Cryptocurrencies may be one of the best things that happened in the 21st century, bot for those that suffered from hack attacks and lost all of their tokens, it may as well be a curse. You see, the tokens are a digital asset by nature, they completely reside on a single network. If that network is hacked then pretty much the whole system is in danger. Thankfully most of the platforms are improving their security measures as illustrated in this WCX review, but I think it never hurts to be extra prepared for a dark day. So, how can you protect your tokens?
The steps shown here are actually very simple. Therefore you may be quite shocked at how easy it is to secure your assets. It’s really heartbreaking to see all of your hard earned tokens just disappear like that even when you are sure that you have them secured with the platforms precautions. But, unfortunately, there are thousands of ways hackers can access and clean your account if they so decide, even miners aren’t safe.
One of the most dangerous ways hackers can affect your financial life is by accessing your SIM card. Through that they will be able to pretty much take your identity, access your bank and cryptocurrency accounts, have them blocked because of suspicious activity and most importantly, send out false messages to your family and loved ones, asking for money on a separate account. Luckily for you, there are ways to combat these types of hackers.
Avoid Gmail account sync
Make sure that you remove any type of phone number forms your Gmail account. The reason is that the hackers can request a password restoration through the number and easily access the account. After the access, they can find important financial emails containing login information or some kind of documentation.
You’re potentially making it hell for the hackers to find a way to access the account, which is already a good start as it won’t be as easy anymore, and they may give up in the process.
But after removing the phone number, there will be a need to use something else for identification. In this case, it’s best to have a separate number. Get a very old phone, for like $30 in a market. The phone must not be able to connect to the internet, it will only be your tool for authentification and identity checks. Or you can use Google Voice service, that helps with redirecting calls.
Disable password autofill
It is always a bad idea to save a password on one of your financial or Gmail accounts. Since the hackers are able to access your device’s memory, they will be able to log in without even having to run a program in order to find a password. The best thing to do in this case is to save your passwords in a hand-written manner. Something very far away from the digital world.
Replace the double factor authentication system with a hardware key
The hardware key is quite an easy tool to use. It is used in order to avoid SMS check and is a bit more on the safe side. I recommend you get two keys actually. 1 main one as a daily driver and a second one just in case. If your main key gets compromised or you lose it, you can just quickly switch to the reserve and disable the main one.
Go for hardware wallets
I think it’s safe to say that hardware wallets are a lot harder to hack into, virtually impossible actually. At this moment there are only a few ones that are worthwhile, Trezon and Ledger. The hardware wallet is kept in a lot safer position compared to an online cryptocurrency exchange account. But make sure to utilize it even though it may bring a little bit of inconvenience, it’s still for your own safety.
The hardware wallet works by using your closed key. This is an amazing option as it ensured the fact that nobody will get their hand on it besides you. A reserve key is best to be printed out and saved in a spot where it can’t get damaged by either the sun or water. You can still use cryptocurrency exchange wallets as a means of quickly saving your purchase, but make sure to then transfer those assets over to the hardware wallet. Stay safe!
