⭐ Merited by JayJuanGee (1)
I just saw another victim of clipboard hijacker malware.
How it works
1. You select a Bitcoin address, and press CTRL-C.
2. The malware changes the address to an address owned by the hacker/scammer.
3. You press CTRL-V and lose any funds you send.
Even if you check part of the pasted Bitcoin address, chances are the first few characters are the same, and you still won't notice the address was changed.
How to prevent this
1. Don't use Windows, but we both know you're not going to change that.
2. Check the entire address after copy/pasting, and not just the first few (or last few) characters. Check some in the middle too. That's a lot of work, so chances are you won't do that either.
3. I came up with something else: don't copy the entire Bitcoin address, copy only a part, and manually type the last few characters. Even if the malware exchanges the incomplete Bitcoin address by their own, your wallet won't accept the (invalid) address if you've typed a few more characters by yourself.
You'll still need to follow Step 2 after this: check the address!
4. Use copy/paste to verify part of your address. Suppose you want to send funds to address 1PjpEgknyKxQKXtMcYFDym8odkfohFGkui. After copy/pasting, select "yKxQKXtMc" from the pasted address, then press CTRL-V. Then, use CTRL-F followed by CTRL-V to see if the partial address matches the original source of the address. And make sure the source is authentic: email can be spoofed too!
Stay vigilant
Check, double check and tripple check before sending funds!
No spam please
I said please
I'll remove excessive quotes.
How it works
1. You select a Bitcoin address, and press CTRL-C.
2. The malware changes the address to an address owned by the hacker/scammer.
3. You press CTRL-V and lose any funds you send.
Even if you check part of the pasted Bitcoin address, chances are the first few characters are the same, and you still won't notice the address was changed.
How to prevent this
1. Don't use Windows, but we both know you're not going to change that.
2. Check the entire address after copy/pasting, and not just the first few (or last few) characters. Check some in the middle too. That's a lot of work, so chances are you won't do that either.
3. I came up with something else: don't copy the entire Bitcoin address, copy only a part, and manually type the last few characters. Even if the malware exchanges the incomplete Bitcoin address by their own, your wallet won't accept the (invalid) address if you've typed a few more characters by yourself.
You'll still need to follow Step 2 after this: check the address!
4. Use copy/paste to verify part of your address. Suppose you want to send funds to address 1PjpEgknyKxQKXtMcYFDym8odkfohFGkui. After copy/pasting, select "yKxQKXtMc" from the pasted address, then press CTRL-V. Then, use CTRL-F followed by CTRL-V to see if the partial address matches the original source of the address. And make sure the source is authentic: email can be spoofed too!
Stay vigilant
Check, double check and tripple check before sending funds!
No spam please
I said please
I'll remove excessive quotes.
If I can suggest a simple work around to avoid this kind of theft, I can suggest a easy virtual machine installation
I use it for my home banking and Crypto transfers.
An USB, 128gb or more to get acceptable performance
All the address saved in the task bar to avoid fake site found by googling
Linux lubuntu, a lighted and fast version of Linux.
When I need to use home baking or Crypto wallet I use this USB. I called it bank box.
Not sure at 100, but for sure more Than home pc.
If I'm forced to use it from my home pc, I usually check the first and last 3 or for address chars.