Post
Topic
Board Development & Technical Discussion
Merits 2 from 2 users
Re: NEWS FLASH! Hardware wallets still aren't secure, and they never will be.
by
bitmover
on 07/07/2019, 16:00:57 UTC
⭐ Merited by LoyceV (1) ,Coolcryptovator (1)
This is insane. Paper wallets have additional security vulnerabilities that HW wallets do not have.

When using a paper wallet:
  • You must use a(n) (offline) computer to generate the private key to a paper wallet, and the portions of the private key may remain on the computer long after the fact. This is not a risk with HW wallets
  • You must use a printer to print the private key for a paper wallet, and portions of this image may remain on the printer long after the fact. This is not a risk with HW wallets
  • You must transfer the private key of your paper wallet onto a(n) (offline) computer to spend any of your coin, risking the private key remains on your computer long after the fact, and risking that someone will take a picture of your private key/paper wallet. Neither of these are a risk with a HW wallet
  • An attacker may be able to compromise your paper wallet by being in possession of it temporarily for only a few seconds via taking a picture of your paper wallet. For a HW wallet to be compromised, the attacker must be in continuous possession of your HW wallet for a longer time, and must be in proximity of special electronic equipment. An attacker could stumble across a paper wallet, and compromise it without your knowledge, while a HW wallet being compromised without your knowledge would require a more targeted attack.


-snip-

Chris, stop being so aggressive and childish. You could learn a lot from this conversation. Generating a paper wallet is much more complex to be safer, it will require a lot more work.
As an "average tech guy" (as you said) there are a lot of small risks and vulnerabilities that you are ignoring or you don't understand at all. Printers, spending..., Some people even consider using one computer/printer only for that, which is more expensive than a HW.


It is also less practical to spend funds. You would eventually have to air gap the computer again to generate more keys or make a transaction  and even a one small mistake could compromise its security. Using a hardware wallet is much easier and you never expose your keys, even to spend.