{"id":59055,"date":"2025-01-31T02:59:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T02:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/business\/investing\/protect-your-seed-phrase-10-tips-to-secure-your-crypto\/"},"modified":"2025-01-31T02:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T02:59:18","slug":"protect-your-seed-phrase-10-tips-to-secure-your-crypto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=59055","title":{"rendered":"Protect Your Seed Phrase (10 Tips to Secure your Crypto)"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Having control over your seed phrase is equivalent to having control over your crypto.<\/p>\n

I already covered the importance of\u00a0self-custody<\/a> before, so if you\u2019re reading this post, make sure to know the basics.<\/p>\n

With that being said, let\u2019s dive into how you can protect your seed phrase and increase the security of your cyrpto assets.<\/p>\n

\n1) Never share the words with anyone
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This is the only thing<\/strong> you need to do to be safe. If you do it properly, you\u2019re an expert in crypto security.<\/p>\n

People complain about \u201cgetting hacked\u201d daily \u2013 check any crypto\/DeFi subreddit. But all of the stories end up having the same root cause: the person gave their seed phrase to someone. They weren\u2019t a victim of a hack\u2026 They fell for a scam.<\/p>\n

Again,\u00a0ownership of the private keys means ownership of the address they control<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When you share them with someone, you\u2019re basically sharing the ownership.<\/p>\n

\n2) Don\u2019t save your seed phrase online
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Same as every point in this post, this one is tightly related to never sharing your keys with anyone.<\/p>\n

When you have your words in your mailbox\u2019s Drafts folder or you\u2019ve sent them to yourself on social media, you\u2019ve technically shared them with the world.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re potentially exposed to employees of the services you\u2019re using, to platforms with which you interact, or any\u00a0user of a device you\u2019re logged or have been logged into, etc.<\/p>\n

The solution is simple:\u00a0use pen and paper<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n3) Keep the paper safe and hidden
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Have your 12-24 words written clearly on a piece of paper and hide it from the world.<\/p>\n

Put it in a place that\u2019s easily accessible by you, but not for anyone else. Don\u2019t only think about burglars, but also people you live with \u2013 even without bad intentions, they can leak it or lose it due to negligence.<\/p>\n

The stories about suckers searching dumpsters for hard-disks are mainstream nowadays\u2026 All of that can be avoided if you have this piece of paper..<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t use bank deposit boxes to store your whole seed phrase, as it may defy the whole concept of \u201cnot your keys, not your coins\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n4) Never take a picture of your seed phrase
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You may think\u00a0\u201cin case of fire or flood, it\u2019s a good idea to have a digital copy\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

No, it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

A picture on your phone is equally (or even more) vulnerable like the examples from point 2.<\/p>\n

Think about every application that has permissions to access your media files, an unintentional share, losing your phone\u2026 I can go on and on!<\/p>\n

Again, all of this can be avoided by not having a picture<\/strong>. And if you\u2019re worried about your house collapsing, keep reading:<\/p>\n

\n5) Have a duplicate
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It\u2019s always the case that something can happen to a piece of paper. Someone can throw it away unknowingly, it can be destroyed during unfortunate events, etc.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I think it\u2019s a good idea to have a copy of your seed phrase stored elsewhere. However, there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all solution, as it depends on your personal circumstances.<\/p>\n

If you absolutely have no secure options in mind, my tip would be to split the seed into two halves and store those separately. This way, a leak from any side won\u2019t expose your keys.<\/p>\n

As a last resort, a safe deposit box can be a viable option for one half of your seed phrase<\/strong>, hidden between other documents you might keep there.<\/p>\n

\n6) Don\u2019t get too creative
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You can also get a bit creative in regards to how you write down the words. The goal would be to make the seed unusable for anyone that might get a hold of your precious piece of paper.<\/p>\n

You might have ideas like tampering some words or changing their order using an algorithm you\u2019d remember etc.<\/p>\n

Be careful with this.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not using your seed phrase often (you won\u2019t), there\u2019s a high probability that you\u00a0<\/strong>will be the one that ends up with an unusable seed phrase.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t want an over-engineered solution to stop you from accessing your funds. If you\u2019d rely on memory, there\u2019s a better approach:<\/p>\n

\n7) Remember your seed phrase
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It\u2019s as simple as it gets:\u00a0remember your 24 words<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

All of a sudden, your assets are available to you wherever you are.<\/p>\n

You find yourself on the other side of the world and you want to pay with Bitcoin? It\u2019s readily available to you! You find yourself as a war refugee and they confiscate everything you own on the border? Initialize your wallet once you\u2019re free. This way of storing your seed is also called a \u201cbrainwallet\u201c<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Doomsday scenarios aside, I\u2019d put remembering the seed phrase as the top tip. But similar to the previous point \u2013 due to lack of usage, your memory of it can fade away. And if you only miss one word, that means you\u2019re not controlling the private key you previously had.<\/p>\n

\n8) Never expose your words to the internet
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Usually, seed phrases are generated by a certain wallet provider during the setup.<\/p>\n

But the most secure seed phrases are those that have never been exposed to the internet<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You can achieve this by using something called a hardware wallet<\/a>. This is an offline device that controls your private keys, which you can use to confirm transactions.<\/p>\n

The extra benefit is that the private keys will never be stored in any application on your PC\/laptop\/phone. So even if you have a software vulnerability or you lose your unlocked phone, your funds are not at risk \u2013 nobody can access them without your keys.<\/p>\n

\n9) Engrave your seed phrase into steel
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Durability is where metal storage shines. This relates to protection against fire, water, and other disasters.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say this is an optional tip, especially if you\u2019re new to self-custody. But as the assets you control grow in value, you might start thinking about the longevity of your seed phrase.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, there are already solutions on the market that make engraving words into metal relatively easy. You won\u2019t have to do everything yourself.<\/p>\n

\n10) Use a passphrase (25th word)
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A passphrase\u00a0<\/strong>is an extra word you can use on top of your 24 words.<\/p>\n

This will allow you to control a completely new set of addresses.<\/p>\n

Having a 25th word is crucial, because you can choose the word yourself, it\u2019s easy to remember, and adds extra security in case someone gets access to your 24-word seed phrase.<\/p>\n

A common tactic you can use to assure safety is to have a small amount of crypto in the wallet controlled by your seed phrase. But the majority of your portfolio will be stored behind the wallets controlled by the 25 words.<\/p>\n

This way, even if you find yourself in a situation where you are forced to give out your seed phrase, you can comply and still keep custody of your actual portfolio.<\/p>\n

I already wrote about how Bitcoin is violence resistant<\/a> and this only makes it easier.<\/p>\n

\nBonus tip: Use common sense
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There can\u2019t be a comprehensive text of everything you need to do to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

Human error is the only\u00a0<\/strong>factor that can make or break your crypto security.<\/p>\n

So make sure to remember these tips, but don\u2019t forget to apply common sense to all your actions.<\/p>\n

Enjoy self-custody!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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