Blockchain Wallet and Key Security-Steemit Crypto Academy Season 4 - Homework Post for Task 9
How do you store/secure your keys? What are the different forms of Private Key(Examples/Screenshot)? Download & Install TronLink Wallet(Android/iOS/Extension)? How do you store the key(Hint- write it down on a notepad, demonstrate it with examples)? Which form of the key are you comfortable with to handle your TronLink Wallet? Include Screenshots & hide/blur the sensitive information.
There are numerous ways we can store or secure our keys. The method you use will depend on the individual and factors like which you believe is most secure.
I personally love to save my keys as text in my Notes App. This is offline and can not be hacked. The only way someone would be able to access it would be if I gave them my phone, and that is up to me to do. Besides, my notes app is also locked with face verification aside the phone’s lock screen. Whenever I need to use the key, I simply open my notes and copy the desired key.
Other times, I save it as word documents on my laptop and I lock the document. This way you’ll need to enter a password to be able to view the document even if you bypass my laptop screen lock.
Another way I store my key is by adding it to my passwords. On my iPhone, you can add passwords or keys of websites in your passwords. These keys are backed up to icloud and you can access the keys on any of your devices.
Sometimes, I use Gmail to save my keys. I mail the key to my self of I simply save the key as a draft. The last I save my keys is by writing them down. I rarely use this because this poses difficulty for me when entering the key for use.
We have 3 forms of private keys. These are below.
- Private Key: These keys are made of random letters and alphabets, put together using cryptographic functions to give access to cryptocurrency in a blockchain wallet. This key is made in a way that the alpha-numeric combination is too hard to guess.
- Mnemonic: just like it means in the english language, mnemonic private keys contain words arranged in a certain order called mnemonic phrase, which acts as the key to accessing cryptocurrency in a wallet. These type of private keys fan be memorized and backed up in your mind as it contains readable words. The ones I have seen are normally 12 words long even though some go as far as 24 words long.
- Key Store File: a key store file is not exactly a private key in itself but it contains the private key. It is protected by a password. So in simple terms, the key store file in combination with the password is the private key.
In my case, I will be downloading and installing Tron Link on my iOS device.
- I open my App Store, I tap
Searchand I type in “Tron Link” in the search box and I search.
- I tap on “Tronlink” here and when it opens, I tap the cloud button. It should display as “Get” if you haven’t downloaded Tronlink before.
- Tron link starts downloading and I tap
Openwhen the download is complete and my wallet is installed and opens.
To get my key, I setup my Tronlink wallet in the procedure above and write it down in my note app.
- create wallet
- Set wallet name
- Set wallet password
- Mnemonic phrase is given.
- Write down mnemonic phrase in note app
- Confirm mnemonic phrase.
- Tronlink account is created
I store my mnemonic phrase and password in my note app
I am comfortable with the private key because I feel it is more secure. It can not be guessed and I can simply copy it from my notes app and paste when I need to login.
There are different types of private keys, and it up to you to decide which key is for you. One thing that remains constant os the need to back up and store our private keys. We can store them online as drafts in our email, on icloud or other clouds, and offline in our note apps or even our laptops as word document.
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