Happy owners of “digital gold” should adhere to the main rule - “safety is paramount. If you follow simple tips and be careful, you keep your cryptocurrency safe and sound. How to protect yourself from hackers from the high road and how to not independently lose all your savings, find out in our article.
Outlaw bitcoin
Surely you have read many articles about how beautiful Bitcoin is. In fact, the main cryptocurrency has as many drawbacks as there are pros. Bitcoin is dangerous for its main advantage - independence from state control. Many countries, mostly Western, took the brainchild of Nakamoto with great enthusiasm and soon faced the opposite “side” of financial freedom. Multimillion-dollar theft of hackers from reputable exchanges has repeatedly shaken the entire crypto community, and today private and small scams amount to hundreds.
It is impossible not to mention the main crypto-robbery of recent years. Due to a small “bug” (malfunction) in the system of the large Mt.Gox exchange, the attackers stole Bitcoins in the amount of $ 460 million dollars. The culprits were never found.
Since the world has not yet invented the Bitcoin Police and the State Bitcoin Department, it is impossible to turn to the state for help. All hopes of the injured party are aimed at the fact that the offender himself will allow an oversight and will reveal the location of the stolen funds, but this is unlikely.
Bitcoin (or any other cryptocurrency) and blockchains are really capable of changing the world for the better, crypto-enthusiasts firmly believe. People would be able to carry out any financial operations bypassing the state bureaucracy and corruption. All manipulations are carried out almost instantly, regardless of the location of the user and everything is completely anonymous.
Yes, this future looks very attractive. But everything in this world has a downside. New opportunities unleash the hands of criminals. They have new ways of avoiding taxes, laundering “dirty” money, financing terrorism, buying and selling drugs, and weapons.
The lack of regulation and control is an excellent advertisement, but not everyone understands how much trouble you can earn because of it. It is important to remember that if someone withdraws currency from your wallet, you cannot cancel the transaction. The harsh law of the blockchain does not allow deleting or modifying operations. We hope that the pink mist around No. 1 cryptocurrency has dissipated in front of you. In the constitution of our country there is not a single position regarding Bitcoin. Therefore, to prove to the court that you own a cryptocurrency and you have stolen it, unfortunately, it will not work.
In the next block, we will explain how a cheater can steal your cryptocurrency.
How is the theft?
Times have changed, classic robberies are a thing of the past. Gangsters do not rob banks, and robbers do not hide in dark alleys. Today, money is no longer hidden in socks or in hidden coat pockets. All funds are in electronic accounts and virtual storages that are beyond the competence of traditional thieves. But evolution has not bypassed them. At the moment, all the largest robberies do not occur with a Thomson machine gun and dynamite, but with a laptop and a smartphone.
Probably, you immediately introduced the “Hollywood” hackers who randomly beat the keyboard somewhere in the basement. In the real world, everything happens a little differently. We have prepared for you a list of the main techniques of cybercriminals.
Blackmailer virus.
To steal a cryptocurrency, fraudsters often use “extortion programs”. The principle itself is considered relatively old, but it received a second wind with the advent of Bitcoin. What is an “extortionist” program? In fact, this is a common virus that can be accidentally stumble upon on the Internet. The program is installed on your computer and encrypts most of the data.
The virus is very complex and rarely can be decrypted. Further, the program resorts to classical blackmail, pay the money and we leave you alone. Of course, if there is nothing valuable on your computer, then you just lose a couple of the savings in Call of Duty and a few photos from the prom. But if the wallets and accounts passwords are stored on your PC, the loss can be very noticeable.
How to protect yourself? First of all, back up your most important files. And of course, follow the simplest rule - do not download files from suspicious sites and do not follow strange links. Even if they write to you that you won a car, do not press! And also a high-quality antivirus will make your life much easier, fortunately, there is no shortage of them.
Fake wallet.
This principle emerged relatively recently, but in its short existence, hundreds of users have already burned themselves on tempting crypto wallets. What are they like? These are simple websites or mobile applications that look little different than real ones. Fake wallets can easily fool a gullible user, because viral applications use the icons and the names of the original wallets.
Malicious application can be easily downloaded from the App Store and Play Market. Because of this, not only people are affected, but also organizations that have created crypto wallets. Scammers discredit developers and seriously hurt their reputations, as users lose confidence in their product and crypto-technology in general.
When a user downloads and registers a fake wallet, fraudsters will recognize all his keys, including the private one. And you guessed it, your funds from this wallet disappear. Prove anything or find the guilty is impossible. To prevent this, download wallets only from the official websites of the manufacturer. If you decide to use the App Store or Play Market, at first doubts, do not hesitate to consult with an experienced user.
It is also important to understand how a cryptocurrency wallet works, because knowledge is the best protection. For those who know the principle of their actions ... repetition is the mother of learning!
All Bitcoin wallets are divided into "cold" and "hot." The cold ones are disconnected from the Internet program lines of code. They can be stored on any carrier. Even print to a printer. Plus, a duplicate is stored in the database for each miner. These wallets are the most reliable.
Hot wallets - this is the program code for the browser. Just an address and password. As you have already guessed, hot wallet is a common tool for scammers. Keep our security advice - keep large sums only on a cold wallet and do not be shy with the password, “qwertry123”, of course, helped us out more than once ... but not in the case of crypto wallets.
Phishing.
Translated into Russian, this technique sounds like “fishing”. The name speaks for itself and now we will tell why. Phishing is a data theft that is popular among scammers and is based on social engineering. Simply put, attackers create fake websites and email accounts with which they try to “fake out” trusting users with usernames and passwords from their wallets in every possible way.
For example, you may receive a letter in the official style, the sender, as a rule, is a very good parody of this site. A good example of phishing is fake Blockchain.Info. You are reading a letter stating that we have suspended your account because suspicious attempts were made to enter your wallet from a new place ... and so on. Naturally, a person begins to panic, he follows the link, re-enters the data and everything, the user data is irretrievably lost.
How to protect yourself?
If you think that there is some kind of panacea and super-protective device, then you are mistaken. Blockchain and Bitcoin are so good that automation excludes the human factor. But still, as practice shows, it is not without it. Credulity of people and resourcefulness of fraudsters are factors that even high technology will not change.
In principle, your laptop or smartphone that stores important data can simply be stolen or even taken away by force. Further, with the help of various devices, such as keylogger, thieves will receive information. In this case, the question is your own personal safety.
In other cases, follow the simplest rules and stop hacking implementation paths. On the computer where the password is entered, do not download unlicensed applications. If the amount is large, it is rational to use separate equipment with licensed antiviruses.
Outlaw bitcoin
Surely you have read many articles about how beautiful Bitcoin is. In fact, the main cryptocurrency has as many drawbacks as there are pros. Bitcoin is dangerous for its main advantage - independence from state control. Many countries, mostly Western, took the brainchild of Nakamoto with great enthusiasm and soon faced the opposite “side” of financial freedom. Multimillion-dollar theft of hackers from reputable exchanges has repeatedly shaken the entire crypto community, and today private and small scams amount to hundreds.
It is impossible not to mention the main crypto-robbery of recent years. Due to a small “bug” (malfunction) in the system of the large Mt.Gox exchange, the attackers stole Bitcoins in the amount of $ 460 million dollars. The culprits were never found.
Since the world has not yet invented the Bitcoin Police and the State Bitcoin Department, it is impossible to turn to the state for help. All hopes of the injured party are aimed at the fact that the offender himself will allow an oversight and will reveal the location of the stolen funds, but this is unlikely.
Bitcoin (or any other cryptocurrency) and blockchains are really capable of changing the world for the better, crypto-enthusiasts firmly believe. People would be able to carry out any financial operations bypassing the state bureaucracy and corruption. All manipulations are carried out almost instantly, regardless of the location of the user and everything is completely anonymous.
Yes, this future looks very attractive. But everything in this world has a downside. New opportunities unleash the hands of criminals. They have new ways of avoiding taxes, laundering “dirty” money, financing terrorism, buying and selling drugs, and weapons.
The lack of regulation and control is an excellent advertisement, but not everyone understands how much trouble you can earn because of it. It is important to remember that if someone withdraws currency from your wallet, you cannot cancel the transaction. The harsh law of the blockchain does not allow deleting or modifying operations. We hope that the pink mist around No. 1 cryptocurrency has dissipated in front of you. In the constitution of our country there is not a single position regarding Bitcoin. Therefore, to prove to the court that you own a cryptocurrency and you have stolen it, unfortunately, it will not work.
In the next block, we will explain how a cheater can steal your cryptocurrency.
How is the theft?
Times have changed, classic robberies are a thing of the past. Gangsters do not rob banks, and robbers do not hide in dark alleys. Today, money is no longer hidden in socks or in hidden coat pockets. All funds are in electronic accounts and virtual storages that are beyond the competence of traditional thieves. But evolution has not bypassed them. At the moment, all the largest robberies do not occur with a Thomson machine gun and dynamite, but with a laptop and a smartphone.
Probably, you immediately introduced the “Hollywood” hackers who randomly beat the keyboard somewhere in the basement. In the real world, everything happens a little differently. We have prepared for you a list of the main techniques of cybercriminals.
Blackmailer virus.
To steal a cryptocurrency, fraudsters often use “extortion programs”. The principle itself is considered relatively old, but it received a second wind with the advent of Bitcoin. What is an “extortionist” program? In fact, this is a common virus that can be accidentally stumble upon on the Internet. The program is installed on your computer and encrypts most of the data.
The virus is very complex and rarely can be decrypted. Further, the program resorts to classical blackmail, pay the money and we leave you alone. Of course, if there is nothing valuable on your computer, then you just lose a couple of the savings in Call of Duty and a few photos from the prom. But if the wallets and accounts passwords are stored on your PC, the loss can be very noticeable.
How to protect yourself? First of all, back up your most important files. And of course, follow the simplest rule - do not download files from suspicious sites and do not follow strange links. Even if they write to you that you won a car, do not press! And also a high-quality antivirus will make your life much easier, fortunately, there is no shortage of them.
Fake wallet.
This principle emerged relatively recently, but in its short existence, hundreds of users have already burned themselves on tempting crypto wallets. What are they like? These are simple websites or mobile applications that look little different than real ones. Fake wallets can easily fool a gullible user, because viral applications use the icons and the names of the original wallets.
Malicious application can be easily downloaded from the App Store and Play Market. Because of this, not only people are affected, but also organizations that have created crypto wallets. Scammers discredit developers and seriously hurt their reputations, as users lose confidence in their product and crypto-technology in general.
When a user downloads and registers a fake wallet, fraudsters will recognize all his keys, including the private one. And you guessed it, your funds from this wallet disappear. Prove anything or find the guilty is impossible. To prevent this, download wallets only from the official websites of the manufacturer. If you decide to use the App Store or Play Market, at first doubts, do not hesitate to consult with an experienced user.
It is also important to understand how a cryptocurrency wallet works, because knowledge is the best protection. For those who know the principle of their actions ... repetition is the mother of learning!
All Bitcoin wallets are divided into "cold" and "hot." The cold ones are disconnected from the Internet program lines of code. They can be stored on any carrier. Even print to a printer. Plus, a duplicate is stored in the database for each miner. These wallets are the most reliable.
Hot wallets - this is the program code for the browser. Just an address and password. As you have already guessed, hot wallet is a common tool for scammers. Keep our security advice - keep large sums only on a cold wallet and do not be shy with the password, “qwertry123”, of course, helped us out more than once ... but not in the case of crypto wallets.
Phishing.
Translated into Russian, this technique sounds like “fishing”. The name speaks for itself and now we will tell why. Phishing is a data theft that is popular among scammers and is based on social engineering. Simply put, attackers create fake websites and email accounts with which they try to “fake out” trusting users with usernames and passwords from their wallets in every possible way.
For example, you may receive a letter in the official style, the sender, as a rule, is a very good parody of this site. A good example of phishing is fake Blockchain.Info. You are reading a letter stating that we have suspended your account because suspicious attempts were made to enter your wallet from a new place ... and so on. Naturally, a person begins to panic, he follows the link, re-enters the data and everything, the user data is irretrievably lost.
How to protect yourself?
If you think that there is some kind of panacea and super-protective device, then you are mistaken. Blockchain and Bitcoin are so good that automation excludes the human factor. But still, as practice shows, it is not without it. Credulity of people and resourcefulness of fraudsters are factors that even high technology will not change.
In principle, your laptop or smartphone that stores important data can simply be stolen or even taken away by force. Further, with the help of various devices, such as keylogger, thieves will receive information. In this case, the question is your own personal safety.
In other cases, follow the simplest rules and stop hacking implementation paths. On the computer where the password is entered, do not download unlicensed applications. If the amount is large, it is rational to use separate equipment with licensed antiviruses.
Five main points:
- Use a strong password.
- Enter it only on proven devices.
- Cancel the save password.
- Do not advertise once again the address of the wallet.
- Separate wallets for small and large amounts.
A strong password should have many characters, use numbers, punctuation marks and two registers. But do not “go too far” with the password, if you forget it yourself, it will be impossible to recover it.
