Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Backups - Revision history

Theymos: Combine paper wallet pages

2015-03-01T04:42:08Z

Combine paper wallet pages

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:42, 1 March 2015
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~'''Paper wallets''' are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.~~		#REDIRECT[[Paper Wallet (Single Key)]]
	~~This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic~~ [[~~Deterministic wallet \| HD wallet]] seed.~~
	~~They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.~~
	~~Using securely generated paper wallets properly will nullify the chances of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.~~

	~~They should not be confused with [[paper ECDSA private keys]], which are a bad practice.{{why}}~~

	~~== Basics ==~~

	~~The private seed is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins transferred to the paper wallet, and as such should be kept hidden and secret.~~
	~~If the private seed on a paper wallet is exposed~~ (~~for example in a photograph~~) ~~then the wallet may be used by anyone who sees it.~~
	To guard against accidental revelation, the private key displayed on the paper wallet may be encrypted or split into several different parts (for example using [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_Secret_Sharing Shamir's secret sharing scheme]).
	~~At the very least, the private key should be well hidden e.g. by folding the wallet in half and sealing it shut.~~

	~~You can use the public seed to generate as many addresses as you need to receive bitcoins, and they will be inaccessible until the private seed is loaded.~~

	~~== Software for using paper wallets ==~~

	~~Currently, at least [[Armory]] and [[Electrum~~]] ~~support generating mnemonic codes for their wallets, which can be written down or printed to make a paper wallet.~~

	~~== Tips for making paper wallets ==~~

	~~For the most security, it is advisable to generate your wallet from a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live disc], to ensure that the private seed is not compromised by spyware.~~
	~~To generate a safer paper wallet in this way, first "clean-boot" your computer with a bootable CD (such as a Linux Live CD) while disconnected from the Internet.~~
	~~Download a verified version of your preferred wallet software or generator software, and disconnect the computer from the internet.~~
	~~Print your paper wallets or store them on external media (do not save them on the computer), and then shut down the computer.~~
	~~You may need to load an appropriate printer driver in order to print while booted from the live CD.~~

	* Disconnecting from the Internet guarantees that that the paper wallet generator is truly self-contained and isn't transmitting your keys online.

	* Verifying the integrity of the code (and the trustworthiness of the author) is important to make sure a hacker hasn't modified the download so that it generates predictable seeds instead of truly random ones.

	* Using a very basic printer is advisable since high-end office printers may have WiFi or internal storage that keeps a cache of printed documents.

	* Remember, spyware and viruses often attempt to monitor your computer activities so that their authors can steal from you. They are interested in passwords to online accounts, and anything of value. Bitcoin wallets are something of value that have already been targeted by malware. If your computer is infected with spyware or viruses - even if there are no symptoms, or your antivirus isn't reporting anything - then anything you type, view, or save on your computer, could potentially be stolen by someone remotely controlling your computer. Your private seed can then be intercepted while you enter it, so only enter a Bitcoin private seed into your computer when you are certain it is secure (such as a fresh boot of a LiveCD).

Gladoscc: Gladoscc moved page Paper wallet to Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Backups over redirect: Wallet backups are not paper wallets.

2015-02-27T12:40:25Z

Gladoscc moved page Paper wallet to Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Backups over redirect: Wallet backups are not paper wallets.

← Older revision	Revision as of 12:40, 27 February 2015
(No difference)

Luke-jr: Luke-jr moved page Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Backups to Paper wallet over redirect: These paper wallets are not appropriate as backups for ordinary HD wallets (they don't preserve metadata), only for paper wallets

2015-02-26T18:40:43Z

Luke-jr moved page Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Backups to Paper wallet over redirect: These paper wallets are not appropriate as backups for ordinary HD wallets (they don't preserve metadata), only for paper wallets

← Older revision	Revision as of 18:40, 26 February 2015
(No difference)

Canton: Canton moved page Paper wallet to Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Backups: A HD wallet seed is not the same thing as a "paper wallet". Added a note to the real "paper wallet" page that "paper wallet" is a bit of a misnomer.

2015-02-26T15:24:44Z

Canton moved page Paper wallet to Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet Backups: A HD wallet seed is not the same thing as a "paper wallet". Added a note to the real "paper wallet" page that "paper wallet" is a bit of a misnomer.

← Older revision	Revision as of 15:24, 26 February 2015
(No difference)

Newar: some formatting, some links

2015-02-10T06:14:10Z

some formatting, some links

Luke-jr: Undo revision 54045 by Canton (talk): You're confusing wallets with ECDSA keys; see paper ECDSA private keys

2015-02-05T05:34:32Z

Undo revision 54045 by Canton (talk): You're confusing wallets with ECDSA keys; see paper ECDSA private keys

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-A paper wallet is a mechanism for storing bitcoins offline as a physical document that can be secured like cash or anything else of real-world value. Paper wallets are generally created by printing a brand new public address and private key onto paper, and then sending bitcoins from a "live" wallet to the printed wallet's public address for safekeeping. If good security practices are followed, paper wallets are one of the safest means for storing Bitcoins.
+Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.
+This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic [[Deterministic wallet | HD wallet]] seed.
-Similarly, a mnemonic [[Deterministic wallet | HD wallet]] seed may be written down on paper as a means of deriving keys from a single starting point. This allows a user to easily back up and restore a wallet without needing any other information.
+They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.
 Using securely generated paper wallets properly will nullify the chances of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.
 They should not be confused with [[paper ECDSA private keys]], which are a bad practice.{{why}}
@@ Line 9: / Line 8: @@
 == Basics ==
-The private key is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins transferred to the paper wallet, and as such should be kept hidden and secret.
+The private seed is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins transferred to the paper wallet, and as such should be kept hidden and secret.
-If the private key on a paper wallet is exposed (for example in a photograph) then the wallet may be used by anyone who sees it.
+If the private seed on a paper wallet is exposed (for example in a photograph) then the wallet may be used by anyone who sees it.
 To guard against accidental revelation, the private key displayed on the paper wallet may be encrypted or split into several different parts ("Shamir's secret sharing scheme").
 At the very least, the private key should be well hidden e.g. by folding the wallet in half and sealing it shut.
-== Software for generating individual and bulk paper wallets ==
+You can use the public seed to generate as many addresses as you need to receive bitcoins, and they will be inaccessible until the private seed is loaded.
-Care must be taken to securely generate paper wallets since an attacker can steal the present and future balance of a paper wallet if the private key is exposed, transmitted, or generated with insufficient entropy.
+== Software for using paper wallets ==
 Currently, at least [[Armory]] and [[Electrum]] support generating mnemonic codes for their wallets, which can be written down or printed to make a paper wallet.
@@ Line 52: / Line 30: @@
 * Verifying the integrity of the code (and the trustworthiness of the author) is important to make sure a hacker hasn't modified the download so that it generates predictable seeds instead of truly random ones.
 * Remember, spyware and viruses often attempt to monitor your computer activities so that their authors can steal from you. They are interested in passwords to online accounts, and anything of value. Bitcoin wallets are something of value that have already been targeted by malware. If your computer is infected with spyware or viruses - even if there are no symptoms, or your antivirus isn't reporting anything - then anything you type, view, or save on your computer, could potentially be stolen by someone remotely controlling your computer. Your private seed can then be intercepted while you enter it, so only enter a Bitcoin private seed into your computer when you are certain it is secure (such as a fresh boot of a LiveCD).

Canton: Recovered lots of details from the former paper wallet page (which was deleted?)

2015-02-02T17:35:06Z

Recovered lots of details from the former paper wallet page (which was deleted?)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.
+A paper wallet is a mechanism for storing bitcoins offline as a physical document that can be secured like cash or anything else of real-world value. Paper wallets are generally created by printing a brand new public address and private key onto paper, and then sending bitcoins from a "live" wallet to the printed wallet's public address for safekeeping. If good security practices are followed, paper wallets are one of the safest means for storing Bitcoins.
-This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic [[Deterministic wallet | HD wallet]] seed.
-They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.
+Similarly, a mnemonic [[Deterministic wallet | HD wallet]] seed may be written down on paper as a means of deriving keys from a single starting point. This allows a user to easily back up and restore a wallet without needing any other information.
 Using securely generated paper wallets properly will nullify the chances of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.
 They should not be confused with [[paper ECDSA private keys]], which are a bad practice.{{why}}
@@ Line 8: / Line 9: @@
 == Basics ==
-The private seed is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins transferred to the paper wallet, and as such should be kept hidden and secret.
+The private key is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins transferred to the paper wallet, and as such should be kept hidden and secret.
-If the private seed on a paper wallet is exposed (for example in a photograph) then the wallet may be used by anyone who sees it.
+If the private key on a paper wallet is exposed (for example in a photograph) then the wallet may be used by anyone who sees it.
 To guard against accidental revelation, the private key displayed on the paper wallet may be encrypted or split into several different parts ("Shamir's secret sharing scheme").
 At the very least, the private key should be well hidden e.g. by folding the wallet in half and sealing it shut.
-You can use the public seed to generate as many addresses as you need to receive bitcoins, and they will be inaccessible until the private seed is loaded.
+== Software for generating individual and bulk paper wallets ==
-== Software for using paper wallets ==
+Care must be taken to securely generate paper wallets since an attacker can steal the present and future balance of a paper wallet if the private key is exposed, transmitted, or generated with insufficient entropy.
 Currently, at least [[Armory]] and [[Electrum]] support generating mnemonic codes for their wallets, which can be written down or printed to make a paper wallet.
@@ Line 31: / Line 53: @@
 * Verifying the integrity of the code (and the trustworthiness of the author) is important to make sure a hacker hasn't modified the download so that it generates predictable seeds instead of truly random ones.
-* Using a very basic printer is advisable since high-end office printers may have WiFi or internal storage that keeps a cache of printed documents.
+* Remember, spyware and viruses often attempt to monitor your computer activities so that their authors can steal from you. They are interested in passwords to online accounts, and anything of value. Bitcoin wallets are something of value that have already been targeted by malware. If your computer is infected with spyware or viruses - even if there are no symptoms, or your antivirus isn't reporting anything - then anything you type, view, or save on your computer, could potentially be stolen by someone remotely controlling your computer. Your private seed can then be intercepted while you enter it, so only enter a Bitcoin private seed into your computer when you are certain it is secure (such as a fresh boot of a LiveCD).
-* Remember, spyware and viruses often attempt to monitor your computer activities so that their authors can steal from you. They are interested in passwords to online accounts, and anything of value. Bitcoin wallets are something of value that have already been targeted by malware. If your computer is infected with spyware or viruses - even if there are no symptoms, or your antivirus isn't reporting anything - then anything you type, view, or save on your computer, could potentially be stolen by someone remotely controlling your computer. Your private seed can then be intercepted while you enter it, so only enter a Bitcoin private seed into your computer when you are certain it is secure (such as a fresh boot of a LiveCD).
+This is a risk if someone gets access to your printer, or if you dispose of your printer. There is also the possibility that a smart enough printer can be hacked. (Consider StuxNet which was able to rewrite the firmware of non-computer devices indirectly connected to the Internet) If this concerns you, use a "dumb" printer, and never let your printer have access to the Internet or to an Internet-connected computer.

Newar: link to HD

2015-01-21T11:02:11Z

link to HD

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:02, 21 January 2015
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.		Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.
	This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic HD wallet seed.		This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic [[Deterministic wallet \| HD wallet]] seed.
	They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.		They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.
	Using securely generated paper wallets properly will nullify the chances of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.		Using securely generated paper wallets properly will nullify the chances of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.

Taras at 20:43, 13 December 2014

2014-12-13T20:43:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:43, 13 December 2014
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.		Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.
	~~Generally, this~~ is in the form of a mnemonic HD wallet seed.		This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic HD wallet seed.
	They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format.		They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.
	Using securely generated paper wallets ~~significantly decreases~~ the chances of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.		Using securely generated paper wallets properly will nullify the chances of your bitcoins being stolen by hackers or computer viruses.

	They should not be confused with [[paper ECDSA private keys]], which are a bad practice.		They should not be confused with [[paper ECDSA private keys]], which are a bad practice.{{why}}

	== Basics ==		== Basics ==

Luke-jr: Copy information from Securing your wallet

2014-12-13T17:56:09Z

Copy information from Securing your wallet

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.
 Generally, this is in the form of a mnemonic HD wallet seed.
-Not to be confused with [[paper ECDSA private keys]], which are a bad practice.
+They should not be confused with [[paper ECDSA private keys]], which are a bad practice.

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:14, 10 February 2015
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Paper wallets are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.		'''Paper wallets''' are wallets that are contained entirely on paper.
	This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic [[Deterministic wallet \| HD wallet]] seed.		This is preferably in the form of a mnemonic [[Deterministic wallet \| HD wallet]] seed.
	They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.		They are generally used with the goal of storing bitcoins offline in non-digital format to prevent unauthorized access.
Line 10:		Line 10:
	The private seed is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins transferred to the paper wallet, and as such should be kept hidden and secret.		The private seed is used to prove your right to spend the bitcoins transferred to the paper wallet, and as such should be kept hidden and secret.
	If the private seed on a paper wallet is exposed (for example in a photograph) then the wallet may be used by anyone who sees it.		If the private seed on a paper wallet is exposed (for example in a photograph) then the wallet may be used by anyone who sees it.
	To guard against accidental revelation, the private key displayed on the paper wallet may be encrypted or split into several different parts ("Shamir's secret sharing scheme").		To guard against accidental revelation, the private key displayed on the paper wallet may be encrypted or split into several different parts (for example using [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_Secret_Sharing Shamir's secret sharing scheme]).
	At the very least, the private key should be well hidden e.g. by folding the wallet in half and sealing it shut.		At the very least, the private key should be well hidden e.g. by folding the wallet in half and sealing it shut.

Line 23:		Line 23:
	For the most security, it is advisable to generate your wallet from a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live disc], to ensure that the private seed is not compromised by spyware.		For the most security, it is advisable to generate your wallet from a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live disc], to ensure that the private seed is not compromised by spyware.
	To generate a safer paper wallet in this way, first "clean-boot" your computer with a bootable CD (such as a Linux Live CD) while disconnected from the Internet.		To generate a safer paper wallet in this way, first "clean-boot" your computer with a bootable CD (such as a Linux Live CD) while disconnected from the Internet.
	Download a verified version of your preferred wallet software, and disconnect the computer from the internet.		Download a verified version of your preferred wallet software or generator software, and disconnect the computer from the internet.
	Print your paper wallets or store them on external media (do not save them on the computer), and then shut down the computer.		Print your paper wallets or store them on external media (do not save them on the computer), and then shut down the computer.
	You may need to load an appropriate printer driver in order to print while booted from the live CD.		You may need to load an appropriate printer driver in order to print while booted from the live CD.