if the smartphone is infected with any malware/keylogger that could collect information and send it to a remote server.
The correct way would be to disconnect the device from the internet and bluetooth and all possible data connections, and to download the APK file for the wallet on another device and verify it, and then install it on the airgapped smartphone through the SD card. Although some experts say that regardless of the fact that everything is turned off, there is still a possibility that the smartphone can communicate with other devices.
From what is offered on the market today, Foundation Passport has the best reputation, which is truly an airgapped hardware wallet. An excellent review for those who want to know more -> Foundation Passport Review (https://www.athena-alpha.com/foundation-passport-review/)
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I believe the best way to make and use an air gapped device is with the use of Electrum which OP has shown in this thread. For proper air gapping, I suggest OP to go with a old desktop pc and remove all hardware from that pc which allow internet connections. After that the OP should download electrum from internet using another device that's not air gapped and copy the Electrum on his/her air gapped device and create a wallet with Electrum. Make sure to write the seed phrase on paper and do multi copies of it.
Once you have created that wallet, now you may need to go to Wallet -> Information and copy the master public key of the wallet present on air gapped device. Once all that is done, now you may go to your online device and select File -> New/Restore, and give it a name, and then select Standard wallet, after that click on next button. Once that's done, now you should select "Use public or private keys" and click on next button. Now, you need to paste that copied master public key on the empty space, and after pasting you should click on next button once again.
Once it's complete you'll see a pop-up that will show that your wallet is in watch only mode. Now you have set your offline air gapped wallet and a watch only version of it on your online device.
You may give this article a reading to understand in depth about signing of transactions, and about the whole process. Cold Storage — Electrum 3.3 documentation (https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/coldstorage.html)
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Yes, I think laptops should be a good one, drivers can be removed with ease but windows itself is a bad idea although I'm not used to Linux but I think it should be better with Kernel , I'm even thinking of migrating to Linux .
What do you mean by better with the kernel? Are you referring to the kernel which is required for Linux OS to run or a Linux OS called Kernel? What makes you think it is better? I'm a Linux user myself but I never touch kernel for my daily usage.
But Tails OS is also open source and come with Electrum installed in which no wallet download and no installation needed.
I remember reading that the pre-installed Electrum is not always up-to-date so you'll likely need to either manually update it or install Electrum on your own. It might cause trouble especially if there's a recent update that disables support for older versions for security reasons. So make sure to double-check it before you install a live OS. CMIIW.
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I believe the best way to make and use an air gapped device is with the use of Electrum which OP has shown in this thread.
You post a good and well explained way to setup a wallet on an airgapped device but I just want you to know that there are other wallets that you can use for it. The wallet for signing transaction is a cold wallet and if it has QR for the transfer of the PSBT and the signed transaction, it is good. All wallets that support that are perfect for a airgapped wallet.
A good wallet on airgapped device needs QR code for making transaction and no more than that. The other important feature like having double spend characteristic and others should be on the watch only wallet.
For import of the master public key, you can use Electrum, Sparrow, Bluewallet or Sentinel.
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Interesting discussion from the OP, I must say. But after reading through all the replies in the comment section, I could only come to one conclusion from my observation. My conclusion is: even if we try to download the software on a particular mobile and then install it on the supposed offline mobile device, we would still have to connect to the internet in order to create a new wallet address. If I'm not mistaken, most of the replies here suggest that a device with zero connection should act as the airgapped device. So I have been curious, unless we now have non-custodial wallets that could perform the first setup offline.
I believe the best way to make and use an air gapped device is with the use of Electrum which OP has shown in this thread. For proper air gapping, I suggest OP to go with a old desktop pc and remove all hardware from that pc which allow internet connections. After that the OP should download electrum from internet using another device that's not air gapped and copy the Electrum on his/her air gapped device and create a wallet with Electrum. Make sure to write the seed phrase on paper and do multi copies of it.
I'm a little confused here because it seems the air-gapped device still needs an internet connection. From what you explained, it appears the main aim here is to avoid getting malware while downloading the software package, rather than actually connecting to the internet. Because even after installing the software on the air-gapped device, there should be a need for wallet setup using an internet connection, isn't there?.
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Interesting discussion from the OP, I must say. But after reading through all the replies in the comment section, I could only come to one conclusion from my observation. My conclusion is: even if we try to download the software on a particular mobile and then install it on the supposed offline mobile device, we would still have to connect to the internet in order to create a new wallet address. If I'm not mistaken, most of the replies here suggest that a device with zero connection should act as the airgapped device. So I have been curious, unless we now have non-custodial wallets that could perform the first setup offline.
I believe the best way to make and use an air gapped device is with the use of Electrum which OP has shown in this thread. For proper air gapping, I suggest OP to go with a old desktop pc and remove all hardware from that pc which allow internet connections. After that the OP should download electrum from internet using another device that's not air gapped and copy the Electrum on his/her air gapped device and create a wallet with Electrum. Make sure to write the seed phrase on paper and do multi copies of it.
I'm a little confused here because it seems the air-gapped device still needs an internet connection. From what you explained, it appears the main aim here is to avoid getting malware while downloading the software package, rather than actually connecting to the internet. Because even after installing the software on the air-gapped device, there should be a need for wallet setup using an internet connection, isn't there?.
You will use a wallet that does not need internet connection to generate seed phrase, master private key, master public key and addresses. Electrum can also generate private keys and public keys without the internet connection. You do not need an internet for it. Only what you need internet for is the watch only wallet and not the wallet on airgapped device.
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I'm a little confused here because it seems the air-gapped device still needs an internet connection. From what you explained, it appears the main aim here is to avoid getting malware while downloading the software package, rather than actually connecting to the internet. Because even after installing the software on the air-gapped device, there should be a need for wallet setup using an internet connection, isn't there?.
This is how it works,
Have you ever heard of view only wallet ?? If yes, anyone can access a view wallet of you have the public key ... you would probably have seen a thousand worth account wallet but you will have no way to withdraw it .
Here, only the owner of the cold wallet have the access to make the transaction possible .
For example,
I will be using electrum as it has this feature, I have an airgapped device and I created a wallet in the form of cold storage, now that wallet will have it phrases that can be stored just like a standard wallet(and indeed its a standard wallet) , you would be given a public key too which can be used on your hot wallet .
The hot wallet can be created on your device that connects to the Internet now instead of a standard wallet you will be creating a View-Only wallet which require that your public key( see this as just a mirror reflection of your wallet), most wallet do specify View-Only wallet while creating but Electrum is done in another way and I think it has been explained from one of the comments no need to dive into it again
You can use this public key on different devices as much as you want here you can view your balance and make transactions, but this transaction needs to go through the cold wallet for signing , so anyone who literally have access to the view wallet needed to have access to the airgapped wallet to .ake the transaction works , after the signing then you can now come back to your view-only wallet to broadcast the transaction
What do you mean by better with the kernel? Are you referring to the kernel which is required for Linux OS to run or a Linux OS called Kernel? What makes you think it is better? I'm a Linux user myself but I never touch kernel for my daily usage.
I do call Linux as an OS running on Kernel so I pretty much love to call it Kernel :).
Although I haven't tried it but I believe it a much more better OS than Windows IMO
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why do they have to call it airgapped? what does air have to do with it? ;D
but i would assume this is for long term like you having an airgapped wallet will not sell the coins even in the bear market?
majority of the people today are for profit not really for the technology and although they may be up for the decentralization and that for safe keeping of their wealth but during the bear market they will still hurry to put back the batteries and connect to an exchange to sell.
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Learning never ends, it's a continuous process of life and this very aspect of Bitcoin that you have learned is most important because so many people have been very nonchalant about their Bitcoin investment and they therefore have lost their asset due to their careless mistakes and also lack of adequate knowledge about Bitcoin security and investment.
When I started off as a crypto lover and investor far back in 2019, I was never aware about anything as airgap device, not until I joined Bitcointalk forum in 2022, that was when I learned about airgap device and it's importance. It could save as a hardware wallet for those people who can not afford to buy hardware wallet.
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I do call Linux as an OS running on Kernel so I pretty much love to call it Kernel :).
Although I haven't tried it but I believe it a much more better OS than Windows
Oh I see, I thought you were referring to something else. I do believe Linux is much better especially if you care about privacy and security in general, including crypto asset management. If you were using it for something else then you can face some compatibility issues depending on what software you need to use.
why do they have to call it airgapped? what does air have to do with it? ;D
but i would assume this is for long term like you having an airgapped wallet will not sell the coins even in the bear market?
I believe it was used to refer to how a device is isolated from the network. So they don't have a connection whether it is physical or wireless. I think it is a good term for what it is trying to refer to. I do believe the main usage is for cold storage purposes, but you can also use it to manage your funds regularly with Electrum as linked above. It is good practice even if you regularly send money from one wallet to another IMO. CMIIW.
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How?
Just get an old mobile phone that you intend not using any more, connect to the internet and install electrum, or any other open source non custodial wallet, create a new wallet, write down your seed phrase and keep it somewhere really safe, move as much of your crypto you intend holding for a very long time into the new wallet, after confirming receipt of the crypto, now disconnect the old device from the internet, delete all network access settings, remove the Sim card from the device, turn the device off and remove the battery, congratulations,
It is one of the most convenient ways to create airgapped wallet but keep in mind you are just one touch away from compromising the security of the wallet. We humans are tend to make errors so better not to trust us with our money. :D
As others pointed out to mitigate the compromise we need to remove the hardware of the device which let us connect to the internet but removing that hardware from smartphones is close to impossible so it's always a fresh laptop or used desktop is best device for used as cold storage.
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Just get an old mobile phone that you intend not using any more, connect to the internet and install electrum, or any other open source non custodial wallet
Get if from an official website.
create a new wallet, write down your seed phrase and keep it somewhere really safe, move as much of your crypto you intend holding for a very long time into the new wallet, after confirming receipt of the crypto, now disconnect the old device from the internet, delete all network access settings
After downloading a wallet software, install it on your mobile phone, you must immediately disconnect your phone to Internet.
After that, create your wallet, get it receiving address.
Funding that wallet.
All of these steps must be done offline!
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Air gapped device is to make us avoid any means of possible attack that may come through the online interactions we have with any website, downloads or link that is malicious, so when you're using this, you will highly get secured from any form of attack in likes manners, there are other means as well as precautions we must also take note of in using an air gaped device, we shouldn't make our device vulnerable by allowing anyone have access to it.
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there are other means as well as precautions we must also take note of in using an air gaped device, we shouldn't make our device vulnerable by allowing anyone have access to it.
In the most simple terms, be conscious about your security offline as you are conscious of it online. Do not develop security consciousness alone against possible theft online, develop your security consciousness offline too.
- Be careful with freinds.
- Be careful with family.
- Be careful with strangers and the people who you feel you just felt an instant chemistry or connection with.
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In the most simple terms, be conscious about your security offline as you are conscious of it online. Do not develop security consciousness alone against possible theft online, develop your security consciousness offline too.
- Be careful with freinds.
- Be careful with family.
- Be careful with strangers and the people who you feel you just felt an instant chemistry or connection with.
You can for seed phrase encryption which should be done with an offline tool. Or you can encrypt the seed phrase on a flashdrive or memory card using an adapter, plug it directly to the airgapped device. Or go for passphrase which is simple but which is the one that I prefer.
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Be careful when calling something airgapped device, especially newbies should learn more before making any mistakes.
I have seen people who claim to use airgapped laptops, but at the same time they periodically connect that same laptop to the internet.
Best airgapped devices don't have any cable connection to other device or network, and they use QR code for sending and receiving information.
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Snip
Wow! What an amazing explanation of airgapped. People have been saying offline wallets and cold Wallets here and there yet I don't know how it works and I don't how to use it. Many people have explained it for me or asked me to use it but I have no knowledge about it so I have not used it. Last year I thought someone how to invest in Bitcoin and the person was willing to invest in bitcoin and a bitcoin technical user asked me to use a phone that I am not using but I didn't have any idea so I left the idea of using that. But this your explanation has made everything clear even more than the Op himself. Oh this explanation is very good to me.
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Welcome back op, I hope you will find many new things about BTC soon, talking about airgapped wallets, they are good way of storing funds for longer period of time. As they are best for holding purposes, they are not best to use as hot wallets because in hot wallets we have to make transaction more frequently while in cold wallet we don't have to. As you have already mentioned two best way to setup airgapped wallets.
So, using a airgapped wallet is not an easy way, a non technical person might find it difficult to setup one. Proper tutorial video might help them but still managing it a hard task. Small mistake can make your airgapped wallets a non airgape one.
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So, using a airgapped wallet is not an easy way, a non technical person might find it difficult to setup one. Proper tutorial video might help them but still managing it a hard task. Small mistake can make your airgapped wallets a non airgape one.
I think it is a bit exaggerated to assume that you need to be a "technical person" to use airgapped wallet properly. At the very least, the term "technical person" can be a bit misleading. We don't need to know how mining works to understand that connecting an airgapped device to the internet should not be done. I also found that this term can discourage the average joe from learning how to securely manage their wallets, even if they don't intend to use airgapped devices in the future. I believe a simple commitment to follow tutorials provided by credible sources like Electrum is good enough to start and develop a habit to do this.
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I think it is a bit exaggerated to assume that you need to be a "technical person" to use airgapped wallet properly. At the very least, the term "technical person" can be a bit misleading. We don't need to know how mining works to understand that connecting an airgapped device to the internet should not be done. I also found that this term can discourage the average joe from learning how to securely manage their wallets, even if they don't intend to use airgapped devices in the future. I believe a simple commitment to follow tutorials provided by credible sources like Electrum is good enough to start and develop a habit to do this.
I did not meant to exaggerate here, as I was simply trying to indicate that a person who does't even know how to use a smartphone, what is blockchain, what the is the internet, how smartphones are considered connected to internet, and how they are not, what is network, etc., etc. Like these simple definition are necessary for a person to know. Otherwise they won't be aware that there airgapped wallet is no more a airgapped wallet. Which they have made by themselves.
Well, if they buy a pre-made and follow the manuals comes with them and stick to them then a normal joe can also use it easily. Overall you are 100% that if me saying you have to be technical person without defining it more like to which extent then a normal joe might hesitat to even give it a try. Thanks for adding your words here.