Thread by @SmileyGnome

Bitcoin and altcoin people are targets.

Quite a few people I know have been phished, hacked, or stolen from in past year to the tune of thousands of BTC.

Just because Bitcoin itself is resistant to attacks, this doesn’t mean your Bitcoin is safe.

Thread:

Always change your passwords frequently. Make them incredibly long and complex.

Example:
o7pgA09h8go!w6Ln2f3Aa?cw2oJy1cj

Unless of course you want to just hand your BTC over to someone.

Set up 2FA on devices not connected to a phone service! Don’t settle for SMS 2FA. Buy a cheap phone. Keep the phone off WiFi connection EXCEPT when using to access accounts. Have no phone number attached to the phone. Don’t download silly apps. Google Authenticator works well.

Do not use the same computer you trade on to store your Bitcoin on. Do not use the same computer you Facebook/Twitter on to trade or store your Bitcoin on. Answering DMs and PMs can allow hackers into your machine.

Use a diff email for every account you set up. Don’t have one email for all things. Every account should have separate email address. Your trading accounts should not share addresses with any social media. U should not do business with emails attached to your trading accounts

Light wallets on your phone are not as secure as wallets on your computer. You also run risk of being kidnapped and robbed in public. Buy a cheap $200 laptop separate from a computer you do anything with. Connect it to WiFi when you are moving funds. Shut it off after the fact.

Make WiFi password as complex as you make your email addresses. Avoid coffee shops and public WiFi’s with your secure data (Bitcoin). Avoid allowing strangers your password to your WiFi. Avoid anyone using your WiFi you can’t trust to be secure.

At home or work, establish a VPN (Virtual Private Network). VPNs use a combo of dedicated connections and encrypted protocols to create virtual P2P connections. So even if someone managed to pull some data, they'd be unable to access it on account of it being encrypted.

You’re keys, your Bitcoin. Andreas Antonopoulos (Security expert and Bitcoin advocate) rails about this constantly. Storing your crypto on a third party service leaves it open to attack. If the service is hacked, you are hacked.

Online wallets are dangerous compared to local wallets. If you are planning on hodling for any length of time, take the time to store it locally on either a hardwallet or a homemade cold storage device.

Don’t show or tell people how much you hodl. This leaves you open to robbery. Also, it leaves your family open to attacks. In the past year I have heard of friends family members and friends being held at gun point by AK47s due to bragging about their stacks. It isn’t worth it.

Manually type websites of exchanges you trade on. Phishing is the easiest technique used to take people’s Bitcoin.

Take this example:

w w w . b í t t r e x . com

is not the same as

w w w . b i t t r e x . com

These may seem like scary details that some forgot to speak to you about, but they are VERY INPORTANT. You can never be too secure!

Unless you want all of your Bitcoin and Altcoins stolen from you, take some of these basic steps to prevent it from happening.

Bitcoin is secure, but that doesn’t keep your Bitcoin secure if you are careless. Your money is worth protecting. Take some extra steps to ensure you can keep your Bitcoin. You won’t regret it.