In today’s digital world, we are seeing extremely clever tactics being used to subvert the security systems in place that are supposed to protect us. Hacking and theft are becoming an increasing threat, so what can one do to protect themselves and their digital currencies? With the value of dash growing at such a rapid rate, there is high incentive for people to try to steal your dash, so you must use extreme caution when storing them. If you are storing a large number of dash on a device, securing your dash safely should be your primary concern. While there is no perfect system for securing your Dash, there are some steps that you can take to help prevent any malicious attempts to steal your dash.
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- A basic rule of thumb for anyone using a computer connected device is to never click on any links in which you are not 100% certain of its authenticity. You do not have to give permission to download malicious software. Any link that you click on in any e-mail or on any website can subject you to unknowingly installing a malicious add-on, program, virus or key-logger into your device. This rule of thumb is important for any device, but it’s absolutely imperative that you follow this rule when you are using any device that stores the private keys to your Dash (your wallet). Remember: If you are not sure, don’t click it!
- If you are storing a large number of dash, a valuable solution to avoid theft from your devices is to have a dedicated device (or devices) that are only used for storing dash. That would mean that you do not use the device for any purpose other than initiating transactions, verifying your balance. It is recommended that you factory reset or install a fresh copy of your operating system to this device before installing your wallet. In addition, it is HIGHLY recommended to refrain from installing any third-party software or browsing the internet from this device.
- Be absolutely sure that any USB devices that you plug into your device are not infected with malicious software. The best way to ensure this is to completely format your USB stick and only put trusted files in it (after formatting) to transfer to your device.
- You can split up your dash across multiple wallets and devices to reduce the risk of a hacker gaining entry to all of your dash in the same place. Just be sure that all of the devices are secure.
- Encrypt all of your wallets, and use very strong passwords to keep them secure. While this will not help if you are infected with a key-logger, it will help protect you against brute-force password cracking techniques. Use a mixture of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers and characters. Long and difficult passwords are recommended, as they harder to crack.
- KEEP YOUR PASSWORD SAFE! Make sure you keep a copy (or copies) of your password in a very secure location. Store it as though all of your tokens depend on it because that is exactly the case. Be very prudent concerning your password because if you lose it, you will lose access to all of your coins, and if your password falls in the wrong hands, they can be stolen.
- Hardware failure is very common across all devices, so it’s imperative that you backup your wallets. Store copies of your backups in the same cautious manner as recommended with your passwords. Common practice is to keep your backups on fresh USB sticks stored in safe locations such as fire-proof safes, safety deposit boxes or with someone you trust. As always, use your best judgement. Remember: the password that was set at the time you created that specific backup will be the password you must use in the event you need to restore your wallet. Instructions on how to backup or restore your dash Wallet can be found at https://goo.gl/G871Lm .
- One of the safest ways to store your coins is via “cold-storage.” Hardware wallets have become a popular, trusted and highly secure form of cold-storage. The Trezor, Keepkey and Ledger are all compatible with Dash and they require you to physically press the buttons on your device in order to confirm any outbound transactions from your wallet.
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