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How to securely store your Bitcoin

By Guardian Nigeria
27 April 2023   |   4:58 am
Bitcoin is very popular. For some analysts, Bitcoin is replacing traditional gold and becoming the new digital gold. Millions of people and businesses are now turning to Bitcoin as a profitable investment asset. Apart from Bitcoin investors, many ordinary Bitcoin users use Bitcoin for transactions such as paying for items. So, if you are planning…
This illustration photograph shows a physical banknote and coin imitations of the Bitcoin crypto currency. Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP

Bitcoin is very popular. For some analysts, Bitcoin is replacing traditional gold and becoming the new digital gold. Millions of people and businesses are now turning to Bitcoin as a profitable investment asset. Apart from Bitcoin investors, many ordinary Bitcoin users use Bitcoin for transactions such as paying for items. So, if you are planning to trade Bitcoin, you may consider using reliable training platform like ImmediateGP

Bitcoin’s popularity also links to its underlying technology, blockchain. Blockchain is a highly secure technology that is difficult to hack into or interfere with. Therefore, many users believe having and using Bitcoin is safer than having or using fiat money. Bitcoin also transfers control to the user.

Despite the enhanced security of Bitcoin’s blockchain and decentralized nature, users risk losing their Bitcoin to hackers and scammers. Stories of people losing their Bitcoin through hacking are readily accessible online. These highlight the importance of adopting appropriate strategies to secure your Bitcoin.

Before identifying effective methods of securing Bitcoin, how about learning about oil trading as another lucrative investment area?

Keep Your Private Key Secure

Bitcoin owners store their Bitcoin in Bitcoin wallets. That’s a digital wallet to keep Bitcoin. Like a regular physical wallet, you can access the wallet to keep or remove Bitcoin. Accessing your Bitcoin wallet requires a private key. Anyone with the private key to your Bitcoin wallet can access the wallet.

Please only share the private key to your Bitcoin wallet with yourself if you are okay with them accessing it. Like a bank credit card or debit card, always protect your private keys because unauthorized people can use them to access your Bitcoin wallet and steal the Bitcoin.

Use Cold Wallets

Always use cold wallets to store your Bitcoin. Cold wallets differ from hot wallets in that they do operate offline. The cold wallets hold Bitcoin in physical devices offline. It is more secure than the hot wallet because hackers cannot target it. Hackers often target hot wallets that are online and that keep Bitcoin online.

Cold wallets can be paper or hardware. For example, you can write the private keys to your Bitcoin wallet on a piece of paper that you can keep safe. And this not only prevents other people from accessing it, but it also helps in case you forget the private keys.

Use Backups

It is advisable to have a backup for your Bitcoin wallet. Having more backups scattered across different locations makes it even better. For example, you can have backups on other USBs. Also, ensure that your backups are secure. Use strong passwords for each backup to make it difficult to hack or guess.

Having backups for your Bitcoin wallet, especially for a cold wallet, ensures you can still access your Bitcoin after an unexpected incident. It is similar to the proverbial keeping your eggs in multiple baskets.

Password Security

Having strong passwords is also an important way of securing your Bitcoin. Strong passwords tend to contain a combination of different characters, including alphabetical letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid simple passwords like names or birthdays.

Moreover, keep your passwords secure by updating them regularly. Some people tend to maintain the same passwords for extended periods. And this increases the chances of unauthorized people knowing the password and using it to access your Bitcoin wallet.

Conclusion

It’s vital to adopt a range of strategies to secure your Bitcoin. The focus is to eliminate or minimize potential access to the Bitcoin wallet. This guideline only provides some of the possible approaches to use. There are many others that you can learn from further research.

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