Be cautious of your Steemit keys: A Guide For Everyone
This post comes regarding the chat that I had with @patjewell concerning a user (@yhudy) who couldn't have access to her Steemit account as shown in the screenshot image. Patjewell is a user who has always had the best interests of others at heart.
On Steemit your keys are your secret identity that should be secure by you and no one else as no legitimate Steemit user nor the Steemit team can ever ask you for your Steemit keys. In this post, you are going to learn the aforementioned tips:
How to be cautious and protect your keys
Why you should change your keys
How to change your keys.
| How to be cautious and protect your keys |
|---|
Everyone, who signs up to the Steemit Platform is given 5 important keys which it is the responsibility of you as a user to protect and keep safe. As the crypto market is growing rapidly, you will be seeing a lot of fake promising websites and non-legitimate users trying to get access to your account.
Your posting key is the key that is sufficient to be used every day and not your master key or owner key. Your private key is only required of you if you are to do something like power up, transfer funds, etc, which is related to your wallet and not your master key.
You can only make use of your master/owner key when you notice an unusual activity in your account which is not done by you to change all other keys. To avoid any sad story that touches the heart, ensure your master/owner is properly safe and Never use them to access your Steemit account, except if you want to change any of them.
When it comes to using of third-party service such as Steemit DApps, make sure you check the type of key that is required of you. Your posting key which allows you to interact with the party service is what you should provide, but in a case where the third-party service is secure and trusted you can provide your private active key which I don't fully recommend you to do.
| Why you should change your keys |
|---|
If you are to survey Steemians you will see that more than 40% of users' accounts were created by their mentor (the person who introduced them to Steemit). Despite that, your friends might have access to your device without your permission. However, below are some of the reasons you should change your keys
If your account was created by someone else, it is recommended that you change your keys immediately after you have mastered the Steemit Platform.
Changing your keys yearly is a good practice because is not good for a user to be using the same keys for more than 2 years. Although, ensure that the keys are properly safe, so you would not lose access to your account.
You can change your keys if the device you are using for Steemit is been stolen from you or you have misplaced it. Quickly make a change so whoever has access to it will not be able to access your account.
Change your keys once you mistakenly or knowingly, log in to a fake website like the phishing link shared by scammers.
| How to change your keys |
|---|
It is not advisable to change your keys often, but changing them after 1 year or when you may have suspected any unusual act is or lost your device, it is good you quickly change your keys using the steps shared below.
- Visit your Steemit wallet and sign in with your private active key.
After you have signed in, you will see Change password, click on it, and then head to wherever your master/owner key is stored copy either the owner key or master key head back to the box provided in step 2, and paste it.
Note: Please ensure you have carefully read what is shared in the screenshot above and agreed to it.
Paste the owner key that you have copy in the box
Tab on "Click To Generate Password" and copy the new password and store it in a safer place.
Paste the "Regenerated Password" you copy after you have clicked on step 3.
Tab on the two small boxes and accept the terms and conditions attached to changing your keys.
Click on " Update Password" and wait for your new keys to be generated
However, based on the device you are using and your network, you may not see all your keys in one place in the form of a PDF, but don't panic, just head to your blog and click on sign in using the new key you generated in step3, and paste in step 4, the all in one PDF will be shown to you, quickly download it.
You can still see all your keys by clicking on the Keys & Permission feature from your wallet.
Conclusion
This post is not only meant for the newbies but for every Steemit user who has the interest of others at heart just like @patjewell who inspired me to write this post. If you are a user whose account is created by someone else, do ensure you change your keys and store them in a safer play be it online or offline.
Thank you, friend!
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https://x.com/AkwajiAfen/status/1725033234377957740?s=20
Very perfect work for us to understand. That the master key is very important to take care of you gives very valuable information thank you
Thank you, do well to give assistance to those facing challenges.
Great work friend...You did a good job in here.
Thank you sir.
Hope a lot of newcomers who need this information will find it. And a number of old users may also need it. Thank you for this well crafted information.
Useful information, thanks.
Hello @josepha
We appreciate this post you have made but it would be appreciated more If you stick to the community guidelines for making post.
Only users with authority are allowed here and this information is so basic to them.
Keep sharing quality post in the community brother.