Bitcoin Wiki - User contributions [en]

User:Ysoliman

2013-03-06T09:32:15Z

Ysoliman: Replaced content with "User: ysoliman"

User: ysoliman

User:Ysoliman

2012-08-26T18:16:29Z

Ysoliman: Total update to personal page

=== '''Yasin A. Soliman''' ===
<br />
I am a student and geek who believes in the advancement of 21st Century technologies in the modern world and is an advocate of social media in corporate environments. ''A huge fan of Bitcoin as a cryptocurrency - I talk about Bitcoin frequently!'' Embracing education technology and using this to advance and inspire learning. Member of the Linux Foundation, committed to supporting the development of open computing infrastructures.<br />
<br/>
<br />
''Aspire. Develop. Innovate.''

<br />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Link!! Description
|-
| http://yasinsoliman.co.uk || Personal Portfolio
|-
| http://yasinsoliman.wordpress.com || Blog
|-
| http://twitter.com/YasinSoliman || Twitter
|}

Contributors Award participant: 1YSfdR2rCMUMr5bEEQR9oBKQrydMacVEa

Category:Introduction

2012-04-11T17:32:56Z

Ysoliman: Added title to site.

This category contains articles that serve as a good introduction to Bitcoin for newcomers to the community.

==See also==

* [[BitcoinMe]]
* [[TheBitcoin.us]]
* [http://www.weusecoins.com What is Bitcoin] video ([http://c2995102.r2.cf0.rackcdn.com/What_is_Bitcoin_hd.mp4 mp4])
* [http://www.bitcoinmoney.com/post/2560941112/rebooting-of-money The Rebooting of Money] blog post (audio podcast and transcript)
* [http://lwn.net/Articles/414452 Bitcoin 101 article]
* [http://BitcoinIntro.com Bitcoin Intro]
* [http://bitcoined.wordpress.com Bitcoined: Site for newbies with pages on Free Bitcoin, Getting Started and more.]

Category:Introduction

2012-04-11T17:32:40Z

Ysoliman: Added one site - it's not an empty blog. Please view the page links at the top of the site.

This category contains articles that serve as a good introduction to Bitcoin for newcomers to the community.

==See also==

* [[BitcoinMe]]
* [[TheBitcoin.us]]
* [http://www.weusecoins.com What is Bitcoin] video ([http://c2995102.r2.cf0.rackcdn.com/What_is_Bitcoin_hd.mp4 mp4])
* [http://www.bitcoinmoney.com/post/2560941112/rebooting-of-money The Rebooting of Money] blog post (audio podcast and transcript)
* [http://lwn.net/Articles/414452 Bitcoin 101 article]
* [http://BitcoinIntro.com Bitcoin Intro]
* [http://bitcoined.wordpress.com Site for newbies with pages on Free Bitcoin, Getting Started and more.]

User:Ysoliman

2012-04-07T12:26:08Z

Ysoliman:

=== '''Welcome''' ===
<br />
I am excited to help out with development of Bitcoin and am happy to help new users. Making regular edits to the Wiki is another one of my commitments. I am an avid user of new technology and discovered Bitcoin a few months ago while researching online currencies. Just remember to back up your ''wallet.dat'' file to prevent loss of your Bitcoins - unless you're using an online wallet.<br />
<br/>
==== Have I helped? Please donate a few Bitcents to 1CCWbrxVHAZZjJFtqPZZ3QEAfa4B8z4CA4. Thanks. ====
<br />
* App Designer
* Web Developer
* Avid Bitcoin user
* Innovative designer

<br />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Personal Links
|-
| [[Special:Contributions/Ysoliman|Wiki Contributions]]
|-
[http://bitcoined.wordpress.com Bitcoined]
|-
[http://ysoliman.eu Design Portfolio]
|}
Contributors Award participant: 1CCWbrxVHAZZjJFtqPZZ3QEAfa4B8z4CA4

User:Andy1001

2011-09-22T06:58:06Z

Ysoliman:

Please refrain from spamming the wiki with advertising. --[[User:Ysoliman|YSoliman]] 06:58, 22 September 2011 (GMT)

Contributors Award participant: 1NjfFV9khMPp9er3gMVXsWL4JPL9CWiqYd

Talk:Bitcoin Websites

2011-09-06T05:58:58Z

Ysoliman:

This would seem to be duplication that serves little purpose. For example, one of the categories is [[:Category:Blogs|blogs]] so listing them in a master list like this causes confusion as to where to post links for blogs here. - [[User:Sgornick|Sgornick]] 23:22, 27 August 2011 (GMT)

Added delete request and added blogs to Category:Blogs --[[User:Ysoliman|YSoliman]] 05:58, 6 September 2011 (GMT)

Bitcoined

2011-09-06T05:55:33Z

Ysoliman: Added new blog site.

=== Bitcoined is a blog which discusses various Bitcoin-related topics. ===

The Bitcoined blog is a weekly Bitcoin news and review blog with various topics relating to Bitcoin, including exchange rates, tangible items, new innovations and more. Look out for new website alerts and new shops, as well as a brand new range of information pages, including Mining, Useful Links and What is Bitcoin.

''Also accepts Bitcoin donations on-site.''

Link here: http://bitcoined.wordpress.com

[[Category:Blogs]]

User:Juggernaut

2011-08-28T19:04:05Z

Ysoliman:

Please do not add tradehill referral codes to wiki pages.
This is your second warning. Please refrain from spammming.
--[[User:Ysoliman|YSoliman]] 19:04, 28 August 2011 (GMT)

:Are you kidding? As if this asshole would not know what he's doing! Hope TH cooperates and punishes such spammers. They are a real pain in the wiki. Could someone please automate the referral code detection? And delete Juggernaut? --[[User:Giszmo|Giszmo]] 13:39, 24 August 2011 (GMT)

TradeHill

2011-08-28T19:03:32Z

Ysoliman: Deleted another referral code spam

A bitcoin [[currency exchange]] site.

This exchange escrows funds before trading and then matches buyers with sellers. The exchange's web site shows copyright TradeHill Co. Ltd. The FAQ describes how the terms of Use shall be governed by the laws applicable in the Republic of Chile.
==Adding Funds==
Funds deposited with the exchange for escrow towards placing a buy order include the following.
===BTC===

* Adding bitcoins to the account balance incurs no fees.

===USD===

* [[Paxum]] ACH or Check
* [[Liberty Reserve]] (instant)
* Bank transfer (Domestic wire)
* International Bank Transfer (International and HSBC) (A fee is incurred, 1-3 business days)
* [[Paxum]]

===AUD===

* Domestic Bank Transfer with any bank in Australia. (Fee)

===CAD===

* [[Paxum]] Bank wire

===CLP===

* CL (Chile) Domestic Bank Transfer (No fees by the exchange, 1-3 business days)

===EUR===

* SEPA transfer (No fee)
* [[Paxum]] Bank wire

===INR===

* IN (India) Domestic Bank Transfer (No fees by the exchange, 3-4 business days)

===PEN===

* PE (Peru) Domestic Bank Transfer (No fees by the exchange, up to 24 hours)

==Withdrawing Funds==

There are no per-day withdrawal limits<ref>[http://twitter.com/#!/TradeHill/status/79231499253198848 We don't have a daily withdraw limit]</ref>.

===BTC===

* There are no fees to withdraw bitcoins from the account.

===USD===

* [[Liberty Reserve]] (Fees 1% up to maximum of $2.95 USD per transaction)
* [[Paxum]] Free of charge to transfer to Paxum. Paxum charges fees to withdraw (ACH) or for use with ATM / Debit card.
* Bank transfer (ACH)
* Bank wire
* Check by mail
* Donation to charity (Red Cross)

===AUD===

* AU (Australia) Domestic bank transfer to any Australian bank. (percentage fee)

===EUR===

* SEPA transfer (No fee within SEPA zone, fee may occur to outside SEPA).
* [[Paxum]] Free of charge to transfer to Paxum. Paxum charges fees for a bank wire or for use with ATM / Debit card

===CAD===

* [[Paxum]] Free of charge to transfer to Paxum. Paxum charges fees for a bank wire or for use with ATM / Debit card

===CLP===

* Domestic bank transfer to any Chilean bank. (No fee)

===INR===

* Domestic Rupee bank transfer to any bank in India (Fee for deposit may be charged by your bank)

==Trading==

Limit orders are placed with a specific price. When a counterparty is found, the trade will execute. Partial fills are possible.

Market orders are accommodated through a method that involves quotations.

===Fees===

Trades on the exchange incur a commission (fee) from 0.25% to 0.75% of each trade. The actual rate is specified in the user's account profile. A unique aspect of their fee structure incorporates affiliate marketing.
==History==

First mention on the site was on June 8th, 2011<ref>[http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=13650.0 Bitcoin Worldwide Exclusive: New Competitor to MtGox: http://TradeHill.com]</ref> which is also the "go live" date display on the exchange's status page<ref>[https://www.tradehill.com/Support/Status TradeHill Updates]</ref>.

On July 25, 2011 the exchange reported anomalies with [[Dwolla]] payments and stopped accepting Dwolla for deposits<ref>[http://tradehillblog.com/2011/07/26/why-we-are-no-longer-accepting-dwolla/ Why We Are No Longer Accepting Dwolla]</ref>.

On August 10, 2011 the exchange resumed providing methods for SEPA transfers for deposit and withdrawal<ref>[http://tradehillblog.com/2011/08/10/tradehill-is-back-on-the-sepa-zone TradeHill is Back on the SEPA Zone!]</ref>.

==See Also==

* [[Buying bitcoins]]
* [[Selling bitcoins]]

==External Links==

* [https://www.tradehill.com TradeHill]
* [http://twitter.com/tradehill @TradeHill] Twitter
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sEXmVsiVqM Interview with CEO of Tradehill (Youtube)]

==References==
<References />

[[Category:Exchanges]]
[[Category:EWallets]]

TradeHill

2011-08-28T19:02:55Z

Ysoliman: Reverted referral code spam by User:Juggernaut

A bitcoin [[currency exchange]] site.

This exchange escrows funds before trading and then matches buyers with sellers. The exchange's web site shows copyright TradeHill Co. Ltd. The FAQ describes how the terms of Use shall be governed by the laws applicable in the Republic of Chile.

Sign up for Tradehill and use this reference code TH-R110998 and receive 10% off all transactions
==Adding Funds==
Funds deposited with the exchange for escrow towards placing a buy order include the following.
===BTC===

* Adding bitcoins to the account balance incurs no fees.

===USD===

* [[Paxum]] ACH or Check
* [[Liberty Reserve]] (instant)
* Bank transfer (Domestic wire)
* International Bank Transfer (International and HSBC) (A fee is incurred, 1-3 business days)
* [[Paxum]]

===AUD===

* Domestic Bank Transfer with any bank in Australia. (Fee)

===CAD===

* [[Paxum]] Bank wire

===CLP===

* CL (Chile) Domestic Bank Transfer (No fees by the exchange, 1-3 business days)

===EUR===

* SEPA transfer (No fee)
* [[Paxum]] Bank wire

===INR===

* IN (India) Domestic Bank Transfer (No fees by the exchange, 3-4 business days)

===PEN===

* PE (Peru) Domestic Bank Transfer (No fees by the exchange, up to 24 hours)

==Withdrawing Funds==

There are no per-day withdrawal limits<ref>[http://twitter.com/#!/TradeHill/status/79231499253198848 We don't have a daily withdraw limit]</ref>.

===BTC===

* There are no fees to withdraw bitcoins from the account.

===USD===

* [[Liberty Reserve]] (Fees 1% up to maximum of $2.95 USD per transaction)
* [[Paxum]] Free of charge to transfer to Paxum. Paxum charges fees to withdraw (ACH) or for use with ATM / Debit card.
* Bank transfer (ACH)
* Bank wire
* Check by mail
* Donation to charity (Red Cross)

===AUD===

* AU (Australia) Domestic bank transfer to any Australian bank. (percentage fee)

===EUR===

* SEPA transfer (No fee within SEPA zone, fee may occur to outside SEPA).
* [[Paxum]] Free of charge to transfer to Paxum. Paxum charges fees for a bank wire or for use with ATM / Debit card

===CAD===

* [[Paxum]] Free of charge to transfer to Paxum. Paxum charges fees for a bank wire or for use with ATM / Debit card

===CLP===

* Domestic bank transfer to any Chilean bank. (No fee)

===INR===

* Domestic Rupee bank transfer to any bank in India (Fee for deposit may be charged by your bank)

==Trading==

Limit orders are placed with a specific price. When a counterparty is found, the trade will execute. Partial fills are possible.

Market orders are accommodated through a method that involves quotations.

===Fees===

Trades on the exchange incur a commission (fee) from 0.25% to 0.75% of each trade. The actual rate is specified in the user's account profile. A unique aspect of their fee structure incorporates affiliate marketing.
==History==

First mention on the site was on June 8th, 2011<ref>[http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=13650.0 Bitcoin Worldwide Exclusive: New Competitor to MtGox: http://TradeHill.com]</ref> which is also the "go live" date display on the exchange's status page<ref>[https://www.tradehill.com/Support/Status TradeHill Updates]</ref>.

On July 25, 2011 the exchange reported anomalies with [[Dwolla]] payments and stopped accepting Dwolla for deposits<ref>[http://tradehillblog.com/2011/07/26/why-we-are-no-longer-accepting-dwolla/ Why We Are No Longer Accepting Dwolla]</ref>.

On August 10, 2011 the exchange resumed providing methods for SEPA transfers for deposit and withdrawal<ref>[http://tradehillblog.com/2011/08/10/tradehill-is-back-on-the-sepa-zone TradeHill is Back on the SEPA Zone!]</ref>.

==See Also==

* [[Buying bitcoins]]
* [[Selling bitcoins]]

==External Links==

* [https://www.tradehill.com TradeHill]
* [http://twitter.com/tradehill @TradeHill] Twitter
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sEXmVsiVqM Interview with CEO of Tradehill (Youtube)]

==References==
<References />

[[Category:Exchanges]]
[[Category:EWallets]]

Main Page

2011-08-28T19:01:30Z

Ysoliman: Undo revision 15710 by Juggernaut (talk) Ref code spam

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{| style="width:100%; border:none; background:none;"
| style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; color:#000;" |
<div style="font-size:162%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#000;">Welcome to the [[Bitcoin]] wiki,</div>
<div style="top:+0.2em; font-size:95%;">For all your bitcoin information needs.</div>
<div id="articlecount" style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-size:85%;">[[Special:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]] articles.</div>
'''Improve [[:Category:Stubs|this wiki]] and [[Bitcoin:Contributors Award|earn bitcoins]].'''
|}

| style="width:13%; font-size:120%;" |
* <span class="plainlinks">[http://bitcoin.org Frontpage]</span>
| style="width:13%; font-size:120%;" |
* <span class="plainlinks">[[Forums]]</span>
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|-
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== Other pages ==

* '''[[mw:Help:Formatting|Help]]''' - Documentation on wiki editing.
* '''[[Bitcoin.it Wiki|About]]''' - Information on this site.

[[de:Hauptseite]]
[[es:Página Principal]]
[[fr:Accueil]]
[[it:Pagina principale]]
[[pl:Strona główna]]
[[ru:Заглавная страница]]
[[zh-cn:首页]]

__NOTOC____NOEDITSECTION__

BitWillet

2011-08-27T06:20:59Z

Ysoliman: Corrected spelling

An easy shopping cart interface allowing a site to easily accept Bitcoins as payment.

The service is built on Willet which can also be used to accept credit card payments.

The service was launched on June 28, 2011<ref>[http://twitter.com/#!/BarbaraEMac/statuses/85754176562401280 Ok! The time is now! Announcing BitWillet]</ref>.

=== How It Works ===
* A customer clicks a 'Buy with BTC' button / link.
* BitWillet provides a unique Bitcoin address.
* Once payment to that address is confirmed, BitWillet POSTs the purchase information to a specified URL.
* The URL can redirect the customer to the digital goods, record purchase information, etc.

=== Integration Details ===

==== Client-Side ====
* The BitWillet JavaScript is loaded by adding <code><script src="http://www.bitwillet.com/plugin/bitwillet.js" type="text/javascript"></script></code>.
* A button or link which initiates the BitWillet offer is added:

<a onClick="bitwillet( 'OFFER_ID' );" href="#">
Purchase "OFFER_TITLE" with Bitcoins!
</a>
<noscript> Please enable Javascript to access "OFFER_TITLE". </noscript>

==== Seller-Side ====
* A URL handler is created which will accept BitWillet's purchase confirmation POST.

==See Also==

* [[:Category:ECommerce|eCommerce]]

==External Links==

* [http://www.bitwillet.com BitWillet] web site
* [http://dev.getwillet.com Willet] web site

* [http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2706170 Hacker News Announcement] web site
* [http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/ibfxf/my_weekend_project_accept_bitcoin_on_your_website/ Reddit Announcement] web site

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Shopping Cart Interfaces]]

Flexcoin

2011-08-27T06:12:56Z

Ysoliman: Added logo and edited text

[[File:FlexcoinLogo.jpg]]<br />

Flexcoin bills itself as the first real Bitcoin bank.

Run by Yooter InterActive Marketing in Pottsville, PA it allows for a central location for all bitcoin only transactions.

Flexcoin differentiates itself from [[EWallet]](s) by providing a paid discount to the account holders. It generates revenue by charging small transaction fees on outgoing bitcoins but no fees are charged from flexcoin to flexcoin accounts. These fees are for the most part forwarded back to the account holders via a discount payment. (currently 70% of all flexcoin collected fees are forwarded back to account holders).

The bitcoin bank has been running on an invite only process in June 2011, invites were filled within minutes of releasing them.
Flexcoin went live on August 4th 2011 to the general public.

Significant attention is focused on "obtaining the best ID possible" similar to a one word domain name as the ID can be used to transfer bitcoins.

Example :
<br>
Before flexcoin: Pay for your coffee at bitcoin address 1555hjPG7pRwTHVMfukPvjXexQMHFE3qu6
<br>
After flexcoin: Pay for your coffee with flexcoin id '''coffeeshop'''
<br>

Another significant development is that transfers from ID to ID are instant, meaning no next block wait.

It is one of the first bitcoin eWallets based in the United States and is the first to label itself as a "bank".

==External links==
* [http://www.flexcoin.com flexcoin] website
* [http://www.yooter.com Yooter] (Parent Company)

[[Category:eWallets]]
[[Category:Financial]]

File:FlexcoinLogo.jpg

2011-08-27T06:11:22Z

Ysoliman: Logo of the first Bitcoin bank, Flexcoin.

== Summary ==
Logo of the first Bitcoin bank, Flexcoin.
== Licensing ==
{{subst:nld}}

Press

2011-08-27T05:53:08Z

Ysoliman: Corrected spelling mistakes of bias

What's being said about Bitcoin by news sites and other media.

__TOC__

==Press and notable mentions==
==Articles / Blog Posts==
=== 2011 ===
==== July ====

{{Press
| source = PacoAhlgren.com
| country = US
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin Cannot Fail
| date = 2011-07-25
| link = http://www.pacoahlgren.com/bitcoin-cannot-fail/
| bias = angrily positive
| quote1 = They can’t make the rules. And that scares the hell out of them.
| quote2 = This may be the purest form of democracy the world has ever known, and I — for one — am thrilled to be here to watch it unfold.
| screenshot = ArticlePacoAhlgren20110725.png
}}

{{Press
| source = canada.com
| country = Canada
| language = en
| title = Bitcoins create truly democratic policy, followers say
| date = 2011-07-22
| link = http://www.canada.com/Bitcoins+create+truly+democratic+policy+followers/5144669/story.html
| bias = very positive
| quote1 = Money may be the next frontier of the Internet revolution thanks to Bitcoin, a burgeoning new digital currency.
| quote2 = ``If we remember, 15 years ago if you were doing anything on the Internet you were going to make millions,'' said Kenna. ``I think it could be the same with bitcoin.''
| screenshot = ArticleCanadaCom.png
}}

{{Press
| source = npr.org
| country = United States
| language = en
| title = The Tuesday Podcast: Bitcoin
| date = 2011-07-12
| link = http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/13/137795648/the-tuesday-podcast-bitcoin
| bias = neutral to slightly negative
| quote1 = I have to say this part of the whole Bitcoin thing for us did seem really easy. Easier than using a credit card or wiring a friend some money.
| screenshot = ArticleNPR201107.png
}}

==== June ====
{{Press
| source = The Economist
| country = GB
| language = en
| title = Bits and bob
| date = 2011-06-13
| link = http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/06/virtual-currency
| bias = neutral
| quote1 = Now, Friedman's dream has finally been realised—albeit not by a real-world central bank.
| quote2 = Most people would rather devolve this sort of responsibility to the authorities. Until this mindset changes, Bitcoin will be no rival to real-world dosh.
| screenshot = ArticleEconomistBitsAndBob.png
}}

{{Press
| source = Telepolis
| country = DE
| language = de
| title = Wenig Unterschied zu Aktien
| date = 2011-06-10
| link = http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/34/34919/1.html
| bias = skeptical
| quote1 = Stoppt die amerikanischen Drogenpolizei DEA den Höhenflug der Bitcoin-Währung?
| quote2 = Silk Road dürfte unter anderem deshalb schwer zu schließen sein, weil Betreiber ebenso wie Benutzer durch TOR weitgehend anonym sind.
| screenshot = ArticleTelepolis20110610.png
}}

{{Press
| source = Smart Money
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = The Bitcoin Triples Again
| date = 2011-06-10
| link = http://www.smartmoney.com/invest/stocks/the-bitcoin-triples-again-1307638613180
| bias = critical
| quote1 = To recap, it's is a purely online currency with no intrinsic value; its worth is based solely on the willingness of holders and merchants to accept it in trade.
| quote2 = Readers tempted to bet on the Bitcoin should resist, not least because it's unclear whether it will have any enduring worth.
| screenshot = ArticleSmartMoneyBitcoinTriples.png
}}

==== May ====
* [http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37619 What Bitcoin Is, and Why It Matters] 2011-05-24 Technology Review by MIT
* [http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/05/23/052311-apps-technews-bitcoins-1-2/ Bit Players, An open source digital currency seeks to gain wider acceptance] 2011-05-23 iPad news app The Daily
* [http://www.slate.com/id/2294980 My Money Is Cooler Than Yours] 2011-05-18 Slate
* [http://launch.is/blog/l019-bitcoin-p2p-currency-the-most-dangerous-project-weve-ev.html L019: Bitcoin P2P Currency: The Most Dangerous Project We've Ever Seen] 2011-05-15 Launch
* [http://gizmodo.com/5803518/what-is-bitcoin What Is BitCoin?] 2011-05-19 Gizmodo.com
* [http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/bitcoin-inside-the-encrypted-peer-to-peer-currency.ars Bitcoin: inside the encrypted, peer-to-peer digital currency] 2011-06-08 Ars Technica

==== April ====
* [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/technology-psilocybin-bitcoins-gavin-andresen-crypto-currency.html Crypto Currency] 2011-04-20 Forbes Magazine
* [http://techland.time.com/2011/04/16/online-cash-bitcoin-could-challenge-governments Online Cash Bitcoin Could Challenge Governments, Banks] 2011-04-16 TIME TechLand

==== March ====
* [http://ironwolf.dangerousgames.com/blog/archives/1063 Bitcoin: It's Not Too Late To Send Me Money] 2011-03-27 Ironwolf Blog
* [http://www.cio.com.au/article/380394/open_source_identity_bitcoin_technical_lead_gavin_andresen Open source identity: Bitcoin technical lead Gavin Andresen] 2011-03-21 CIO Australia
* [http://civicactions.com/blog/2011/mar/14/what_the_frack_is_bitcoin_and_can_i_use_it_with_drupal What the Frack is Bitcoin and Can I Use it with Drupal?] 2011-03-14 CivicActions
* [http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/44718/htg-explains-what-is-bitcoin HTG Explains: What Is Bitcoin, the Virtual Digital Currency?] 2011-03-01 HowToGeek.com

==== Feb ====
* [http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/10/189246/Online-Only-Currency-BitCoin-Reaches-Dollar-Parity Online-Only Currency BitCoin Reaches Dollar Parity] 2011-02-10 news.Slashdot.org

==== Jan ====
{{Press
| source = Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin - a Step Toward Censorship-Resistant Digital Currency
| date = 2011-01-20
| link = http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/01/bitcoin-step-toward-censorship-resistant
| bias = balanced to positive
| quote1 = To understand digital currency, one must first note that money in the digital age has moved from a largely anonymous system to one increasingly laden with tracking, control and regulatory overhead.
| quote2 = It's too early to say whether Bitcoin will be a success. Any new currency system faces an uphill battle, both technically and legally.
| screenshot = ArticleEFF201101.png
}}

=== 2010 ===
* [http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2010/12/interview-bitcoin.php Interview: How Bitcoin Created a Decentralized Crypto-Currency] 2010-12-29 ReadWriteWeb
* [http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/213230/could_the_wikileaks_scandal_lead_to_new_virtual_currency.html Could the Wikileaks Scandal Lead to New Virtual Currency?] 2010-12-10 PC World
* [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2010/1126/1224284180416.html Imagine your computer as a wallet full of Bitcoins] 2010-11-26 Irish Times

{{Press
| source = LWN
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin: Virtual money created by CPU cycles
| date = 2010-11-10
| link = http://lwn.net/Articles/414452/
| bias = positive
| quote1 = The bigger open questions about Bitcoin are about its viability as a currency system.
| quote2 = Bitcoin is different from electronic payment systems like Paypal that are really just computerized interfaces to traditional banks.
| screenshot = ArticleLWN2010.png
}}

{{Press
| source = Bitcoin Blogger
| country = ?
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin Electronic Currency: The Future of Money
| date = 2010-09-30
| link = http://www.bitcoinblogger.com/2010/09/bitcoin-electronic-currency-future-of.html
| bias = positive
| quote1 =
| quote2 =
| screenshot = ArticleBitcoinBlogger2010.png
}}

{{Press
| source = /.
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin Releases Version 0.3
| date = 2010-07-11
| link = http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/07/11/1747245/Bitcoin-Releases-Version-03
| bias = neutral
| quote1 =
| quote2 =
| screenshot = ArticleSlashDot2010.png
}}

===Podcasts / Video===
* [http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/12/137795648 NPR Planet Money - The Tuesday Podcast: Bitcoin] 2011-07-12 ([http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/specials/2011/07/20110712_specials_pmoney.mp3?dl=1 mp3])
* [http://linuxoutlaws.com/podcast/215 Linux Outlaws 215 - Bitcoins] 2011-06-30 ([http://traffic.libsyn.com/linuxoutlaws/linuxoutlaws215.mp3 mp3], [http://linuxoutlaws.com/podcast/ogg/215 ogg])
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYiWHNkZIes CBS / What’s Trending - Bitcoin: The Future Of Money] 2011-06-08 Shira Lazar interviews Bitcoin [[Developers|developer]] Jeff Garzik.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcn8cNCk9hM The World's First Bitcoin Road Trip] 2011-05-30 An interview with The Real Plato on the Corbett Report.
* [http://www.npr.org/2011/05/24/136620231/what-are-bitcoins What Are Bitcoins?] 2011-05-24 NPR All Things Considered ([http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2011/05/20110524_atc_08.mp3?dl=1 mp3])
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=TwNfBgwbqng TWIST #140] 2011-05-10 This Week In Startups interviews Gavin Andresen and Britcoin's Amir Taaki
* [http://agoristradio.com/?p=112 Cypherpunkd Episode 005: "Bitcoin Mania" Part 1 - mids] 2011-04-06 Podcast interview of mids, from AgoristRadio.com ([http://library.agoristradio.com/library/cypherpunkd/cypherpunkd-EP005.mp3 mp3])
* [http://vimeo.com/22072121 Bitcoin at EPCA] 2011-04-04 Video of Genjix's presentation on Bitcoin at EPCA conference. ([http://www.dyndy.net/2011/04/bitcoin-presented-to-the-old-world followup])
* [http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/04/andresen_on_bit.html Andresen on BitCoin and Virtual Currency] 2011-04-04 EconTalk's Russell Roberts interview Bitcoin lead Gavin Andresen ([http://files.libertyfund.org/econtalk/y2011/Andresenbitcoin.mp3 mp3], [http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/04/andresen_on_bit.html#highlights transcript])
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um63OQz3bjo What is Bitcoin?] video introduction ([http://c2995102.r2.cf0.rackcdn.com/What_is_Bitcoin_hd.mp4 mp4])
* [http://omegataupodcast.net/2011/03/59-bitcoin-a-digital-decentralized-currency Bitcoin – a Digital, Decentralized Currency] 2011-03-18 omega tau interviews Bitcoin technical lead [[User:gavinandresen|Gavin Andresen]] ([http://traffic.libsyn.com/omegataupodcast/omegatau-59-bitcoin.mp3 podcast])
* [http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2011/02/spark-139-february-27-march-2-2011 Spark 139] 2011-02-27 CBC Radio covers Bitcoin. A nice non-technical overview ([http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/spark_20110227_45926.mp3 podcast])
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCzsCmhkjMM Security Now 288: Q&A] 2011-02-16 Bitcoin coverage is from 0:44:00 to about 1:13 of the podcast ([http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/aolradio.podcast.aol.com/sn/sn0288.mp3 podcast]),([http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp4/twit.cachefly.net/video/sn/sn0288/sn0288_h264b_864x480_500.mp4 video])
* [http://blip.tv/file/4771178 Ignite Amherst] 2011-02-15 Presentation by Bitcoin Principal [[User:Gavinandresen|Gavin Andresen]] ([http://www.skypaint.com/bitcoin/GavinIgniteTalk.pdf Slides])
* [http://ignite-dc.blip.tv/file/4801077 Ignite D.C. 6] 2011-02-03 Presentation by [[User:Dduane|Darrell Duane]] ([http://bitcoinbasics.com/ignitedc Slides]) About Bitcoin and Potomac local currency
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQPSwA2Itbs Security Now 287: BitCoin CryptoCurrency] 2011-02-09 Bitcoin coverage is from 0:41:25 to the end of the netcast ([http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp4/twit.cachefly.net/video/sn/sn0288/sn0288_h264b_864x480_500.mp4 video]), ([http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/aolradio.podcast.aol.com/sn/sn0287.mp3 podcast])

===Presentations===
* [http://www.slideshare.net/ashmoran/the-barcampers-guide-to-bitcoin-8682810 The BarCamper's Guide to Bitcoin] 2011-07-25 by Ash Moran
* [http://s3.amazonaws.com/gavinandresen-bitcoin/GavinAndresenCIATalk.pdf Bitcoin - The World's 1st P2P Digital Currency] 2011-06-?? Gavin Andresen Presentation given at In-Q-Tel investment conference
* [http://btcbids.com/bitcoin.pdf Bitcoin - P2P Virtual Currency] 2011-06-05 Jake Hansen Presentation submission for Defcon 19<ref>[https://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=12416.0 Forum I Need help]</ref>
* [http://www.slideshare.net/jonmatonis/monetising-game-play-on-social-network-sites Monetising Game Play on Social Network Sites] 2011-03-31 Jon Matonis at KPMG eGaming Summit
* [http://prezi.com/tbpky5fm7qbl/bitcoin-new-p2p-currency Bitcoin - new P2P currency] 2011-02-19 Juraj Bednar

==See Also==

* [http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=1958.0 Bitcoin Press] forum thread
* [[:Category:Blogs|Blogs]]
* [[Bitcoin News]] daily posts
* [[Research]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Marketing]]
[[Category:Introduction]]
[[de:Presse]]

Press

2011-08-27T05:51:54Z

Ysoliman: Cleared up dead link etc.

What's being said about Bitcoin by news sites and other media.

__TOC__

==Press and notable mentions==
==Articles / Blog Posts==
=== 2011 ===
==== July ====

{{Press
| source = PacoAhlgren.com
| country = US
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin Cannot Fail
| date = 2011-07-25
| link = http://www.pacoahlgren.com/bitcoin-cannot-fail/
| bias = angrily positive
| quote1 = They can’t make the rules. And that scares the hell out of them.
| quote2 = This may be the purest form of democracy the world has ever known, and I — for one — am thrilled to be here to watch it unfold.
| screenshot = ArticlePacoAhlgren20110725.png
}}

{{Press
| source = canada.com
| country = Canada
| language = en
| title = Bitcoins create truly democratic policy, followers say
| date = 2011-07-22
| link = http://www.canada.com/Bitcoins+create+truly+democratic+policy+followers/5144669/story.html
| bias = very positive
| quote1 = Money may be the next frontier of the Internet revolution thanks to Bitcoin, a burgeoning new digital currency.
| quote2 = ``If we remember, 15 years ago if you were doing anything on the Internet you were going to make millions,'' said Kenna. ``I think it could be the same with bitcoin.''
| screenshot = ArticleCanadaCom.png
}}

{{Press
| source = npr.org
| country = United States
| language = en
| title = The Tuesday Podcast: Bitcoin
| date = 2011-07-12
| link = http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/13/137795648/the-tuesday-podcast-bitcoin
| bias = neutral to slightly negative
| quote1 = I have to say this part of the whole Bitcoin thing for us did seem really easy. Easier than using a credit card or wiring a friend some money.
| screenshot = ArticleNPR201107.png
}}

==== June ====
{{Press
| source = The Economist
| country = GB
| language = en
| title = Bits and bob
| date = 2011-06-13
| link = http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/06/virtual-currency
| bias = neutral
| quote1 = Now, Friedman's dream has finally been realised—albeit not by a real-world central bank.
| quote2 = Most people would rather devolve this sort of responsibility to the authorities. Until this mindset changes, Bitcoin will be no rival to real-world dosh.
| screenshot = ArticleEconomistBitsAndBob.png
}}

{{Press
| source = Telepolis
| country = DE
| language = de
| title = Wenig Unterschied zu Aktien
| date = 2011-06-10
| link = http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/34/34919/1.html
| bias = sceptical
| quote1 = Stoppt die amerikanischen Drogenpolizei DEA den Höhenflug der Bitcoin-Währung?
| quote2 = Silk Road dürfte unter anderem deshalb schwer zu schließen sein, weil Betreiber ebenso wie Benutzer durch TOR weitgehend anonym sind.
| screenshot = ArticleTelepolis20110610.png
}}

{{Press
| source = Smart Money
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = The Bitcoin Triples Again
| date = 2011-06-10
| link = http://www.smartmoney.com/invest/stocks/the-bitcoin-triples-again-1307638613180
| bias = critical
| quote1 = To recap, it's is a purely online currency with no intrinsic value; its worth is based solely on the willingness of holders and merchants to accept it in trade.
| quote2 = Readers tempted to bet on the Bitcoin should resist, not least because it's unclear whether it will have any enduring worth.
| screenshot = ArticleSmartMoneyBitcoinTriples.png
}}

==== May ====
* [http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37619 What Bitcoin Is, and Why It Matters] 2011-05-24 Technology Review by MIT
* [http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/05/23/052311-apps-technews-bitcoins-1-2/ Bit Players, An open source digital currency seeks to gain wider acceptance] 2011-05-23 iPad news app The Daily
* [http://www.slate.com/id/2294980 My Money Is Cooler Than Yours] 2011-05-18 Slate
* [http://launch.is/blog/l019-bitcoin-p2p-currency-the-most-dangerous-project-weve-ev.html L019: Bitcoin P2P Currency: The Most Dangerous Project We've Ever Seen] 2011-05-15 Launch
* [http://gizmodo.com/5803518/what-is-bitcoin What Is BitCoin?] 2011-05-19 Gizmodo.com
* [http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/bitcoin-inside-the-encrypted-peer-to-peer-currency.ars Bitcoin: inside the encrypted, peer-to-peer digital currency] 2011-06-08 Ars Technica

==== April ====
* [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/technology-psilocybin-bitcoins-gavin-andresen-crypto-currency.html Crypto Currency] 2011-04-20 Forbes Magazine
* [http://techland.time.com/2011/04/16/online-cash-bitcoin-could-challenge-governments Online Cash Bitcoin Could Challenge Governments, Banks] 2011-04-16 TIME TechLand

==== March ====
* [http://ironwolf.dangerousgames.com/blog/archives/1063 Bitcoin: It's Not Too Late To Send Me Money] 2011-03-27 Ironwolf Blog
* [http://www.cio.com.au/article/380394/open_source_identity_bitcoin_technical_lead_gavin_andresen Open source identity: Bitcoin technical lead Gavin Andresen] 2011-03-21 CIO Australia
* [http://civicactions.com/blog/2011/mar/14/what_the_frack_is_bitcoin_and_can_i_use_it_with_drupal What the Frack is Bitcoin and Can I Use it with Drupal?] 2011-03-14 CivicActions
* [http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/44718/htg-explains-what-is-bitcoin HTG Explains: What Is Bitcoin, the Virtual Digital Currency?] 2011-03-01 HowToGeek.com

==== Feb ====
* [http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/10/189246/Online-Only-Currency-BitCoin-Reaches-Dollar-Parity Online-Only Currency BitCoin Reaches Dollar Parity] 2011-02-10 news.Slashdot.org

==== Jan ====
{{Press
| source = Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin - a Step Toward Censorship-Resistant Digital Currency
| date = 2011-01-20
| link = http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/01/bitcoin-step-toward-censorship-resistant
| bias = balanced to positiv
| quote1 = To understand digital currency, one must first note that money in the digital age has moved from a largely anonymous system to one increasingly laden with tracking, control and regulatory overhead.
| quote2 = It's too early to say whether Bitcoin will be a success. Any new currency system faces an uphill battle, both technically and legally.
| screenshot = ArticleEFF201101.png
}}

=== 2010 ===
* [http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2010/12/interview-bitcoin.php Interview: How Bitcoin Created a Decentralized Crypto-Currency] 2010-12-29 ReadWriteWeb
* [http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/213230/could_the_wikileaks_scandal_lead_to_new_virtual_currency.html Could the Wikileaks Scandal Lead to New Virtual Currency?] 2010-12-10 PC World
* [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2010/1126/1224284180416.html Imagine your computer as a wallet full of Bitcoins] 2010-11-26 Irish Times

{{Press
| source = LWN
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin: Virtual money created by CPU cycles
| date = 2010-11-10
| link = http://lwn.net/Articles/414452/
| bias = positiv
| quote1 = The bigger open questions about Bitcoin are about its viability as a currency system.
| quote2 = Bitcoin is different from electronic payment systems like Paypal that are really just computerized interfaces to traditional banks.
| screenshot = ArticleLWN2010.png
}}

{{Press
| source = Bitcoin Blogger
| country = ?
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin Electronic Currency: The Future of Money
| date = 2010-09-30
| link = http://www.bitcoinblogger.com/2010/09/bitcoin-electronic-currency-future-of.html
| bias = positiv
| quote1 =
| quote2 =
| screenshot = ArticleBitcoinBlogger2010.png
}}

{{Press
| source = /.
| country = USA
| language = en
| title = Bitcoin Releases Version 0.3
| date = 2010-07-11
| link = http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/07/11/1747245/Bitcoin-Releases-Version-03
| bias = neutral
| quote1 =
| quote2 =
| screenshot = ArticleSlashDot2010.png
}}

===Podcasts / Video===
* [http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/12/137795648 NPR Planet Money - The Tuesday Podcast: Bitcoin] 2011-07-12 ([http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/specials/2011/07/20110712_specials_pmoney.mp3?dl=1 mp3])
* [http://linuxoutlaws.com/podcast/215 Linux Outlaws 215 - Bitcoins] 2011-06-30 ([http://traffic.libsyn.com/linuxoutlaws/linuxoutlaws215.mp3 mp3], [http://linuxoutlaws.com/podcast/ogg/215 ogg])
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYiWHNkZIes CBS / What’s Trending - Bitcoin: The Future Of Money] 2011-06-08 Shira Lazar interviews Bitcoin [[Developers|developer]] Jeff Garzik.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcn8cNCk9hM The World's First Bitcoin Road Trip] 2011-05-30 An interview with The Real Plato on the Corbett Report.
* [http://www.npr.org/2011/05/24/136620231/what-are-bitcoins What Are Bitcoins?] 2011-05-24 NPR All Things Considered ([http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2011/05/20110524_atc_08.mp3?dl=1 mp3])
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=TwNfBgwbqng TWIST #140] 2011-05-10 This Week In Startups interviews Gavin Andresen and Britcoin's Amir Taaki
* [http://agoristradio.com/?p=112 Cypherpunkd Episode 005: "Bitcoin Mania" Part 1 - mids] 2011-04-06 Podcast interview of mids, from AgoristRadio.com ([http://library.agoristradio.com/library/cypherpunkd/cypherpunkd-EP005.mp3 mp3])
* [http://vimeo.com/22072121 Bitcoin at EPCA] 2011-04-04 Video of Genjix's presentation on Bitcoin at EPCA conference. ([http://www.dyndy.net/2011/04/bitcoin-presented-to-the-old-world followup])
* [http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/04/andresen_on_bit.html Andresen on BitCoin and Virtual Currency] 2011-04-04 EconTalk's Russell Roberts interview Bitcoin lead Gavin Andresen ([http://files.libertyfund.org/econtalk/y2011/Andresenbitcoin.mp3 mp3], [http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/04/andresen_on_bit.html#highlights transcript])
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um63OQz3bjo What is Bitcoin?] video introduction ([http://c2995102.r2.cf0.rackcdn.com/What_is_Bitcoin_hd.mp4 mp4])
* [http://omegataupodcast.net/2011/03/59-bitcoin-a-digital-decentralized-currency Bitcoin – a Digital, Decentralized Currency] 2011-03-18 omega tau interviews Bitcoin technical lead [[User:gavinandresen|Gavin Andresen]] ([http://traffic.libsyn.com/omegataupodcast/omegatau-59-bitcoin.mp3 podcast])
* [http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2011/02/spark-139-february-27-march-2-2011 Spark 139] 2011-02-27 CBC Radio covers Bitcoin. A nice non-technical overview ([http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/spark_20110227_45926.mp3 podcast])
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCzsCmhkjMM Security Now 288: Q&A] 2011-02-16 Bitcoin coverage is from 0:44:00 to about 1:13 of the podcast ([http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/aolradio.podcast.aol.com/sn/sn0288.mp3 podcast]),([http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp4/twit.cachefly.net/video/sn/sn0288/sn0288_h264b_864x480_500.mp4 video])
* [http://blip.tv/file/4771178 Ignite Amherst] 2011-02-15 Presentation by Bitcoin Principal [[User:Gavinandresen|Gavin Andresen]] ([http://www.skypaint.com/bitcoin/GavinIgniteTalk.pdf Slides])
* [http://ignite-dc.blip.tv/file/4801077 Ignite D.C. 6] 2011-02-03 Presentation by [[User:Dduane|Darrell Duane]] ([http://bitcoinbasics.com/ignitedc Slides]) About Bitcoin and Potomac local currency
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQPSwA2Itbs Security Now 287: BitCoin CryptoCurrency] 2011-02-09 Bitcoin coverage is from 0:41:25 to the end of the netcast ([http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp4/twit.cachefly.net/video/sn/sn0288/sn0288_h264b_864x480_500.mp4 video]), ([http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/aolradio.podcast.aol.com/sn/sn0287.mp3 podcast])

===Presentations===
* [http://www.slideshare.net/ashmoran/the-barcampers-guide-to-bitcoin-8682810 The BarCamper's Guide to Bitcoin] 2011-07-25 by Ash Moran
* [http://s3.amazonaws.com/gavinandresen-bitcoin/GavinAndresenCIATalk.pdf Bitcoin - The World's 1st P2P Digital Currency] 2011-06-?? Gavin Andresen Presentation given at In-Q-Tel investment conference
* [http://btcbids.com/bitcoin.pdf Bitcoin - P2P Virtual Currency] 2011-06-05 Jake Hansen Presentation submission for Defcon 19<ref>[https://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=12416.0 Forum I Need help]</ref>
* [http://www.slideshare.net/jonmatonis/monetising-game-play-on-social-network-sites Monetising Game Play on Social Network Sites] 2011-03-31 Jon Matonis at KPMG eGaming Summit
* [http://prezi.com/tbpky5fm7qbl/bitcoin-new-p2p-currency Bitcoin - new P2P currency] 2011-02-19 Juraj Bednar

==See Also==

* [http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=1958.0 Bitcoin Press] forum thread
* [[:Category:Blogs|Blogs]]
* [[Bitcoin News]] daily posts
* [[Research]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Marketing]]
[[Category:Introduction]]
[[de:Presse]]

Securing your wallet

2011-08-25T06:56:35Z

Ysoliman: Cleaned up information

==Introduction==

Wallet security can be broken down into two independent goals:
# Protecting your wallet against loss.
# Protecting your wallet against theft.

In the case that your current wallet hasn't been protected adequately (e.g. put online with a weaker password):
# Making a new secure wallet, using appropriate long-term protection.

''For a brief overview see also: [[Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts (Windows)|Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts]]''

==Technical Background==

Bitcoin transactions send Bitcoins to a specific public key. A Bitcoin address is an encoded hash of a public key. In order to use received Bitcoins, you need to have the private key matching the public key you received with. This is sort of like a super long password associated with an account (the account is the public key). Your Bitcoin wallet contains all of the private keys necessary for spending your received transactions. If you delete your wallet without a backup, then you no longer have the authorization information necessary to claim your coins, and the coins associated with those keys are lost forever.

The wallet contains a pool of queued keys. By default there are 100 keys in the [[key pool]]. The size of the pool is configurable using the "-keypool" command line argument. When you need an address for whatever reason (send, “new address”, generation, etc.), the key is not actually generated freshly, but taken from this pool. A brand new address is generated to fill the pool back to 100. So when a backup is first created, it has all of your old keys plus 100 unused keys. After sending a transaction, it has 99 unused keys. After a total of 100 new-key actions, you will start using keys that are not in your backup. Since the backup does not have the private keys necessary for authorizing spends of these coins, restoring from the old backup will cause you to lose Bitcoins.

Creating a new address generates a new pair of public and private keys, which are added to your wallet. Each keypair is mostly random numbers, so they cannot be known prior to generation. If you backup your wallet and then create more than 100 new addresses, the keypair associated with the newest addresses will not be in the old wallet because the new keypairs are only known after creating them. Any coins received at these addresses will be lost if you restore from the backup.

The situation is made somewhat more confusing because the receiving addresses shown in the UI are not the only keys in your wallet. Each Bitcoin generation is given a new public key, and, more importantly, each sent transaction also sends some number of Bitcoins back to yourself at a new key. When sending Bitcoins to anyone, you generate a new keypair for yourself and simultaneously send Bitcoins to your new public key and the actual recipient's public key. This is an anonymity feature – it makes tracking Bitcoin transactions much more difficult.

So if you create a backup, do more than 100 things that cause a new key to be used, and then restore from the backup, some Bitcoins will be lost. Bitcoin has not deleted any keys (keys are never deleted) – it has created a new key that is not in your old backup and then sent Bitcoins to it.

== Making a new wallet ==

In the case that a wallet has been distributed, or stored, in a (real or potential) compromised state, it is wise to create a new wallet and transfer the full balance of Bitcoins to an address contained only in the newly created wallet.

For example, this will be necessary if one created a wallet with a password of 12 characters, as suggested. However a few years have passed and the wallet is now more easily compromised. Just re-encrypting isn't secure. One needs to make a new wallet and make the old wallet worthless (spending the funds to the new wallet).

==Making a secure workspace==

===Linux===

The first step is to make a [http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/ubuntu/add-a-user-on-ubuntu-server/ new user,] so run:

<code>adduser new_user_name</code>

as root. When you get to the prompt 'Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default', just keep hitting ENTER.

Then switch user to the new user. To get to the new user you can use the switch user icon for your system, which on Ubuntu is in the 'System/Quit' screen, or if there is no switch icon on your system you can log out and log back in as the new user. Then click on a folder in the new user to display the file browser, then keep going up folders until you see the new user home directory, then right click to bring up the Properties dialog, then click on the Permissions tab, then in the Others section, set the folder access to None.

For secure browsing, open Firefox, and then go into the Edit menu and click Preferences. Starting from the left, click on the General tab, and in the 'Startup/When Firefox starts' pop up menu, choose 'Show a Blank Page'. Then click on the Content tab, and deselect 'Load images automatically' and deselect 'Enable Javascript'. Then click on the Privacy tab, and in the 'History/Firefox will' pop up menu, choose 'Never remember history'. Then click on the Security tab, and in the Passwords section, deselect 'Remember passwords for sites' and deselect 'Use a master password'. Then click on the Advanced tab, then click on the Update tab, and then in the 'Automatically check for updates to' section, deselect 'Add-ons' and 'Search Engines'.

When javascript is disabled, the [http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitcoin/files/Bitcoin/bitcoin-0.3.23/bitcoin-0.3.23-linux.tar.gz/download linux download page] will not download automatically, so you'll have to click on the 'direct link' part of the "Problems with the download? Please use this 'direct link' or try another mirror." line.

After you've made your secure new user, to maintain security you should use it only for bitcoin.

It's also a good idea to encrypt the Home directory of whatever user you run Bitcoin under using ecryptfs-utils. To do this:
# If the Home directory is not empty you should back it up first, by just copying the data to an external drive or something.
# install ecryptfs-utils (on Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install ecryptfs-utils)
# log out of X (graphical system) and press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to login to the command shell (you must be logged out or some files will be open and the tool won't be able to encrypt your data)
# change directory to something that's not in your home folder (ex: cd / )
# run the migration tool (on Ubuntu: sudo ecryptfs-migrate-home -u username)
# if it's successful, you can now press ALT+F8 to go back to the GUI and login
# run 'ecryptfs-unwrap-passphrase' and '''WRITE DOWN OR SAVE THE CODE IT RETURNS''' because you will need it if you ever have to pull your data off while the OS is not working. (You can run it again later if you need to, but run it now so that you can get your data if your Linux install gets botched.)
# run 'ecryptfs-setup-swap' to encrypt your swap partition (the encrypted folder data is not encrypted while it's in memory, and so if it's ever sent to the swap partition it can be stolen from there unless that too is encrypted - be aware that this will mean you cannot use Hibernate anymore, as the bootloader won't be able to restore the hibernation data)
(instructions from [http://bodhizazen.net/Tutorials/Ecryptfs/#Migrate])

===Mac===

=====Backup all data (500MB)=====
Follow these instructions to backup all the bitcoin data (wallet and block chains) to an encrypted disk image.
# Open Disk Utility
# Click New Image and choose 500MB, 128-bit or 256-bit (faster or more secure) encryption and single partition.
# Save it somewhere you won't lose it (like your Wuala, Dropbox, Strongspace or whatever)
# Choose a safe and strong password
# Move everything from ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/ to the image
# Symlink it back so the app would be able to use it
:::ln -s /Volumes/Bitcoin ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin

Don't forget to mount your image before using Bitcoin and unmount after quitting it.

=====Backup just wallet.dat (40MB)=====
Follow these instructions to backup just the wallet.dat file. This results in a smaller disk image, but it's more complicated to do.
# Open Disk Utility
# Click New Image and choose 40MB, 128-bit or 256-bit (faster or more secure) encryption and single partition.
# Save it somewhere you won't lose it (like your Wuala, Dropbox, Strongspace or whatever)
# Choose a safe and strong password
# Move your wallet.dat file to the image
# Symlink it back so the app would be able to use it
:::ln -s /Volumes/Bitcoin/wallet.dat ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/wallet.dat

[[File:MountWalletAndLauchnBitcoin_OSX_Automator.png|thumbnail|150px|Mount Wallet and launch Bitcoin]]
Don't forget to mount your image before using Bitcoin and unmount after quitting it.

'''Note''': If you start the Bitcoin application without having the image mounted, the application will overwrite your symlink with a new wallet. If that happens, don't panic. Just delete the new wallet.dat, mount the image, and recreate the symlink like above.

'''Automation''': You can create a small application using [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automator_%28software%29 Automator] (included in OS X) to automatically mount the wallet and then launch Bitcoin App. See the Screenshot on how to do this.

If one ''doesn't'' want to use encrypted Disk images, then a '''small shell script''' can be used instead that takes care of decrypting the wallet, launching bitcoin client, and encrypting it after the client exits. This script works on both OSX and Linux: [http://lorelei.kaverit.org/bitcoin.sh bitcoin-launch-script]

===Windows===

If you are using Windows XP or Windows 7, you can keep your wallet on an encrypted disk image created by third-party software, such as [http://www.truecrypt.org/ TrueCrypt] (open source) or [http://www.jetico.com/encryption-bestcrypt/ Jetico BestCrypt] (commercial). You can probably do the same with Windows Vista or Windows 2000.

'''NOTE:''' You should configure Bitcoin in this manner only on computers where you use Bitcoin, but do not use that computer to mine. For example, this is a good configuration for a notebook or tablet computer.

Assuming that you have installed the Windows Bitcoin client and run it at least once, the process is described below.

<p><b>To mount the Bitcoin data directory on an encrypted drive</b></p>
<ol start=1 type=1>
<li>Use the third-party disk image encryption program of your choice to create and mount an encrypted disk image of at least 100 MB in size.</li>
<li>Locate the Bitcoin data directory, and copy the directory with all contents to the encrypted drive.
<p>For help finding this directory, see <b>[[Securing_your_wallet#Locating_Bitcoin_s_data_directory|Locating Bitcoin's Data Directory]]</b>.</p></li>
<li>Create a Windows shortcut that starts Bitcoin with the <code>-datadir</code> parameter and specifies the encrypted drive and directory.
<p>For example, if you installed Bitcoin in the default directory, mounted your Bitcoin encrypted drive as <code>E:\</code>, and stored your Bitcoin data directory on it as <code>Bitcoin</code>, you would type the following command as the shortcut Target:</p>
<blockquote><code>C:\Program Files\Bitcoin\bitcoin.exe -datadir=E:\Bitcoin</code></blockquote></li>
<li>Open Bitcoin's settings and configure it <b>NOT</b> to start automatically when you start Windows.
<p>This is to allow you to mount the Bitcoin encrypted disk image before starting Bitcoin.</p></li>
<li>Shut down Bitcoin, and then restart it from the new shortcut.</li>
</ol>

After doing this, any time you want to use Bitcoin, you must first mount the Bitcoin encrypted disk image using the same drive designation, and then run Bitcoin from the shortcut that you created, so that it can find its data and your wallet. :-)

== Locating Bitcoin's data directory ==

The [[data directory]] is the location where Bitcoin's data files are stored, including the wallet data file.

=== Windows ===

Go to Start -> Run (or press WinKey+R) and run this:

explorer %APPDATA%\Bitcoin

Bitcoin's data folder will open. For most users, this is the following locations:

C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application data\Bitcoin (XP)

C:\Users\YourUserName\Appdata\Roaming\Bitcoin (Vista and 7)

"AppData" and "Application data" are hidden by default.

=== Linux ===

By default Bitcoin will put its data here:

~/.bitcoin/

You need to do a "ls -a" to see directories that start with a dot.

If that's not it, you can do a search like this:

find / -name wallet.dat -print 2>/dev/null

=== Mac ===

By default Bitcoin will put its data here:

~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/

==Backup==

'''Note''': I would strongly recommend against using a service like Dropbox to back up your Bitcoin data due to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropbox_(service)#Criticism security concerns] such as:
# the fact that they store your encryption key (meaning that a disgruntled Dropbox employee or an attacker who gained access to the system could decrypt your Dropbox data and steal your Bitcoins)
# the fact that the Dropbox client only needs a password for the first login. After it authenticates once, the server assigns it a token which it uses to show that, at one time, its user knew the password rather than sending the actual password (meaning that if you ever use the Dropbox client on another PC, that PC's users can access your Dropbox - even if you change your password - and can steal your Bitcoins or get a virus that will steal your Bitcoins).

For these reasons, I personally prefer to use Wuala, which does not store your encryption key and requires a password each time (the client can be set to remember your password, but the server will check each time to make sure that the client is sending the correct password). Like Dropbox, the basic, lowest-storage-space account with Wuala is free of charge, and coincidentally, Wuala [http://www.wuala.com/en/bitcoin is experimenting with allowing users to pay for "upgraded" plans using Bitcoin.]

In fact, whether you use Dropbox as your backup or not, use what Steve Gibson calls "pre-Internet encryption" (which he actually [http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/security-corner/cloud-security-and-privacy-do-they-exist/ discussed in the context of Dropbox's security concerns]) and use some form of encryption on the files before you back them up, just in case someone other than yourself ever gains access to that backup. Make sure to pick a password that's memorable but secure.

The only file you need to back up is "wallet.dat". Ensure that Bitcoin is closed, copy this file somewhere else, encrypt it, and put it somewhere safe. Ideally, you would put this file in two places: one nearby, and one 100+ miles away.

You can use the [[api|backupwallet]] JSON-RPC command to back up without shutting down Bitcoin.

=== General Solutions ===

Your wallet.dat file is not encrypted by Bitcoin. Anyone who can access it can easily steal all of your coins. Use one of these encryption programs if there is any chance someone might stumble upon your wallet.
* [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-zip] - Supports strongly-encrypted archives.
* [http://www.axantum.com/axcrypt/ AxCrypt by Axantum]
* [http://lrzip.kolivas.org lrzip] - Compression software for Linux and OSX that supports very high grade password protected encryption
* [http://www.truecrypt.org/ TrueCrypt] - Volume-based on-the-fly encryption (for advanced users)
* [http://www.rarlab.com/ WinRar] - Commonly used archive software that supports verification records and encryption.

There is also a list of [[OpenSourceEncryptionSoftware|open source encryption software.]]

Decrypting and encrypting the wallet.dat every time you start or quit the Bitcoin client can be ''tedious'' (and outright error-prone). If you want to keep your wallet encrypted (except while you're actually running the Bitcoin client), it's better to relegate the automation to a [http://lorelei.kaverit.org/bitcoin.sh small shell script] that handles the en/decryption and starting up Bitcoin client for you (Linux and OSX).

There is also a method to Print out and encrypt your Wallet.dat as a special barcode. See details here: [[WalletPaperbackup]]

==== Password Strength ====
Brute-force password cracking has come a long way. A password of random [a-Z] [0-9] [!-~] of 8 characters long was previously thought secure but can be trivially solved now (using appropriate hardware). The recommended length is '''at least''' 12 characters long. You can also use a multi-word password. [http://www.baekdal.com/tips/password-security-usability The Usability of Passwords]

However, simply using dictionary words is also insecure as it opens you up to a dictionary attack. If you use dictionary words, be sure to throw random symbols and numbers in the mix as well.

A good way to create secure but easy-to-remember passwords is to pick a password (ex: d0g) and pad it with a good number of repeated characters afterward (such as 10 $ signs - so d0g becomes d0g$$$$$$$$$$) - this is just as cryptographically secure as a random password of equal length so long as the attacker does not know which symbol you are following your "word" with and how many times it is repeated. ([https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm source])

If you use keyfiles in addition to a password, it is unlikely that your encrypted file can ever be cracked using brute force methods, even 10 years from now when even a 12 character password might be too short.

Assume that any encrypted files you store online (eg. gmail, Dropbox) will be stored somewhere forever and can never be erased.

===== Choosing Your Password =====
Make sure you pick at least one character in each group:<br />

Lowercase: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Uppercase: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Number: 1234567890
Symbol: `~!@#$%^&*()-_=+\|[{]};:'",<.>/? (space)

>9 char = unsuitable for use
09 char = insecure
10 char = low security
11 char = medium security
12 char = good security (good enough for your wallet)
13 char = very good, enough for anything.

==== Storage of Archive ====
One of the most simple methods for storing a appropriately '''encrypted''' archive of your wallet.dat file is to send the archive as an email attachment to your own e-mail address. Services like gmail.com use very comprehensive distributed networks that make the loss of data very unlikely. One can even obfuscate the name of the files within the archive, and name the archive something less inviting, such as: 'personal notes' or 'car insurance'.

Another solution is to use a file storage service like [http://www.wuala.com/bitcoin Wuala] ( encrypted, [http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=5817.0 instructions]), [http://www.dropbox.com Dropbox] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_online_backup_services others], including the more secure [http://www.spideroak.com SpiderOak].

=== Linux solution ===

Linux users can setup backups using cron by telling it to run a backup script at set intervals of time. Run 'crontab -e' and add this line near the bottom:

01 */1 * * * /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh

This cron line will run the /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh script at the 01 minute of every hour. Remember to add a newline after the last line of the crontab file, or else the last line won't run. You may also wish to ignore the script's output by appending " > /dev/null 2>&1" to the line (this will also prevent emails from being sent).

Create /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh
#
# Performs backup of bitcoin wallet.
#
# Written by: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet

#
# Standard Options
#
TS=$(date "+%Y%m%d-%H%M")
WALLET=/tmp/wallet-${TS}
WALLET_E=/tmp/wallet-${TS}.crypt
BITCOIN=bitcoind # /path/to/bitcoind
GPG=gpg # /path/to/gpg
GPG_USER=username # Username of gpg recipient. User should have gpg setup.
RM=rm
RM_OPTS='--force'
USE_SHRED=0 # Flip to 1 to use `shred` instead of `rm`.
SHRED=shred
SHRED_OPTS='--force --iterations=9 --zero --remove'

#
# Storage Options
# Only 1 set of options should be un-commented (the last one will be used).
# Update CP_DEST paths as neccessary.
#
# CP - Storage on a local machine. Could be Dropbox/Wuala folder.
#CP=cp
#CP_DEST='/var/data/backups/' # '~/Dropbox/', etc.
#
# SSH - Storage on a remote machine.
CP=scp
CP_DEST='remoteuser@example.com:~/wallets/'
#
# S3 - Storage on Amazon's S3. Be sure s3cmd is installed and properly setup.
# You may need "s3cmd put --force" if you use a sub-directory in CP_DEST.
#CP=s3cmd put
#CP_DEST='s3://bucket'

do_clean() {
# Remove temporary wallets.
if [ 1 -eq $USE_SHRED ]; then
$SHRED $SHRED_OPTS $WALLET $WALLET_E
else
$RM $RM_OPTS $WALLET $WALLET_E
fi
}

do_fail() {
do_clean
echo failed!
exit 1
}

# Perform the backup.
echo -n Making backup...
$BITCOIN backupwallet $WALLET
[ ! -s "$WALLET" ] && do_fail # If the backup does not exist or is empty, fail.
echo done.
echo -n Encrypting backup...
$GPG -r $GPG_USER --output $WALLET_E --encrypt $WALLET
[ 0 -ne $? ] && do_fail # If gpg returns a non-zero result, fail.
echo done.
echo -n Copying to backup location...
$CP $WALLET_E "$CP_DEST"
[ 0 -ne $? ] && do_fail # If the $CP command returns a non-zero result, fail.
echo done.
do_clean

exit 0

The shell script:

* Calls bitcoind backupwallet to create a time/date-stamped wallet.
* GPG encrypts the wallet with your public key.
* Copies the result using one of several storage options (cp, scp, and s3cmd).
* Uses the rm or shred command to remove the temporary wallet files.

Be sure to modify the script options to fit your setup. After you save, make sure the file can be executed properly by the cron user. Common permissions for files in /usr/local/bin/ can be applied using (verify with your distribution!):

cd /usr/local/bin/ && chown root:root backupwallet.sh && chmod 755 backupwallet.sh

[[Category:Technical]]

==Restore==

Assuming your backup is recent enough that you haven't used up all of your key pool... restoring a wallet to a new (or old) location and rescanning the block chain should leave you with all your coins. Just follow these steps:
* Quit bitcoin(d).
* Copy your backed up wallet.dat into your bitcoin profile directory.
* If copying into existing profile, delete file ''blkindex.dat'' and ''blk0001.dat'' to make the client re-scan the block chain.

And you'll be good as new.

==Erasing Plain Text Wallets==

A good practice is to keep at least two wallets, one as a "current account" for everyday transactions and one as a "savings account" where you store the majority of your Bitcoins.

The "savings account" wallet should be backed up in encrypted form only and all plaintext copies of this wallet should be erased. In case someone gains unauthorised access to your computer (either by physically stealing it or by exploiting a system vulnerability via the internet), they will only be able to spend the coins in your "current account" wallet.

In most operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, simply deleting a wallet.dat file will ''not'' generally destroy it. It is likely that advanced tools can still be used to recover the wallet.dat file, even after it has been deleted.

The Linux '''shred''' command can be used to overwrite the wallet file with random data prior to deleting; this particular copy of the file will then be practically impossible to recover. Using shred (and similar tools on Windows) however does not guarantee that still other copies don't exist somewhere hidden on your HD. That will depend on your system configuration and what packages you have installed. Some system restore and backup tools, for instance, create periodic snapshots of your filesystem, duplicating your wallet.dat.

In Mac OS, the equivalent of '''shred''' is '''srm''' (introduced in Leopard). Using the Finder to remove files, clicking "Secure Empty Trash" in the Finder menu will shred the contents of the trash can. As with any OS this doesn't guarantee that there are not other copies elsewhere on your system.

For Windows, the built-in command ''cipher /W'' will shred all previously-deleted files. [http://www.cylog.org/utilities/cybershredder.jsp CyberShredder] can securely deleted individual files.

==eWallet==

Storing bitcoins with an [[eWallet]] provider incurs risks as well. Basically you grant the third party, in this case eWallet, full access to your wallet. These eWallets, or Electronic Wallets have a number of pros and cons. For example, you can access your wallet on any computer in the world, but the wallet can be forged or hacked and your bitcoins could be lost. You can also get eWallet applications for your Android phone, which also download the block chain like the normal client but allow the user to send bitcoins by QR code or NFC. The problem with this is that Bitcoins can be intercepted through means of mobile hacking.

==See Also==

* [[Data directory]]
* [http://startbitcoin.com/how-to-create-a-secure-bitcoin-wallet/ Secure Bitcoin Wallet Tutorial]
* [[How to set up a secure offline savings wallet]]
* [http://arimaa.com/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Gateway - A Peer-to-peer Bitcoin Vault and Payment Network]

[[de:Sichere deine Geldbörse]]
[[zh-cn:保护你的钱包]]

Satoshi Nakamoto

2011-08-25T06:52:39Z

Ysoliman: Cleaned up grammar issues

[[File:Satoshi-nakamoto.gif|thumb|200px|right|Picture of Satoshi Nakamoto.]]

'''Satoshi Nakamoto''' is the founder of [[Bitcoin]] and initial creator of the [[Original Bitcoin client]]. He has said in a P2P foundation profile<ref name="p2p_f_profile">[http://p2pfoundation.ning.com/profile/SatoshiNakamoto Satoshi Nakamoto profile on P2P Foundation]</ref> that he is from Japan. Beyond that, not much else is known about him and his identity. He has been working on the Bitcoin project since 2007.<ref>[http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=13.msg46#msg46 Re: Questions about Bitcoin]</ref>

His involvement in the Bitcoin project had tapered and by late 2010 it has ended. The most recent messages reportedly indicate that Satoshi is "gone for good"<ref>[http://bitcoinstats.com/irc/logs/2011/04/26/5#l445170 Transcript of #bitcoin-dev for 2011/04/26]</ref>.

==Possible Motives==

He left some clues about why he is doing this project with the inclusion of the following text in the [[Genesis block]], "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks".

Some interesting quotes:
<blockquote><p>Yes, [we will not find a solution to political problems in cryptography,] but we can win a major battle in the arms race and gain a new territory of
freedom for several years.</p>

<p>Governments are good at cutting off the heads of a centrally controlled
networks like Napster, but pure P2P networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be
holding their own.<ref>[http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg09971.html Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:30:36 -0800]</ref></p></blockquote>

<blockquote>It's very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it
properly. I'm better with code than with words though. <ref>[http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg10001.html Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:29:22]</ref></blockquote>

==Possible identity==

His identity and nationality are unknown. The few bits of information available<ref name="p2p_f_profile"/> about him point to Japan, he never wrote a single line of Japanese, the Bitcoin client has no Japanese version and there is no Japanese page on [http://bitcoin.org bitcoin.org].

He is entirely unknown outside of Bitcoin as far as anyone can tell, and his PGP key was created just months prior to the date of the genesis block. He seems to be very familiar with the cryptography mailing list, but there are no non-Bitcoin posts from him on it. He has used an email address from an anonymous mail hosting service (vistomail) as well as one from a free webmail account (gmx.com) and sends mail when connected via Tor. Some have speculated that his entire identity was created in advance in order to protect himself or the network. Perhaps he chose the name Satoshi because it can mean "wisdom" or "reason".

==External links==
* [http://forum.bitcoin.org/Satoshi_Nakamoto.asc Satoshi's PGP public key]
* [http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System] Paper
* [http://sourceforge.net/users/s_nakamoto SourceForge page]

==References==
<references/>

[[de:Satoshi Nakamoto]]

Template:MainPage Topics

2011-08-25T06:48:39Z

Ysoliman: Added new page about Bitcoin websites

{|cellpadding="2" style="background-color: inherit;"
|-
| scope="col" style="width: 200px;" |
* [[Introduction]]
* [[Getting started]]
* [[Myths]]
* [[Securing your wallet]]
| scope="col" style="width: 200px;" |
* [[PHP developer intro]]
* [[API reference (JSON-RPC)]]
* [[Protocol specification]]
* [[Secure Trading|Best practices for traders]]
* [[Bitcoin Websites]]
|}

{|cellpadding="2" style="background-color: inherit;"
|-
! scope="col" style="width: 200px;" |
! scope="col" style="width: 200px;" |
|-
|
* [[Software]]
* [[:Category:Mining|Mining]]
* [[:Category:Exchanges|Exchanges]]
* [[:Category:Directories|Local Directories]]
* [[Press|Press coverage]]
* [[:Category:Marketing|Marketing resources]]
* [[People]]
|
* [[:Category:Technical|Technical articles]]
* [[:Category:Clients|Clients]] / [[:Category:Frontends|Frontends]]
* [[:Category:Economics|Economics]]
* [[Trade|Bitcoin-accepting sites]]
* [[Donation-accepting_organizations_and_projects|Donation-accepting sites]]
* [[Meetups]]
|}

<div style="text-align: right;" class="noprint"><span class="plainlinks">[{{fullurl:Template:MainPage_Topics|action=edit}} '''Edit''']</span> – '''[[Special:Categories|See More]]'''</div>

User:Ysoliman

2011-08-25T06:43:48Z

Ysoliman:

=== '''Welcome to my userpage!''' ===
<br />

I am excited to help out with development of Bitcoin and am happy to help new users. Making regular edits to the Wiki is another one of my commitments. I am an avid user of new technology and discovered Bitcoin a few months ago while researching online currencies. Just remember to back up your ''wallet.dat'' file to prevent loss of your bitcoins!<br />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Estimated total blocks
|-
| 140,000
|}

<br />

'''What do I do?'''
* Develop software
* Code HTML
* Mine bitcoins
* Make new projects and designs

<br />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Links
|-
| [[Special:Contributions/Ysoliman|Contributions]]
|-
| [[Special:EmailUser/Ysoliman|Email me]]
|-
| [[Special:ActiveUsers|User List]]
|}
Contributors Award participant: 1M7Rougn18gm4AQYJZCYRysdwnFca9HTCH

User:Ysoliman

2011-08-25T06:43:29Z

Ysoliman:

Talk:BitCoinD Cloud Hosting

2011-08-25T06:41:19Z

Ysoliman: Created page with "Please can this page be edited to remove blatant marketing material? --~~~~"

Please can this page be edited to remove blatant marketing material?
--[[User:Ysoliman|YSoliman]] 06:41, 25 August 2011 (GMT)

User:Juggernaut

2011-08-24T07:16:12Z

Ysoliman: Created page with "Please do not add tradehill referral codes to wiki pages. --~~~~"

Please do not add tradehill referral codes to wiki pages.
--[[User:Ysoliman|YSoliman]] 07:16, 24 August 2011 (GMT)

Promotional graphics

2011-08-23T15:15:31Z

Ysoliman: Added link

Bitcoin-related graphics used for promoting bitcoin either for online use, retail display or other promotional purpose.

==Bitcoin Accepted Here==
[[{{ns:file}}:BC_Rnd_64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC nBG 64px.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC RnBG 64px.png‎]]

==Logos==
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logo .png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype.png‎]]
[[{{ns:file}}:BC Logotype Reverse.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:Bitcoin euro.png]]

==Love Bitcoin Graphics==
[[{{ns:file}}:Lv BCorg 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 48px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC 128px.png]]
[[{{ns:file}}:WeLv BC Badge 128px.png]]

==Ƀ Another Bitcoin Identity==
* [[{{ns:file}}:CircleBitcoin.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:Pennant.png]]
* [[{{ns:file}}:RibbonDonateBitcoin.png]]
<br />This graphic elements are available in SVG format on the dedicated [http://www.ecogex.com/bitcoin/ project page].

==External Links==

* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=38865.0 Set of BTC Icons and Logos]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=64.msg7415#msg7415 New icon/logo] (SVG of the gold bitcoin / logo)
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4331.0 Bigger "B" versions of Bitcoin logotypes]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=9562.20 Ƀ Another Bitcoin identity]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1631.0 More Bitcoin logos, buttons, and also some other graphics]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=45.msg479#msg479 Make your "we accept Bitcoin" logo]
* [http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7210/onwhitem.jpg Bitcoin Decentralized P2P Currency logo]
* [http://agora.io/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BitcoinFreeMoney250x100.png Liberty starts with free money logo]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6412.0 Made a Bitcoin icon, PDF included]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=6455.0 In cryptography we trust (yet another Bitcoin icon)]
* [http://bitbash.blogspot.com/2011/04/bitcoin-icons.html Bitcoin icons] from Bitbash
* [http://lts.cr/d8d Bitcoin Graphics] zip
* [http://www.promotionalcodes.org.uk/26970/what-is-bitcoin/ What is Bitcoin? (Infographic)]
* [http://carbonism.deviantart.com/gallery carbonism's deviantART gallery]
* [http://handsomecode.tumblr.com/post/6565610892/designing-a-better-bitcoin-identity Handsome Code Better Bitcoin]
* [https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=32273.0 Public Domain Bitcoin Icons/Graphics for you!]

[[Category:Marketing]]

Payza

2011-08-23T14:01:33Z

Ysoliman: Spelling correction

An e-commerce business allowing payments and [[:Category:Money_transmitters|money transfers]] to be made through the Internet.

When sending money using AlertPay a purchase can be funded from an existing AlertPay balance or using a credit card. When receiving money, all funds received are added to your AlertPay account balance.

Methods for depositing funds into an AlertPay account include bank wire, by linking a bank account (ACH) or by money order or certified check. Methods from withdrawing funds from an AlertPay account include bank wire, an ACH transfer to a bank account, check or as funds added to your credit card.

==Fees==
There are no fees when sending money. The fee subtracted when money is received will vary based on the account type.

==Risks==
Funds received through AlertPay can potentially be put at risk if the buyer requests a chargeback. AlertPay's policy is to close the account for any account holders who issue a chargeback.

AlertPay holds balances that might be at risk. The agreement states:
:: <tt>If you do hold a balance in your account, AlertPay will keep your funds separate from its corporate funds and will not use your funds for its operating expenses or any other corporate purposes</tt>.<ref>[http://www.alertpay.com/en/agreements.aspx#4.0 4.8 AlertPay Balance]</ref>.
There is no mention if these funds are CDIC (Canadian) insured, FDIC (U.S.) insured, or any other indication of how or where these funds are held.

==See Also==

* [[Buying bitcoins]]
* [[Selling bitcoins]]
* [[Payment methods]]

==External Links==
* [http://www.alertpay.com AlertPay] website
* [http://www.alertpay.com/en/fees.aspx Fee schedule]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Money transmitters]]

Open-source useful tools

2011-08-17T05:20:36Z

Ysoliman: Added software section with new entry

'''Never''' use closed-source tools, for obvious reasons

== Client forks ==
[https://github.com/piotrnar/bitcoin/commits/importexporttx piotrnar's fork]

:Import/export transactions

== Software ==
[http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Other-Internet-Related/statCoin.shtml Statcoin]
:Bitcoin statistics and connection program

== Scripts ==
[https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=34028.0 Pywallet]
:Wallet managing: import/export/delete addresses and transactions, recover *coins sent to Bitcoin addresses
:Sign/verify messages and files with Bitcoin addresses

[https://github.com/gavinandresen/bitcointools Bitcointools]

[https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=25091.0 bitcoin-wallet-recover]
:Recover wallets from reformatted drives

== Online ==

[http://blockexplorer.com/ Blockexplorer.com]
:List of blocks and transactions
[http://bitcoincharts.com/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Charts]
:List of unconfirmed transaction
[http://www.bitcoinmonitor.com/ Bitcoin Monitor]
:Visualize the activities on the Bitcoin network

Rfcpool

2011-08-14T16:00:32Z

Ysoliman: site was shut down

=== '''RFCPool has now been shut down.''' ===

A [[Pooled mining|mining pool]].

* Offers full 8 decimal precision payouts
* SSL
* Long Polling
* Mining on port 80 if you're behind a firewall

==Reward distribution==

* Proportional: 0% fee.
* Pay-Per-Share: 7% fee.

==See Also==

* [[Comparison of mining pools]]
* [[Pooled Mining]]

==External Links==

* [https://www.rfcpool.com rfcpool] web site

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Pool Operators]]

Securing your wallet

2011-08-13T07:22:57Z

Ysoliman:

==Introduction==

Wallet security can be broken down into two independent goals:
# Protecting your wallet against loss.
# Protecting your wallet against theft.

In the case that your current wallet hasn't been protected adequately (e.g. put online with a weaker password):
# Making a new secure wallet, using appropriate long-term protection.

''For a brief overview see also: [[Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts (Windows)|Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts]]''

==Technical Background==

Bitcoin transactions send Bitcoins to a specific public key. A Bitcoin address is an encoded hash of a public key. In order to use received Bitcoins, you need to have the private key matching the public key you received with. This is sort of like a super long password associated with an account (the account is the public key). Your Bitcoin wallet contains all of the private keys necessary for spending your received transactions. If you delete your wallet without a backup, then you no longer have the authorization information necessary to claim your coins, and the coins associated with those keys are lost forever.

The wallet contains a pool of queued keys. By default there are 100 keys in the [[key pool]]. The size of the pool is configurable using the "-keypool" command line argument. When you need an address for whatever reason (send, “new address”, generation, etc.), the key is not actually generated freshly, but taken from this pool. A brand new address is generated to fill the pool back to 100. So when a backup is first created, it has all of your old keys plus 100 unused keys. After sending a transaction, it has 99 unused keys. After a total of 100 new-key actions, you will start using keys that are not in your backup. Since the backup does not have the private keys necessary for authorizing spends of these coins, restoring from the old backup will cause you to lose Bitcoins.

Creating a new address generates a new pair of public and private keys, which are added to your wallet. Each keypair is mostly random numbers, so they cannot be known prior to generation. If you backup your wallet and then create more than 100 new addresses, the keypair associated with the newest addresses will not be in the old wallet because the new keypairs are only known after creating them. Any coins received at these addresses will be lost if you restore from the backup.

The situation is made somewhat more confusing because the receiving addresses shown in the UI are not the only keys in your wallet. Each Bitcoin generation is given a new public key, and, more importantly, each sent transaction also sends some number of Bitcoins back to yourself at a new key. When sending Bitcoins to anyone, you generate a new keypair for yourself and simultaneously send Bitcoins to your new public key and the actual recipient's public key. This is an anonymity feature – it makes tracking Bitcoin transactions much more difficult.

So if you create a backup, do more than 100 things that cause a new key to be used, and then restore from the backup, some Bitcoins will be lost. Bitcoin has not deleted any keys (keys are never deleted) – it has created a new key that is not in your old backup and then sent Bitcoins to it.

== Making a new wallet ==

In the case that a wallet has been distributed, or stored, in a (real or potential) compromised state, it is wise to create a new wallet and transfer the full balance of Bitcoins to an address contained only in the newly created wallet.

For example, this will be necessary if one created a wallet with a password of 12 characters, as suggested. However a few years have passed and the wallet is now more easily compromised. Just re-encrypting isn't secure. One needs to make a new wallet and make the old wallet worthless (spending the funds to the new wallet).

==Making a secure workspace==

===Linux===

The first step is to make a [http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/ubuntu/add-a-user-on-ubuntu-server/ new user,] so run:

<code>adduser new_user_name</code>

as root. When you get to the prompt 'Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default', just keep hitting ENTER.

Then switch user to the new user. To get to the new user you can use the switch user icon for your system, which on Ubuntu is in the 'System/Quit' screen, or if there is no switch icon on your system you can log out and log back in as the new user. Then click on a folder in the new user to display the file browser, then keep going up folders until you see the new user home directory, then right click to bring up the Properties dialog, then click on the Permissions tab, then in the Others section, set the folder access to None.

For secure browsing, open Firefox, and then go into the Edit menu and click Preferences. Starting from the left, click on the General tab, and in the 'Startup/When Firefox starts' pop up menu, choose 'Show a Blank Page'. Then click on the Content tab, and deselect 'Load images automatically' and deselect 'Enable Javascript'. Then click on the Privacy tab, and in the 'History/Firefox will' pop up menu, choose 'Never remember history'. Then click on the Security tab, and in the Passwords section, deselect 'Remember passwords for sites' and deselect 'Use a master password'. Then click on the Advanced tab, then click on the Update tab, and then in the 'Automatically check for updates to' section, deselect 'Add-ons' and 'Search Engines'.

When javascript is disabled, the [http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitcoin/files/Bitcoin/bitcoin-0.3.23/bitcoin-0.3.23-linux.tar.gz/download linux download page] will not download automatically, so you'll have to click on the 'direct link' part of the "Problems with the download? Please use this 'direct link' or try another mirror." line.

After you've made your secure new user, to maintain security you should use it only for bitcoin.

It's also a good idea to encrypt the Home directory of whatever user you run Bitcoin under using ecryptfs-utils. To do this:
# If the Home directory is not empty you should back it up first, by just copying the data to an external drive or something.
# install ecryptfs-utils (on Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install ecryptfs-utils)
# log out of X (graphical system) and press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to login to the command shell (you must be logged out or some files will be open and the tool won't be able to encrypt your data)
# change directory to something that's not in your home folder (ex: cd / )
# run the migration tool (on Ubuntu: sudo ecryptfs-migrate-home -u username)
# if it's successful, you can now press ALT+F8 to go back to the GUI and login
# run 'ecryptfs-unwrap-passphrase' and '''WRITE DOWN OR SAVE THE CODE IT RETURNS''' because you will need it if you ever have to pull your data off while the OS is not working. (You can run it again later if you need to, but run it now so that you can get your data if your Linux install gets botched.)
# run 'ecryptfs-setup-swap' to encrypt your swap partition (the encrypted folder data is not encrypted while it's in memory, and so if it's ever sent to the swap partition it can be stolen from there unless that too is encrypted - be aware that this will mean you cannot use Hibernate anymore, as the bootloader won't be able to restore the hibernation data)
(instructions from [http://bodhizazen.net/Tutorials/Ecryptfs/#Migrate])

===Mac===

=====Backup all data (500MB)=====
Follow these instructions to backup all the bitcoin data (wallet and block chains) to an encrypted disk image.
# Open Disk Utility
# Click New Image and choose 500MB, 128-bit or 256-bit (faster or more secure) encryption and single partition.
# Save it somewhere you won't lose it (like your Wuala, Dropbox, Strongspace or whatever)
# Choose a safe and strong password
# Move everything from ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/ to the image
# Symlink it back so the app would be able to use it
:::ln -s /Volumes/Bitcoin ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin

Don't forget to mount your image before using Bitcoin and unmount after quitting it.

=====Backup just wallet.dat (40MB)=====
Follow these instructions to backup just the wallet.dat file. This results in a smaller disk image, but it's more complicated to do.
# Open Disk Utility
# Click New Image and choose 40MB, 128-bit or 256-bit (faster or more secure) encryption and single partition.
# Save it somewhere you won't lose it (like your Wuala, Dropbox, Strongspace or whatever)
# Choose a safe and strong password
# Move your wallet.dat file to the image
# Symlink it back so the app would be able to use it
:::ln -s /Volumes/Bitcoin/wallet.dat ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/wallet.dat

[[File:MountWalletAndLauchnBitcoin_OSX_Automator.png|thumbnail|150px|Mount Wallet and launch Bitcoin]]
Don't forget to mount your image before using Bitcoin and unmount after quitting it.

'''Note''': If you start the Bitcoin application without having the image mounted, the application will overwrite your symlink with a new wallet. If that happens, don't panic. Just delete the new wallet.dat, mount the image, and recreate the symlink like above.

'''Automation''': You can create a small application using [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automator_%28software%29 Automator] (included in OS X) to automatically mount the wallet and then launch Bitcoin App. See the Screenshot on how to do this.

If one ''doesn't'' want to use encrypted Disk images, then a '''small shell script''' can be used instead that takes care of decrypting the wallet, launching bitcoin client, and encrypting it after the client exits. This script works on both OSX and Linux: [http://lorelei.kaverit.org/bitcoin.sh bitcoin-launch-script]

===Windows===

If you are using Windows XP or Windows 7, you can keep your wallet on an encrypted disk image created by third-party software, such as [http://www.truecrypt.org/ TrueCrypt] (open source) or [http://www.jetico.com/encryption-bestcrypt/ Jetico BestCrypt] (commercial). You can probably do the same with Windows Vista or Windows 2000.

'''NOTE:''' You should configure BitCoin in this manner only on computers where you use BitCoin, but do not use that computer to mine. For example, this is a good configuration for a notebook or tablet computer.

Assuming that you have installed the Windows BitCoin client and run it at least once, the process is described below.

<p><b>To mount the BitCoin data directory on an encrypted drive</b></p>
<ol start=1 type=1>
<li>Use the third-party disk image encryption program of your choice to create and mount an encrypted disk image of at least 100 MB in size.</li>
<li>Locate the BitCoin data directory, and copy the directory with all contents to the encrypted drive.
<p>For help finding this directory, see <b>[[Securing_your_wallet#Locating_BitCoin_s_data_directory|Locating BitCoin's Data Directory]]</b>.</p></li>
<li>Create a Windows shortcut that starts BitCoin with the <code>-datadir</code> parameter and specifies the encrypted drive and directory.
<p>For example, if you installed Bitcoin in the default directory, mounted your BitCoin encrypted drive as <code>E:\</code>, and stored your BitCoin data directory on it as <code>Bitcoin</code>, you would type the following command as the shortcut Target:</p>
<blockquote><code>C:\Program Files\Bitcoin\bitcoin.exe -datadir=E:\Bitcoin</code></blockquote></li>
<li>Open BitCoin's settings and configure it <b>NOT</b> to start automatically when you start Windows.
<p>This is to allow you to mount the BitCoin encrypted disk image before starting BitCoin.</p></li>
<li>Shut down BitCoin, and then restart it from the new shortcut.</li>
</ol>

After doing this, any time you want to use BitCoin, you must first mount the BitCoin encrypted disk image using the same drive designation, and then run BitCoin from the shortcut that you created, so that it can find its data and your wallet. :-)

== Locating BitCoin's data directory ==

The [[data directory]] is the location where Bitcoin's data files are stored, including the wallet data file.

=== Windows ===

Go to Start -> Run (or press WinKey+R) and run this:

explorer %APPDATA%\BitCoin

BitCoin's data folder will open. For most users, this is the following locations:

C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application data\BitCoin (XP)

C:\Users\YourUserName\Appdata\Roaming\BitCoin (Vista and 7)

"AppData" and "Application data" are hidden by default.

=== Linux ===

By default BitCoin will put its data here:

~/.bitcoin/

You need to do a "ls -a" to see directories that start with a dot.

If that's not it, you can do a search like this:

find / -name wallet.dat -print 2>/dev/null

=== Mac ===

By default BitCoin will put its data here:

~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/

==Backup==

'''Note''': I would strongly recommend against using Dropbox to back up your Bitcoin data due to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropbox_(service)#Criticism security concerns] such as:
# the fact that they store your encryption key (meaning that a disgruntled Dropbox employee or an attacker who gained access to the system could decrypt your Dropbox data and steal your Bitcoins)
# the fact that the Dropbox client only needs a password for the first login. After it authenticates once, the server assigns it a token which it uses to show that, at one time, its user knew the password rather than sending the actual password (meaning that if you ever use the Dropbox client on another PC, that PC's users can access your Dropbox - even if you change your password - and can steal your Bitcoins or get a virus that will steal your Bitcoins).

For these reasons, I personally prefer to use Wuala, which does not store your encryption key and requires a password each time (the client can be set to remember your password, but the server will check each time to make sure that the client is sending the correct password). Like Dropbox, the basic, lowest-storage-space account with Wuala is free of charge, and coincidentally, Wuala [http://www.wuala.com/en/bitcoin is experimenting with allowing users to pay for "upgraded" plans using Bitcoin.]

In fact, whether you use Dropbox as your backup or not, use what Steve Gibson calls "pre-Internet encryption" (which he actually [http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/security-corner/cloud-security-and-privacy-do-they-exist/ discussed in the context of Dropbox's security concerns]) and use some form of encryption on the files before you back them up, just in case someone other than yourself ever gains access to that backup. Make sure to pick a password that's memorable but secure.

The only file you need to back up is "wallet.dat". Ensure that BitCoin is closed, copy this file somewhere else, encrypt it, and put it somewhere safe. Ideally, you would put this file in two places: one nearby, and one 100+ miles away.

You can use the [[api|backupwallet]] JSON-RPC command to back up without shutting down Bitcoin.

=== General Solutions ===

Your wallet.dat file is not encrypted by BitCoin. Anyone who can access it can easily steal all of your coins. Use one of these encryption programs if there is any chance someone might stumble upon your wallet.
* [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-zip] - Supports strongly-encrypted archives.
* [http://www.axantum.com/axcrypt/ AxCrypt]
* [http://lrzip.kolivas.org lrzip] - Compression software for Linux and OSX that supports very high grade password protected encryption
* [http://www.truecrypt.org/ TrueCrypt] - Volume-based on-the-fly encryption (for advanced users)
* [http://www.rarlab.com/ WinRar] - Commonly used archive software that supports verification records and encryption.

There is also a list of [[OpenSourceEncryptionSoftware|open source encryption software.]]

Decrypting and encrypting the wallet.dat every time you start or quit the Bitcoin client can be ''tedious'' (and outright error-prone). If you want to keep your wallet encrypted (except while you're actually running the Bitcoin client), it's better to relegate the automation to a [http://lorelei.kaverit.org/bitcoin.sh small shell script] that handles the en/decryption and starting up Bitcoin client for you (Linux and OSX).

There is also a method to Print out and encrypt your Wallet.dat as a special barcode. See details here: [[WalletPaperbackup]]

==== Password Strength ====
Brute-force password cracking has come a long way. A password of random [a-Z] [0-9] [!-~] of 8 characters long was previously thought secure but can be trivially solved now (using appropriate hardware). The recommended length is '''at least''' 12 characters long. You can also use a multi-word password. [http://www.baekdal.com/tips/password-security-usability The Usability of Passwords]

However, simply using dictionary words is also insecure as it opens you up to a dictionary attack. If you use dictionary words, be sure to throw random symbols and numbers in the mix as well.

A good way to create secure but easy-to-remember passwords is to pick a password (ex: d0g) and pad it with a good number of repeated characters afterward (such as 10 $ signs - so d0g becomes d0g$$$$$$$$$$) - this is just as cryptographically secure as a random password of equal length so long as the attacker does not know which symbol you are following your "word" with and how many times it is repeated. ([https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm source])

If you use keyfiles in addition to a password, it is unlikely that your encrypted file can ever be cracked using brute force methods, even 10 years from now when even a 12 character password might be too short.

Assume that any encrypted files you store online (eg. gmail, Dropbox) will be stored somewhere forever and can never be erased.

===== Choosing Your Password =====
Make sure you pick at least one character in each group:<br />

Lowercase: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Uppercase: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Number: 1234567890
Symbol: `~!@#$%^&*()-_=+\|[{]};:'",<.>/? (space)

09 char = insecure
10 char = low security
11 char = medium security
12 char = good security (good enough for your wallet)
13 char = v.good enough for anything.

==== Storage of Archive ====
One of the most simple methods for storing a appropriately '''encrypted''' archive of your wallet.dat file is to send the archive as an email attachment to your own e-mail address. Services like gmail.com use very comprehensive distributed networks that make the loss of data very unlikely. One can even obfuscate the name of the files within the archive, and name the archive something less inviting, such as: 'personal notes' or 'car insurance'.

Another solution is to use a file storage service like [http://www.wuala.com/bitcoin Wuala] ( encrypted, [http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=5817.0 instructions]), [http://www.dropbox.com Dropbox] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_online_backup_services others], including the more secure [http://www.spideroak.com SpiderOak].

=== Linux solution ===

Linux users can setup backups using cron by telling it to run a backup script at set intervals of time. Run 'crontab -e' and add this line near the bottom:

01 */1 * * * /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh

This cron line will run the /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh script at the 01 minute of every hour. Remember to add a newline after the last line of the crontab file, or else the last line won't run. You may also wish to ignore the script's output by appending " > /dev/null 2>&1" to the line (this will also prevent emails from being sent).

Create /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh
#
# Performs backup of bitcoin wallet.
#
# Written by: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet

#
# Standard Options
#
TS=$(date "+%Y%m%d-%H%M")
WALLET=/tmp/wallet-${TS}
WALLET_E=/tmp/wallet-${TS}.crypt
BITCOIN=bitcoind # /path/to/bitcoind
GPG=gpg # /path/to/gpg
GPG_USER=username # Username of gpg recipient. User should have gpg setup.
RM=rm
RM_OPTS='--force'
USE_SHRED=0 # Flip to 1 to use `shred` instead of `rm`.
SHRED=shred
SHRED_OPTS='--force --iterations=9 --zero --remove'

#
# Storage Options
# Only 1 set of options should be un-commented (the last one will be used).
# Update CP_DEST paths as neccessary.
#
# CP - Storage on a local machine. Could be Dropbox/Wuala folder.
#CP=cp
#CP_DEST='/var/data/backups/' # '~/Dropbox/', etc.
#
# SSH - Storage on a remote machine.
CP=scp
CP_DEST='remoteuser@example.com:~/wallets/'
#
# S3 - Storage on Amazon's S3. Be sure s3cmd is installed and properly setup.
# You may need "s3cmd put --force" if you use a sub-directory in CP_DEST.
#CP=s3cmd put
#CP_DEST='s3://bucket'

do_clean() {
# Remove temporary wallets.
if [ 1 -eq $USE_SHRED ]; then
$SHRED $SHRED_OPTS $WALLET $WALLET_E
else
$RM $RM_OPTS $WALLET $WALLET_E
fi
}

do_fail() {
do_clean
echo failed!
exit 1
}

# Perform the backup.
echo -n Making backup...
$BITCOIN backupwallet $WALLET
[ ! -s "$WALLET" ] && do_fail # If the backup does not exist or is empty, fail.
echo done.
echo -n Encrypting backup...
$GPG -r $GPG_USER --output $WALLET_E --encrypt $WALLET
[ 0 -ne $? ] && do_fail # If gpg returns a non-zero result, fail.
echo done.
echo -n Copying to backup location...
$CP $WALLET_E "$CP_DEST"
[ 0 -ne $? ] && do_fail # If the $CP command returns a non-zero result, fail.
echo done.
do_clean

exit 0

The shell script:

* Calls bitcoind backupwallet to create a time/date-stamped wallet.
* GPG encrypts the wallet with your public key.
* Copies the result using one of several storage options (cp, scp, and s3cmd).
* Uses the rm or shred command to remove the temporary wallet files.

Be sure to modify the script options to fit your setup. After you save, make sure the file can be executed properly by the cron user. Common permissions for files in /usr/local/bin/ can be applied using (verify with your distribution!):

cd /usr/local/bin/ && chown root:root backupwallet.sh && chmod 755 backupwallet.sh

[[Category:Technical]]

==Restore==

Assuming your backup is recent enough that you haven't used up all of your key pool... restoring a wallet to a new (or old) location and rescanning the block chain should leave you with all your coins. Just follow these steps:
* Quit bitcoin(d).
* Copy your backed up wallet.dat into your bitcoin profile directory.
* If copying into existing profile, delete file ''blkindex.dat'' and ''blk0001.dat'' to make the client re-scan the block chain.

And you'll be good as new.

==Erasing Plain Text Wallets==

A good practice is to keep at least two wallets, one as a "current account" for everyday transactions and one as a "savings account" where you store the majority of your Bitcoins.

The "savings account" wallet should be backed up in encrypted form only and all plaintext copies of this wallet should be erased. In case someone gains unauthorised access to your computer (either by physically stealing it or by exploiting a system vulnerability via the internet), they will only be able to spend the coins in your "current account" wallet.

In most operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, simply deleting a wallet.dat file will ''not'' generally destroy it. It is likely that advanced tools can still be used to recover the wallet.dat file, even after it has been deleted.

The Linux '''shred''' command can be used to overwrite the wallet file with random data prior to deleting; this particular copy of the file will then be practically impossible to recover. Using shred (and similar tools on Windows) however does not guarantee that still other copies don't exist somewhere hidden on your HD. That will depend on your system configuration and what packages you have installed. Some system restore and backup tools, for instance, create periodic snapshots of your filesystem, duplicating your wallet.dat.

In Mac OS, the equivalent of '''shred''' is '''srm''' (introduced in Leopard). Using the Finder to remove files, clicking "Secure Empty Trash" in the Finder menu will shred the contents of the trash can. As with any OS this doesn't guarantee that there are not other copies elsewhere on your system.

For Windows, the built-in command ''cipher /W'' will shred all previously-deleted files. [http://www.cylog.org/utilities/cybershredder.jsp CyberShredder] can securely deleted individual files.

==eWallet==

Storing bitcoins with an [[eWallet]] provider incurs risks as well. Basically you grant the third party, in this case eWallet, full access to your wallet. These eWallets, or Electronic Wallets have a number of pros and cons. For example, you can access your wallet on any computer in the world, but the wallet can be forged or hacked and your bitcoins could be lost. You can also get eWallet applications for your Android phone, which also download the block chain like the normal client but allow the user to send bitcoins by QR code or NFC. The problem with this is that Bitcoins can be intercepted through means of mobile hacking.

==See Also==

* [[Data directory]]
* [http://startbitcoin.com/how-to-create-a-secure-bitcoin-wallet/ Secure Bitcoin Wallet Tutorial]
* [[How to set up a secure offline savings wallet]]
* [http://arimaa.com/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Gateway - A Peer-to-peer Bitcoin Vault and Payment Network]

[[de:Sichere deine Geldbörse]]
[[zh-cn:保护你的钱包]]

User:Ysoliman

2011-08-11T08:09:03Z

Ysoliman:

Skrill

2011-08-11T08:01:22Z

Ysoliman:

'''Moneybookers''' is an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Moneybookers performs payment processing for websites, online auction sites, and other corporate users. Like many competing online fund transfer services (e.g., PayPal), Moneybookers requires identity verification before using their service to minimize fraud and prevent money laundering. Additional verification steps raise the maximum amount transferable to €50,000 or equivalent within a 90-day period. Moneybookers does not usually get involved in merchandise disputes and the availability of credit card chargebacks may be limited.

==Relation to Bitcoins==
You can purchase Bitcoins on some exchange sites with Moneybookers. The service made it easier to transfer real money into exchange sites, and widthdraw money into your bank accounts. You can register for a MoneyBookers account and then transfer money in and out of it swiftly. Moneybookers has become one of the wider used Bitcoin payment methods, and has beaten Paypal to the function of buying Bitcoins through bank accounts.

==Clarification==
Moneybookers is '''not''' a Bitcoin exchange site, nor does it transfer bitcoins for you. Moneybookers allows payments and real-world money transfers to be made over the internet, securely. Users use Moneybookers to transfer money to Bitcoin exchange sites in order to fund their purchase of Bitcoins.
==See Also==

* [[Buying bitcoins]]
* [[Payment methods]]

==External Links==

* [http://www.moneybookers.com Moneybookers.com]

[[Category:Money transmitters]]

Donation-accepting organizations and projects

2011-08-11T07:55:27Z

Ysoliman: added flattr

Here is a list of organizations that accept bitcoin donations.
Only notable donation-accepting sites should be added here.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Organization
! Purpose
! Donation Page
|-
|[http://www.indiegogo.com/commonsense A Liberty Upgrade for America (IndieGoGo)]
|Join us as we reach 1.6 million Americans with a message of liberty!
|http://www.indiegogo.com/commonsense
|-
|[http://anapnea.org Anapnea]
|An open ethical shell network aiming to create a community with a spirit of productivity, learning and freedom, to give you a breath of fresh air. Operates an open Gentoo Linux shell network that is accessed daily by hundreds of ethical hackers, developers, designers and geeks around the world.
|[https://twitter.com/anapnea/status/78118988848185345 Bitcoin Donation Address]
|-
|[http://www.anonnews.org/ Anonnews.org]
|Open news platform for Anonymous
|http://anonnews.org/bitcoin.html
|-
|[http://awesome.naquadah.org/ awesome]
|Window manager for X11
|http://awesome.naquadah.org/community/
|-
|[http://www.ezyorg.com/ Organizing & Planning Tool]
|Great tool to organize your next party or business meeting
|http://ezyorg.com/
|-|-
|[https://iplayernotifier.appspot.com/ BBC iPlayer Notifier]
|Email and Google Talk notification of new content available on BBC iPlayer
|https://iplayernotifier.appspot.com/
|-
|[http://www.beatingdebt.org/ BeatingDebt.org]
|Teaching debt prevention by placing educational ads, supporting debt prevention groups, and providing online resources.
|http://www.beatingdebt.org/donate.php#BitCoinDonation
|-
|[http://www.bitcharity.org/ BitCharity]
|Use Bitcoins to donate to your favorite charity
|http://www.bitcharity.org
|-
|[http://www.bluetile.org Bluetile]
|Tiling window manager for GNOME
|http://www.bluetile.org/#development
|-
|[http://brmlab.cz/ Brmlab, hackerspace]
|The first hackerspace in the Czech Republic
|http://brmlab.cz/project/bitcoin
|-
|[http://c4ss.org/ Center for a Stateless Society]
|Builds public awareness of, and support for, market anarchism
|http://c4ss.org/support-the-center
|-
|[http://www.bitcoinsreview.com Consumer - Merchant Trust Project]
|An initiative to increase trust between Consumer and Bitcoin Merchants. All proceeds go to the websites fund, which pays for various things such as web-hosting and advertisement.
|http://www.bitcoinsreview.com/donate/
|-
|[http://www.degenernet.com/ Degenernet Radio]
|Online radio station founded in 2002 dedicated to promoting independent music from all genres. Music available from [http://www.degenernet.com www.degenernet.com]and on the [http://apps.facebook.com/degenernet Degenernet Radio Facebook App].
|http://www.degenernet.com/donate.php
|-
|[http://opensource.doppelstern.com Doppelstern Antispam]
|Doppelstern Antispam signatures for ClamAV
|http://opensource.doppelstern.com
|-
|[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox]
|An x86 emulator with DOS
|http://www.dosbox.com/crew.php
|-
|[http://encyclopediadramatica.ch/Main_Page Encyclopedia Dramatica]
|4chan's Wikipedia
|http://encyclopediadramatica.ch/donate.php
|-
|[https://www.erowid.org/ Erowid]
|Online library of information about psychoactive plants and chemicals and other topics on altered states of consciousness such as meditation and lucid dreaming.
|https://www.erowid.org/donations/donations_bitcoin.php
|-
|[http://eudemocracia.org/english.html Eudemocracia] NGO
|Dedicated to the creation of a modern form of government that combines these two concepts: direct democracy and internet.
|http://wiki.eudemocracia.org/en/donaciones
|-
|[http://www.hayekinstitute.ca/ F.A. Hayek Institute of Canada]
|Study and promote Austrian Economics
|http://www.hayekinstitute.ca/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=60
|-
|[http://www.foo.be/forban/ Forban]
|Filesharing protocol for local area networks
|http://www.foo.be/forban/
|-
|[http://freedomboxfoundation.org FreedomBox Foundation]
|Non-profit turning small plug computers into personal servers that guard your privacy, anonymity and security.
|https://freedomboxfoundation.org/donate
|-
|[http://www.fsf.org Free Software Foundation]
|Worldwide advocate for software freedom and host organization for the GNU Project.
|https://my.fsf.org/donate/other
|-
|[http://www.freetalklive.com/ Free Talk Live]
|Help spread the message of liberty by donating to a liberty leaning nationally syndicated radio show!
|http://www.freetalklive.com/bitcoin
|-
|[http://freedomainradio.com/ Freedomain Radio]
|Online philosophical conversation about freedom, religion, the state, and the family
|http://board.freedomainradio.com/forums/t/30241.aspx
|-
|[http://www.freehal.org/ FreeHAL]
|a self-learning artificial intelligence available as free software
|http://www.freehal.net/funds/?p=do&l=en
|-
|-
|[http://www.flattr.com/ Flattr]
|a website to fund people's ideas through Bitcoin
|https://flattr.com/
|-
|[http://privacyfoundation.de German Privacy Foundation]
|protecting privacy, manufacture and sell the CryptoStick (a smartcard on a usb stick)
|http://www.privacyfoundation.de/verein/spenden/
|-
|[http://www.reddit.com/r/hackbloc HackBloc on Reddit]
|Hacktivism, Crypto-anarchy, Darknets.
|http://www.reddit.com/r/hackbloc
|-
|[http://www.helplinux.ru Help Linux]
|Help Linux is the Russian volunteer project aimed to help people with linux. This projects helps anyone to find a skilled in some questions person and ask for help directly.
|http://helplinux.ourproject.org/wiki/about:start
|-
|[http://i2p2.de/ I2P Anonymous Network]
|Anonymising network similar to tor
|http://www.i2p2.de/donate.html
|-
|[http://www.infinitypfm.org/ Infinity PFM]
|Free/open source personal finance application with Bitcoin support.
|http://www.infinitypfm.org/#donate
|-
|[http://www.intercom.gs/ Intercom - Emergency Communications Division]
|We Build Censorship Resistant Phone and Communications Networks
|http://www.intercom.gs/support.html
|-
|[http://www.partito-pirata.it/ Italian Pirate Party]
|Italian Pirate Party - Associazione Partito Pirata Italia
|http://www.partito-pirata.it/magazzino/payBTC.html
|-
|[http://lifeboat.com Lifeboat Foundation]
|The Lifeboat Foundation is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks and possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics/AI, as we move towards the Singularity. (Currently offering to double all Bitcoin donations.)
|https://lifeboat.com/ex/summer.growth
|-
|[http://linuxoutlaws.com/ Linux Outlaws - we aim to misbehave]
|two pragmatic linux users talk about the latest developments in free and open software and culture
|http://linuxoutlaws.com/
|-
|[http://lorea.org/ Lorea]
|A distributed and federated nodal organization of entities working on integrating and pushing available free and open source technologies and networks, for social networking, social economy and autonomy of the people.
|https://n-1.cc/pg/pages/view/14888/
|-
|[http://biohackers.la/ Los Angeles Biohackers]
|Grass-roots biotechnology lab in downtown Los Angeles
|http://www.socal-diybio.org/Main_Page#Donate
|-
|[http://la.indymedia.org/ Los Angeles Indymedia]
|User-generated left-wing news.
|http://la.indymedia.org/
|-
|[http://love2d.org/ LÖVE]
|An open source 2D game engine.
|http://love2d.org/
|-
|[http://mars.radiome.me M.A.R.S. Radio Modern Alternative Rock Splendor ]
|M.A.R.S Radio is an online radio station playing 24/7/365 commercial free alternative rock at 192 Kbps. M.A.R.S. Radio is pleased to provide listeners FM+ audio quality. M.A.R.S. Radio is the first online music radio station to accept Bitcoin donations.
|http://radiome.me/
|-
|[https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Open-Transactions/ Open Transactions]
|Easy-to-use, Financial Crypto and Digital Cash Library.
|https://github.com/FellowTraveler/Moneychanger
|-
|[http://opengameart.org/ OpenGameArt.org]
|Produces and hosts freely licensed art for use in open source games
|http://opengameart.org/content/donate-bitcoins
|-
|[http://www.openwall.com Openwall Project]
|Development of information security related free software, information security research, publications, and community activities aimed at making existing free software safer to use.
|http://www.openwall.com/donations/
|-
|[https://www.operationanonymous.org/ Operation Anonymous]
|Anonymous Political Group
|http://www.operationanonymous.org/
|-
|[http://www.organicdesign.co.nz OrganicDesign]
|A group developing methods and tools to support open-source bottom-up peer-to-peer governance for the people!
|http://www.organicdesign.co.nz
|-
|[http://www.paniq.cc paniq.cc]
|Music from the other side of the universe
|http://www.paniq.cc
|-
|[http://www.liberallibertario.org Partido Liberal Libertario]
|Libertarian Party of Argentina
|http://www.liberallibertario.org/aportes
|-
|[http://pioneerone.tv/ Pioneer One]
|TV series funded purely through donations
|https://twitter.com/pioneeronetv/status/36119594439544832
|-
|[http://plankhead.com/ Plankhead]
|Free/open source media and arts organization
|http://plankhead.com/donate
|-
|[http://plaztika.com/?lang=en Plaztika]
|Non-profit website (only runs on donations) that supports emerging visual artists. If you're an artist, this could be your website!
|http://plaztika.com/Who-are-we
|-
|[https://privacybox.de/index.en.html PrivacyBox]
|System for anonymous and non-trackable contact forms
|https://privacybox.de/donations.en.html
|-
|[http://prometheusfusionperfection.com/ Prometheus Fusion Perfection]
|Open source nuclear fusion research
|http://prometheusfusionperfection.com/2011/02/04/bitcoin-fundraiser/
|-
|[http://protestbarrick.net/ Protest Barrick]
|A global campaign against the world's largest gold miner
|[https://www.mybitcoin.com/sci/paypage.php?amount=20.00&currency=USD&payee_bcaddr=125Gwb3Mn9KSaCS8QN9LQy5k6RPUHEFruV&payee_name=Protest+Barrick+Fund&note=Donate+NOW+to+end+corporate+impunity+in+gold+mining%21 Donate with Bitcoin]
|-
|[http://queeky.com/ Queeky]
|an online drawing community with special drawing tools and creative users from all around the world
|http://www.queeky.com/content/support-queeky-and-donate
|-
|[http://www.recycles.org/ Recycles.Org]
|Nonprofit Recycling and ReUse Network - Nationwide (USA) technology exchange clearinghouse for nonprofit organizations
|http://www.recycles.org/computer/donation/support/
|-
|[https://ripplepay.com/ Ripple]
|Payment system based on trust networks
|https://ripplepay.com/donate/
|-
| [https://riseup.net/ Riseup]
| Tech collective who aim to [https://help.riseup.net/en/about-us aid in the creation of a free society, (...) engaged in struggles against capitalism and other forms of oppression]
| https://help.riseup.net/en/donate#bitcoin
|-
|[http://rusinfo.cc/ RusInfo]
|Russian info agency
|http://rusinfo.cc/help
|-
|[http://seasteading.org The Seasteading Institute]
|To further the establishment and growth of permanent, autonomous ocean communities, enabling innovation with new political and social systems.
|http://twitter.com/#!/patrissimo/status/76392851558244353
|-
|[http://singinst.org Singularity Institute]
|Artificial Intelligence
|http://singinst.org/donate
|-
| [http://www.sparkleshare.org/ SparkleShare]
| A Free and Open Source host it yourself replacement for file syncing services like Dropbox. It uses the distributed version control system Git as a backend.
| [http://www.sparkleshare.org/support-us/ Bitcoin Donation Address]
|-
|[http://www.demokracjabezposrednia.pl Stowarzyszenie Więcej Demokracji]
|Stowarzyszenie Więcej Demokracji is an association for direct democracy in Poland. We believe that direct democracy is a hope for every country (not only for corrupt Poland). Please help us and donate.
|http://www.demokracjabezposrednia.pl/donate
|-
|[http://wiki.sugarlabs.org Sugar Labs]
|[http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/What_is_Sugar%3F Sugar] is a learning environment that reinvents how computers are used for education.
|http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Donate
|-
|[http://gorod-solnca.org/ Sun City]
|Ukrainian centre for children in difficult circumstances
|http://sms.gorod-solnca.org/
|-
|[http://www.symphonyofscience.com/ Symphony of Science]
|A musical project headed by John Boswell, to deliver scientific knowledge in musical form.
|http://www.symphonyofscience.com/
|-
|[http://tahoe-lafs.org/ Tahoe-LAFS]
|A distributed filesystem with funky redundancy properties
|http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/wiki/BitCoinPage
|-
|[http://tangorin.com Tangorin Japanese Dictionary]
|Tangorin is a free online Japanese dictionary in development since October 2007 by a former Japanology student. It makes use of files provided mainly by The Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group established within the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University, Australia.
|http://tangorin.com/bitcoin
|-
|[http://theexperiments.com The Experiments]
|A rock / punk band who's music is free to download and licensed under the Creative Commons
|[http://theexperiments.com Bitcoin Donation Address]
|-
|[http://theicarusproject.net The Icarus Project]
|A mutual aid/peer support organization dedicated to radical mental health
|[http://theicarusproject.net/about-us/donate-to-the-icarus-project Bitcoin Donation Address]
|-
|[https://freenetproject.org/ The Freenet Project]
|The Free Network
|https://freenetproject.org/donate.html
|-
| [http://ThePythonGameBook.com ThePythonGameBook]
| An free creative-commons / GPL - licensed wikibook to learn open source game programming using the programming language Python.
| [http://thepythongamebook.com/en:help?&#donating_money Bitcoin Donation Address]
|-
|[http://torchat.googlecode.com/ TorChat]
|A serverless encrypted anonymous instant messenger running on top of the Tor network
|http://torchat.googlecode.com/
|-
|[https://www.torservers.net/ Torservers.net]
|Runs [http://www.torproject.org/ Tor] relays and bridges
|https://www.torservers.net/donate.html#anonymous
|-
|[https://vaizard.org/ Vaizard institute]
| Backing people who want to make the world a better place by making their ideas real.
|https://vaizard.org/en/about/contacts/
|-
|-
|[http://wikileaks.org wikileaks]
| Whistleblower website
|http://wikileaks.org/support.html
|-
|[http://wlcentral.org/ WL Central]
|News, analysis and action related to wikileaks the famous website . Media and human rights organization covering Wikileaks news, corruption and human rights.
|http://wlcentral.org/q-a
|}

==See Also==

* [http://witcoin.com/charities Charitable organizations] list on [[witcoin]]

Main Page

2011-08-11T07:54:05Z

Ysoliman: grammar edits

{| id="mp-topbanner" style="width:100%; background:#f6f6f6; margin-top:1.2em; border:1px solid #ddd;"
| style="width:61%; color:#000;" |

{| style="width:100%; border:none; background:none;"
| style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap; color:#000;" |
<div style="font-size:162%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#000;">Welcome to the [[Bitcoin]] wiki,</div>
<div style="top:+0.2em; font-size:95%;">For all your bitcoin information needs.</div>
<div id="articlecount" style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-size:85%;">[[Special:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]] articles.</div>
'''Improve [[:Category:Stubs|this wiki]] and [[Bitcoin:Contributors Award|earn bitcoins]].'''
|}

| style="width:13%; font-size:120%;" |
* <span class="plainlinks">[http://bitcoin.org Frontpage]</span>
| style="width:13%; font-size:120%;" |
* <span class="plainlinks">[[Forums]]</span>
| style="width:13%; font-size:120%; padding-right: 40px;" |
* <span class="plainlinks">[[IRC channels|Chatrooms]]</span>
|}


{| id="mp-upper" style="width: 100%; margin:6px 0 0 0; background:none; border-spacing: 0px;"
| class="MainPageBG" style="width:55%; border:1px solid #cef2e0; background:#f6e5f1; vertical-align:top; color:#000;" |
{| id="mp-left" style="vertical-align:top; background:#f6e5f1;"
! style="padding:2px;" | <h2 id="mp-tfa-h2" style="margin:3px; background:#e9caef; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Bitcoin</h2>
|-
| style="color:#000;" | <div id="mp-tfa" style="padding:2px 5px">{{MainPage_Intro}}</div>
|-
! style="padding:2px" | <h2 id="mp-dyk-h2" style="margin:3px; background:#e9caef; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Why</h2>
|-
| style="color:#000;padding:2px 5px 5px" | <div id="mp-dyk">{{MainPage_Reasons}}</div>
|}
| style="border:1px solid transparent;" |

| class="MainPageBG" style="width:45%; border:1px solid #cedff2; background:#f6e5f1; vertical-align:top;"|
{| id="mp-right" style="width:100%; vertical-align:top; background:#f6e5f1;"
! style="padding:2px" | <h2 id="mp-otd-h2" style="margin:3px; background:#efc1e2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Topic central</h2>
|-
| style="color:#000;padding:2px 5px 5px" | <div id="mp-otd">{{MainPage_Topics}}</div>
|-
! style="padding:2px" | <h2 id="mp-otd-h2" style="margin:3px; background:#efc1e2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">FAQ</h2>
|-
| style="color:#000;padding:2px 5px 5px" | <div id="mp-otd">{{MainPage_FAQ}}</div>
|}
|}

== Other pages ==

* '''[[mw:Help:Formatting|Help]]''' - Documentation on wiki editing.
* '''[[Bitcoin.it Wiki|About]]''' - Information on this site.

[[fr:Accueil]]
[[zh-cn:首页]]
[[es:Página Principal]]
[[it:Pagina principale]]
[[ru:Заглавная страница]]
[[de:Hauptseite]]

__NOTOC____NOEDITSECTION__

Britcoin

2011-08-11T07:51:34Z

Ysoliman: /* Adding Funds */ edited bank details

Britcoin is the first UK [[currency exchange|exchange]] offering GBP trading (BTC/GBP). As of August 2011, Britcoin is now named Intersango. Their deposit bank accounts have changed to represent this new change.

Traders add funds (GBP or BTC) to the site and then place orders to buy and sell. Britcoin acts as an escrow. The site charges no trading fees.

Funds are credited after trading immediately to accounts wherein they can be withdrawn off-site.

[[Bitcoin Consultancy]] operates this exchange as well as the [[Intersango]] EUR exchange.

The source code and artwork is [http://gitorious.org/intersango/master/trees/master freely available] under the GPL3.

==Trading==
You can trade bitcoins for money by entering either how many Bitcoins you want, or how much money you want for the coins. This "order" is then placed into the orderbook, where other users can accept offers and trade Bitcoins and currency smoothly. All the currency rates are handled by Britcoin itself.

===Buying===

A buy order is executed partially or in full when the price bid can be matched against a sell order that is at or below the bid amount.

===Selling===

A sell order is executed partially or in full when the price asked can be matched against a buy order that is at or above the ask amount.

===Dark Pool===
No support for dark pools exist.

===Adding Funds===
You can add funds through their bank account deposit system. The details are below:
* Account title: INTERSANGO LTD
*Bank: HSBC
*Account number:22351560
*Branch sort code:400401
*Reference:84ab9eb6

====BTC====
There are no fees incurred when when transferring bitcoins for deposit. Funds are available once [[confirmation|confirmed]] (6 confirms), a process that can take roughly an hour.

==== GBP bank deposit====
The exchange charges no fees for a direct bank deposit. Details are available on site and the user will need to quote a reference code from their account. No fees.

===Withdrawing Funds===
You can withdraw your currencies to a major bank account through Wire Transfer and can widthdraw your Bitcoins to a Bitcoin Address. The minimum amount of BTC widthdrawable is 0.50 BTC.

====BTC====
Bitcoins may be withdrawn at no charge.

==== GBP bank deposit====
There is a fee for withdrawing funds.
Enter your bank details on the withdraw screen and the money should be credited to your account within 5 days.

==API==
Currently the [https://britcoin.co.uk/api Britcoin API] is undergoing initial development to provide support for trading bots and spiders.

==History==

The service was opened on March 26, 2011<ref>[http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=4984.0 UK exchange: Britcoin]</ref>. Intersango, the [[:Category:Open Source|open source]] software that the exchange runs on, was announced on March 17, 2011<ref>[http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=4579.0 Free Bitcoin exchange software- Intersango]</ref>.

==See Also==

* [[Buying bitcoins]]
* [[Selling bitcoins]]
* [[Intersango]]

==External Links==

* [http://britcoin.co.uk Britcoin UK exchange] website
* [http://gitorious.org/intersango Intersango] exchange project on Gitorious

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Exchanges]]
[[Category:eWallets]]

Britcoin

2011-08-11T07:50:22Z

Ysoliman: edited to improve content

Britcoin is the first UK [[currency exchange|exchange]] offering GBP trading (BTC/GBP). As of August 2011, Britcoin is now named Intersango. Their deposit bank accounts have changed to represent this new change.

Traders add funds (GBP or BTC) to the site and then place orders to buy and sell. Britcoin acts as an escrow. The site charges no trading fees.

Funds are credited after trading immediately to accounts wherein they can be withdrawn off-site.

[[Bitcoin Consultancy]] operates this exchange as well as the [[Intersango]] EUR exchange.

The source code and artwork is [http://gitorious.org/intersango/master/trees/master freely available] under the GPL3.

==Trading==
You can trade bitcoins for money by entering either how many Bitcoins you want, or how much money you want for the coins. This "order" is then placed into the orderbook, where other users can accept offers and trade Bitcoins and currency smoothly. All the currency rates are handled by Britcoin itself.

===Buying===

A buy order is executed partially or in full when the price bid can be matched against a sell order that is at or below the bid amount.

===Selling===

A sell order is executed partially or in full when the price asked can be matched against a buy order that is at or above the ask amount.

===Dark Pool===
No support for dark pools exist.

===Adding Funds===
You can add funds through their bank account deposit system. The details are below:

====BTC====
There are no fees incurred when when transferring bitcoins for deposit. Funds are available once [[confirmation|confirmed]] (6 confirms), a process that can take roughly an hour.

==== GBP bank deposit====
The exchange charges no fees for a direct bank deposit. Details are available on site and the user will need to quote a reference code from their account. No fees.

===Withdrawing Funds===
You can withdraw your currencies to a major bank account through Wire Transfer and can widthdraw your Bitcoins to a Bitcoin Address. The minimum amount of BTC widthdrawable is 0.50 BTC.

====BTC====
Bitcoins may be withdrawn at no charge.

==== GBP bank deposit====
There is a fee for withdrawing funds.
Enter your bank details on the withdraw screen and the money should be credited to your account within 5 days.

==API==
Currently the [https://britcoin.co.uk/api Britcoin API] is undergoing initial development to provide support for trading bots and spiders.

==History==

The service was opened on March 26, 2011<ref>[http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=4984.0 UK exchange: Britcoin]</ref>. Intersango, the [[:Category:Open Source|open source]] software that the exchange runs on, was announced on March 17, 2011<ref>[http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=4579.0 Free Bitcoin exchange software- Intersango]</ref>.

==See Also==

* [[Buying bitcoins]]
* [[Selling bitcoins]]
* [[Intersango]]

==External Links==

* [http://britcoin.co.uk Britcoin UK exchange] website
* [http://gitorious.org/intersango Intersango] exchange project on Gitorious

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Exchanges]]
[[Category:eWallets]]

Securing your wallet

2011-08-11T07:45:30Z

Ysoliman: Edited eWallet section

==Introduction==

Wallet security can be broken down into two independent goals:
# Protecting your wallet against loss.
# Protecting your wallet against theft.

In the case that your current wallet hasn't been protected adequately (e.g. put online with a weaker password):
# Making a new secure wallet, using appropriate long-term protection.

''For a brief overview see also: [[Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts (Windows)|Wallet Security Dos and Don'ts]]''

==Technical Background==

Bitcoin transactions send Bitcoins to a specific public key. A Bitcoin address is an encoded hash of a public key. In order to use received Bitcoins, you need to have the private key matching the public key you received with. This is sort of like a super long password associated with an account (the account is the public key). Your Bitcoin wallet contains all of the private keys necessary for spending your received transactions. If you delete your wallet without a backup, then you no longer have the authorization information necessary to claim your coins, and the coins associated with those keys are lost forever.

The wallet contains a pool of queued keys. By default there are 100 keys in the [[key pool]]. The size of the pool is configurable using the "-keypool" command line argument. When you need an address for whatever reason (send, “new address”, generation, etc.), the key is not actually generated freshly, but taken from this pool. A brand new address is generated to fill the pool back to 100. So when a backup is first created, it has all of your old keys plus 100 unused keys. After sending a transaction, it has 99 unused keys. After a total of 100 new-key actions, you will start using keys that are not in your backup. Since the backup does not have the private keys necessary for authorizing spends of these coins, restoring from the old backup will cause you to lose Bitcoins.

Creating a new address generates a new pair of public and private keys, which are added to your wallet. Each keypair is mostly random numbers, so they cannot be known prior to generation. If you backup your wallet and then create more than 100 new addresses, the keypair associated with the newest addresses will not be in the old wallet because the new keypairs are only known after creating them. Any coins received at these addresses will be lost if you restore from the backup.

The situation is made somewhat more confusing because the receiving addresses shown in the UI are not the only keys in your wallet. Each Bitcoin generation is given a new public key, and, more importantly, each sent transaction also sends some number of Bitcoins back to yourself at a new key. When sending Bitcoins to anyone, you generate a new keypair for yourself and simultaneously send Bitcoins to your new public key and the actual recipient's public key. This is an anonymity feature – it makes tracking Bitcoin transactions much more difficult.

So if you create a backup, do more than 100 things that cause a new key to be used, and then restore from the backup, some Bitcoins will be lost. Bitcoin has not deleted any keys (keys are never deleted) – it has created a new key that is not in your old backup and then sent Bitcoins to it.

== Making a new wallet ==

In the case that a wallet has been distributed, or stored, in a (real or potential) compromised state, it is wise to create a new wallet and transfer the full balance of Bitcoins to an address contained only in the newly created wallet.

For example, this will be necessary if one created a wallet with a password of 12 characters, as suggested. However a few years have passed and the wallet is now more easily compromised. Just re-encrypting isn't secure. One needs to make a new wallet and make the old wallet worthless (spending the funds to the new wallet).

==Making a secure workspace==

===Linux===

The first step is to make a [http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/ubuntu/add-a-user-on-ubuntu-server/ new user,] so run:

<code>adduser new_user_name</code>

as root. When you get to the prompt 'Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default', just keep hitting ENTER.

Then switch user to the new user. To get to the new user you can use the switch user icon for your system, which on Ubuntu is in the 'System/Quit' screen, or if there is no switch icon on your system you can log out and log back in as the new user. Then click on a folder in the new user to display the file browser, then keep going up folders until you see the new user home directory, then right click to bring up the Properties dialog, then click on the Permissions tab, then in the Others section, set the folder access to None.

For secure browsing, open Firefox, and then go into the Edit menu and click Preferences. Starting from the left, click on the General tab, and in the 'Startup/When Firefox starts' pop up menu, choose 'Show a Blank Page'. Then click on the Content tab, and deselect 'Load images automatically' and deselect 'Enable Javascript'. Then click on the Privacy tab, and in the 'History/Firefox will' pop up menu, choose 'Never remember history'. Then click on the Security tab, and in the Passwords section, deselect 'Remember passwords for sites' and deselect 'Use a master password'. Then click on the Advanced tab, then click on the Update tab, and then in the 'Automatically check for updates to' section, deselect 'Add-ons' and 'Search Engines'.

When javascript is disabled, the [http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitcoin/files/Bitcoin/bitcoin-0.3.23/bitcoin-0.3.23-linux.tar.gz/download linux download page] will not download automatically, so you'll have to click on the 'direct link' part of the "Problems with the download? Please use this 'direct link' or try another mirror." line.

After you've made your secure new user, to maintain security you should use it only for bitcoin.

It's also a good idea to encrypt the Home directory of whatever user you run Bitcoin under using ecryptfs-utils. To do this:
# If the Home directory is not empty you should back it up first, by just copying the data to an external drive or something.
# install ecryptfs-utils (on Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install ecryptfs-utils)
# log out of X (graphical system) and press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to login to the command shell (you must be logged out or some files will be open and the tool won't be able to encrypt your data)
# change directory to something that's not in your home folder (ex: cd / )
# run the migration tool (on Ubuntu: sudo ecryptfs-migrate-home -u username)
# if it's successful, you can now press ALT+F8 to go back to the GUI and login
# run 'ecryptfs-unwrap-passphrase' and '''WRITE DOWN OR SAVE THE CODE IT RETURNS''' because you will need it if you ever have to pull your data off while the OS is not working. (You can run it again later if you need to, but run it now so that you can get your data if your Linux install gets botched.)
# run 'ecryptfs-setup-swap' to encrypt your swap partition (the encrypted folder data is not encrypted while it's in memory, and so if it's ever sent to the swap partition it can be stolen from there unless that too is encrypted - be aware that this will mean you cannot use Hibernate anymore, as the bootloader won't be able to restore the hibernation data)
(instructions from [http://bodhizazen.net/Tutorials/Ecryptfs/#Migrate])

===Mac===

=====Backup all data (500MB)=====
Follow these instructions to backup all the bitcoin data (wallet and block chains) to an encrypted disk image.
# Open Disk Utility
# Click New Image and choose 500MB, 128-bit or 256-bit (faster or more secure) encryption and single partition.
# Save it somewhere you won't lose it (like your Wuala, Dropbox, Strongspace or whatever)
# Choose a safe and strong password
# Move everything from ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/ to the image
# Symlink it back so the app would be able to use it
:::ln -s /Volumes/Bitcoin ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin

Don't forget to mount your image before using Bitcoin and unmount after quitting it.

=====Backup just wallet.dat (40MB)=====
Follow these instructions to backup just the wallet.dat file. This results in a smaller disk image, but it's more complicated to do.
# Open Disk Utility
# Click New Image and choose 40MB, 128-bit or 256-bit (faster or more secure) encryption and single partition.
# Save it somewhere you won't lose it (like your Wuala, Dropbox, Strongspace or whatever)
# Choose a safe and strong password
# Move your wallet.dat file to the image
# Symlink it back so the app would be able to use it
:::ln -s /Volumes/Bitcoin/wallet.dat ~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/wallet.dat

[[File:MountWalletAndLauchnBitcoin_OSX_Automator.png|thumbnail|150px|Mount Wallet and launch Bitcoin]]
Don't forget to mount your image before using Bitcoin and unmount after quitting it.

'''Note''': If you start the Bitcoin application without having the image mounted, the application will overwrite your symlink with a new wallet. If that happens, don't panic. Just delete the new wallet.dat, mount the image, and recreate the symlink like above.

'''Automation''': You can create a small application using [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automator_%28software%29 Automator] (included in OS X) to automatically mount the wallet and then launch Bitcoin App. See the Screenshot on how to do this.

If one ''doesn't'' want to use encrypted Disk images, then a '''small shell script''' can be used instead that takes care of decrypting the wallet, launching bitcoin client, and encrypting it after the client exits. This script works on both OSX and Linux: [http://lorelei.kaverit.org/bitcoin.sh bitcoin-launch-script]

===Windows===

If you are using Windows XP or Windows 7, you can keep your wallet on an encrypted disk image created by third-party software, such as [http://www.truecrypt.org/ TrueCrypt] (open source) or [http://www.jetico.com/encryption-bestcrypt/ Jetico BestCrypt] (commercial). You can probably do the same with Windows Vista or Windows 2000.

'''NOTE:''' You should configure BitCoin in this manner only on computers where you use BitCoin, but do not use that computer to mine. For example, this is a good configuration for a notebook or tablet computer.

Assuming that you have installed the Windows BitCoin client and run it at least once, the process is described below.

<p><b>To mount the BitCoin data directory on an encrypted drive</b></p>
<ol start=1 type=1>
<li>Use the third-party disk image encryption program of your choice to create and mount an encrypted disk image of at least 100 MB in size.</li>
<li>Locate the BitCoin data directory, and copy the directory with all contents to the encrypted drive.
<p>For help finding this directory, see <b>[[Securing_your_wallet#Locating_BitCoin_s_data_directory|Locating BitCoin's Data Directory]]</b>.</p></li>
<li>Create a Windows shortcut that starts BitCoin with the <code>-datadir</code> parameter and specifies the encrypted drive and directory.
<p>For example, if you installed Bitcoin in the default directory, mounted your BitCoin encrypted drive as <code>E:\</code>, and stored your BitCoin data directory on it as <code>Bitcoin</code>, you would type the following command as the shortcut Target:</p>
<blockquote><code>C:\Program Files\Bitcoin\bitcoin.exe -datadir=E:\Bitcoin</code></blockquote></li>
<li>Open BitCoin's settings and configure it <b>NOT</b> to start automatically when you start Windows.
<p>This is to allow you to mount the BitCoin encrypted disk image before starting BitCoin.</p></li>
<li>Shut down BitCoin, and then restart it from the new shortcut.</li>
</ol>

After doing this, any time you want to use BitCoin, you must first mount the BitCoin encrypted disk image using the same drive designation, and then run BitCoin from the shortcut that you created, so that it can find its data and your wallet. :-)

== Locating BitCoin's data directory ==

The [[data directory]] is the location where Bitcoin's data files are stored, including the wallet data file.

=== Windows ===

Go to Start -> Run (or press WinKey+R) and run this:

explorer %APPDATA%\BitCoin

BitCoin's data folder will open. For most users, this is the following locations:

C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application data\BitCoin (XP)

C:\Users\YourUserName\Appdata\Roaming\BitCoin (Vista and 7)

"AppData" and "Application data" are hidden by default.

=== Linux ===

By default BitCoin will put its data here:

~/.bitcoin/

You need to do a "ls -a" to see directories that start with a dot.

If that's not it, you can do a search like this:

find / -name wallet.dat -print 2>/dev/null

=== Mac ===

By default BitCoin will put its data here:

~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin/

==Backup==

'''Note''': I would strongly recommend against using Dropbox to back up your Bitcoin data due to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropbox_(service)#Criticism security concerns] such as:
# the fact that they store your encryption key (meaning that a disgruntled Dropbox employee or an attacker who gained access to the system could decrypt your Dropbox data and steal your Bitcoins)
# the fact that the Dropbox client only needs a password for the first login. After it authenticates once, the server assigns it a token which it uses to show that, at one time, its user knew the password rather than sending the actual password (meaning that if you ever use the Dropbox client on another PC, that PC's users can access your Dropbox - even if you change your password - and can steal your Bitcoins or get a virus that will steal your Bitcoins).

For these reasons, I personally prefer to use Wuala, which does not store your encryption key and requires a password each time (the client can be set to remember your password, but the server will check each time to make sure that the client is sending the correct password). Like Dropbox, the basic, lowest-storage-space account with Wuala is free of charge, and coincidentally, Wuala [http://www.wuala.com/en/bitcoin is experimenting with allowing users to pay for "upgraded" plans using Bitcoin.]

In fact, whether you use Dropbox as your backup or not, use what Steve Gibson calls "pre-Internet encryption" (which he actually [http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/security-corner/cloud-security-and-privacy-do-they-exist/ discussed in the context of Dropbox's security concerns]) and use some form of encryption on the files before you back them up, just in case someone other than yourself ever gains access to that backup. Make sure to pick a password that's memorable but secure.

The only file you need to back up is "wallet.dat". Ensure that BitCoin is closed, copy this file somewhere else, encrypt it, and put it somewhere safe. Ideally, you would put this file in two places: one nearby, and one 100+ miles away.

You can use the [[api|backupwallet]] JSON-RPC command to back up without shutting down Bitcoin.

=== General Solutions ===

Your wallet.dat file is not encrypted by BitCoin. Anyone who can access it can easily steal all of your coins. Use one of these encryption programs if there is any chance someone might stumble upon your wallet.
* [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-zip] - Supports strongly-encrypted archives.
* [http://www.axantum.com/axcrypt/ AxCrypt]
* [http://lrzip.kolivas.org lrzip] - Compression software for Linux and OSX that supports very high grade password protected encryption
* [http://www.truecrypt.org/ TrueCrypt] - Volume-based on-the-fly encryption (for advanced users)
* [http://www.rarlab.com/ WinRar] - Commonly used archive software that supports verification records and encryption.

There is also a list of [[OpenSourceEncryptionSoftware|open source encryption software.]]

Decrypting and encrypting the wallet.dat every time you start or quit the Bitcoin client can be ''tedious'' (and outright error-prone). If you want to keep your wallet encrypted (except while you're actually running the Bitcoin client), it's better to relegate the automation to a [http://lorelei.kaverit.org/bitcoin.sh small shell script] that handles the en/decryption and starting up Bitcoin client for you (Linux and OSX).

There is also a method to Print out and encrypt your Wallet.dat as a special barcode. See details here: [[WalletPaperbackup]]

==== Password Strength ====
Brute-force password cracking has come a long way. A password of random [a-Z] [0-9] [!-~] of 8 characters long was previously thought secure but can be trivially solved now (using appropriate hardware). The recommended length is '''at least''' 12 characters long. You can also use a multi-word password. [http://www.baekdal.com/tips/password-security-usability The Usability of Passwords]

However, simply using dictionary words is also insecure as it opens you up to a dictionary attack. If you use dictionary words, be sure to throw random symbols and numbers in the mix as well.

A good way to create secure but easy-to-remember passwords is to pick a password (ex: d0g) and pad it with a good number of repeated characters afterward (such as 10 $ signs - so d0g becomes d0g$$$$$$$$$$) - this is just as cryptographically secure as a random password of equal length so long as the attacker does not know which symbol you are following your "word" with and how many times it is repeated. ([https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm source])

If you use keyfiles in addition to a password, it is unlikely that your encrypted file can ever be cracked using brute force methods, even 10 years from now when even a 12 character password might be too short.

Assume that any encrypted files you store online (eg. gmail, Dropbox) will be stored somewhere forever and can never be erased.

===== Choosing Your Password =====
Make sure you pick at least one character in each group:<br />

Lowercase: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Uppercase: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Number: 1234567890
Symbol: `~!@#$%^&*()-_=+\|[{]};:'",<.>/? (space)

09 char = insecure
10 char = low security
11 char = medium security
12 char = good security (good enough for your wallet)
13 char = v.good enough for anything.

==== Storage of Archive ====
One of the most simple methods for storing a appropriately '''encrypted''' archive of your wallet.dat file is to send the archive as an email attachment to your own e-mail address. Services like gmail.com use very comprehensive distributed networks that make the loss of data very unlikely. One can even obfuscate the name of the files within the archive, and name the archive something less inviting, such as: 'personal notes' or 'car insurance'.

Another solution is to use a file storage service like [http://www.wuala.com/bitcoin Wuala] ( encrypted, [http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=5817.0 instructions]), [http://www.dropbox.com Dropbox] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_online_backup_services others], including the more secure [http://www.spideroak.com SpiderOak].

=== Linux solution ===

Linux users can setup backups using cron by telling it to run a backup script at set intervals of time. Run 'crontab -e' and add this line near the bottom:

01 */1 * * * /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh

This cron line will run the /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh script at the 01 minute of every hour. Remember to add a newline after the last line of the crontab file, or else the last line won't run. You may also wish to ignore the script's output by appending " > /dev/null 2>&1" to the line (this will also prevent emails from being sent).

Create /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# /usr/local/bin/backupwallet.sh
#
# Performs backup of bitcoin wallet.
#
# Written by: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Securing_your_wallet

#
# Standard Options
#
TS=$(date "+%Y%m%d-%H%M")
WALLET=/tmp/wallet-${TS}
WALLET_E=/tmp/wallet-${TS}.crypt
BITCOIN=bitcoind # /path/to/bitcoind
GPG=gpg # /path/to/gpg
GPG_USER=username # Username of gpg recipient. User should have gpg setup.
RM=rm
RM_OPTS='--force'
USE_SHRED=0 # Flip to 1 to use `shred` instead of `rm`.
SHRED=shred
SHRED_OPTS='--force --iterations=9 --zero --remove'

#
# Storage Options
# Only 1 set of options should be un-commented (the last one will be used).
# Update CP_DEST paths as neccessary.
#
# CP - Storage on a local machine. Could be Dropbox/Wuala folder.
#CP=cp
#CP_DEST='/var/data/backups/' # '~/Dropbox/', etc.
#
# SSH - Storage on a remote machine.
CP=scp
CP_DEST='remoteuser@example.com:~/wallets/'
#
# S3 - Storage on Amazon's S3. Be sure s3cmd is installed and properly setup.
# You may need "s3cmd put --force" if you use a sub-directory in CP_DEST.
#CP=s3cmd put
#CP_DEST='s3://bucket'

do_clean() {
# Remove temporary wallets.
if [ 1 -eq $USE_SHRED ]; then
$SHRED $SHRED_OPTS $WALLET $WALLET_E
else
$RM $RM_OPTS $WALLET $WALLET_E
fi
}

do_fail() {
do_clean
echo failed!
exit 1
}

# Perform the backup.
echo -n Making backup...
$BITCOIN backupwallet $WALLET
[ ! -s "$WALLET" ] && do_fail # If the backup does not exist or is empty, fail.
echo done.
echo -n Encrypting backup...
$GPG -r $GPG_USER --output $WALLET_E --encrypt $WALLET
[ 0 -ne $? ] && do_fail # If gpg returns a non-zero result, fail.
echo done.
echo -n Copying to backup location...
$CP $WALLET_E "$CP_DEST"
[ 0 -ne $? ] && do_fail # If the $CP command returns a non-zero result, fail.
echo done.
do_clean

exit 0

The shell script:

* Calls bitcoind backupwallet to create a time/date-stamped wallet.
* GPG encrypts the wallet with your public key.
* Copies the result using one of several storage options (cp, scp, and s3cmd).
* Uses the rm or shred command to remove the temporary wallet files.

Be sure to modify the script options to fit your setup. After you save, make sure the file can be executed properly by the cron user. Common permissions for files in /usr/local/bin/ can be applied using (verify with your distribution!):

cd /usr/local/bin/ && chown root:root backupwallet.sh && chmod 755 backupwallet.sh

[[Category:Technical]]

==Restore==

Assuming your backup is recent enough that you haven't used up all of your key pool... restoring a wallet to a new (or old) location and rescanning the block chain should leave you with all your coins. Just follow these steps:
* Quit bitcoin(d).
* Copy your backed up wallet.dat into your bitcoin profile directory.
* If copying into existing profile, delete file ''blkindex.dat'' and ''blk0001.dat'' to make the client re-scan the block chain.

And you'll be good as new.

==Erasing Plain Text Wallets==

A good practice is to keep at least two wallets, one as a "current account" for everyday transactions and one as a "savings account" where you store the majority of your Bitcoins.

The "savings account" wallet should be backed up in encrypted form only and all plaintext copies of this wallet should be erased. In case someone gains unauthorised access to your computer (either by physically stealing it or by exploiting a system vulnerability via the internet), they will only be able to spend the coins in your "current account" wallet.

In most operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, simply deleting a wallet.dat file will ''not'' generally destroy it. It is likely that advanced tools can still be used to recover the wallet.dat file, even after it has been deleted.

The Linux '''shred''' command can be used to overwrite the wallet file with random data prior to deleting; this particular copy of the file will then be practically impossible to recover. Using shred (and similar tools on Windows) however does not guarantee that still other copies don't exist somewhere hidden on your HD. That will depend on your system configuration and what packages you have installed. Some system restore and backup tools, for instance, create periodic snapshots of your filesystem, duplicating your wallet.dat.

In Mac OS, the equivalent of '''shred''' is '''srm''' (introduced in Leopard). Using the Finder to remove files, clicking "Secure Empty Trash" in the Finder menu will shred the contents of the trash can. As with any OS this doesn't guarantee that there are not other copies elsewhere on your system.

For Windows, the built-in command ''cipher /W'' will shred all previously-deleted files. [http://www.cylog.org/utilities/cybershredder.jsp CyberShredder] can securely deleted individual files.

==eWallet==

Storing bitcoins with an [[eWallet]] provider incurs risks as well. Basically you grant the third party, in this case eWallet, full access to your wallet. These eWallets, or Electronic Wallets have a number of pros and cons. For example, you can access your wallet on any computer in the world, but the wallet can be forged or hacked and your bitcoins could be lost. You can also get eWallet applications for your Android phone, which also download the block chain like the normal client but allow the user to send bitcoins by QR code or NFC. The problem with this is that Bitcoins can be intercepted through means of mobile hacking.

==See Also==

* [[Data directory]]
* [http://startbitcoin.com/how-to-create-a-secure-bitcoin-wallet/ Secure Bitcoin Wallet Tutorial]
* [[How to set up a secure offline savings wallet]]
* [http://arimaa.com/bitcoin/ Bitcoin Gateway - A Peer-to-peer Bitcoin Vault and Payment Network]

[[de:Sichere deine Geldbörse]]
[[zh-cn:保护你的钱包]]

User:Ysoliman

2011-08-11T07:43:15Z

Ysoliman: Created page with "=== '''Welcome to my userpage!''' === <br /> I am excited to help out with development of Bitcoin and am happy to help new users. Making regular edits to the Wiki is another ..."

=== '''Welcome to my userpage!''' ===
<br />

I am excited to help out with development of Bitcoin and am happy to help new users. Making regular edits to the Wiki is another one of my commitments. I am an avid user of new technology and discovered Bitcoin a few months ago while researching online currencies. Just remember to back up your ''wallet.dat'' file to prevent loss of your bitcoins!<br />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Estimated total blocks
|-
| 140,000
|}

<br />

'''What do I do?'''
* Develop software
* Code HTML
* Mine bitcoins
* Make new projects and designs

<br />

Contributors Award participant: 1M7Rougn18gm4AQYJZCYRysdwnFca9HTCH