Paper Wallet
By JAKE FRANKENFIELD
Reviewed By JULIUS MANSA
Updated Jan 2, 2021
What Is a Paper Wallet?
A paper wallet is an offline mechanism for storing bitcoins. Unlike fiat currency, there is no physical representation of a bitcoin (or most other types of cryptocurrency). Rather, wallets that are used to store digital tokens are usually software programs that help to facilitate updates to the blockchain ledger when transactions are made. Paper wallets are different from so-called hot wallets because they operate separately from the Internet. However, they still do not store physical bitcoins; the paper quality of these wallets refers primarily to the method of access for the cryptocurrency owner.
Paper wallets were primarily popular in the early years of bitcoin. In recent years, cryptocurrency users have tended to explore other methods of securing their holdings.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A paper wallet is a printed piece of paper that contains keys and QR codes that are used to facilitate cryptocurrency transactions.
Because they are removed from the Internet, at one point paper wallets were considered to be more secure than other forms of cryptocurrency storage.
Many investors believe that risks associated with losing, misreading, or damaging the paper wallet may outweigh the potential security benefits.
Understanding a Paper Wallet
Like a hot wallet, a paper wallet also makes use of public and private keys. Cryptocurrency users wishing to store their holdings in a paper wallet typically go through the process of printing the private key onto a piece of paper. For those who are interested in setting up a paper wallet, the first step is to visit a wallet generator site which will create keys and corresponding QR codes at random.
It's generally advised that users unplug their Internet access while the keys are being generated, and that users wipe their Internet history after the keys have been created. Ideally, they'll be generated on a brand-new computer to completely avoid any malware interference. Of course, this won't be feasible for most users, but everyone should—at the very least—run a malware check on their computer before generating the keys. Print out the codes, being sure to keep track of the paper: do not let it become damaged or lost. The codes can be scanned to access additional information about the wallets, but a user must have a "live wallet" (one connected to the Internet) in order to facilitate transactions. The live wallet can be used to "sweep" the paper wallet, effectively transferring coins from the paper wallet to the live wallet.
Pros and Cons of Paper Wallets
Physical wallets were long considered one of the safest ways to store bitcoins. If properly constructed, and provided that certain precautions are taken, it will be nearly impossible for a hostile user to access your bitcoin holdings. A paper wallet is considered an extremely secure way to keep bitcoins safe from cyber-attacks, malware, etc.
But it's important to remember that it’s not the bitcoins that are being printed out like regular currency. It's the information stored in a bitcoin wallet or digital wallet that gets printed out. The data appearing on the wallet includes the public key (wallet address), which allows people to transfer money into that wallet, and the private key, which gives access to fund spending. Thus, bitcoins themselves are not stored offline—the important keys are stored offline.
This form of cold storage confers enormous security advantages. The user is more or less invulnerable from cyberattacks and malware because it is simply not possible to access a user's private key via those avenues. Of course, the safety of these physical documents cannot be entirely guaranteed either—if a would-be hacker discovers the location of your paper wallet and physically steals it, they can access your bitcoin holdings. Some users hide or disguise the paper wallet. The paper wallet should also be protected from physical damage; if the keys fade and can no longer be scanned, the user will never again be able to access the bitcoins sent to that address. Even using the incorrect type of printer (non-laser printers can allow the ink to run, for example) may damage the paper wallet.
While paper wallets offer security advantages, they also come with risks—some of them severe. Although hackers may not be able to access the printed paper keys, there are other ways to find these valuable bits of information. Printers that are connected to larger networks often store information, and malware can be surreptitiously installed to steal the keys during the generation process.
For many users, the bigger risk with a paper wallet comes down to user error. If a printer uses inexpensive ink, it may run, bleed or fade with time, rendering the wallet inaccessible. If the paper is lost, stolen, ripped or otherwise damaged, the same concerns apply. If a user misreads a key or if the wallet software no longer recognizes the private key format of the printed wallet, these also bring about problems.
More recently, investors have pointed to the use of raw private keys in paper wallets as a security and user error risk. Unencrypted private keys can easily be exposed to other users, or can accidentally be used to send bitcoins instead of receive them, particularly if users are unfamiliar with the key system.
bag bitcoin bitcoin обменник фонд ethereum bitcoin mining locals bitcoin pool bitcoin bitcoin protocol bitcoin zebra bitcoin таблица oil bitcoin криптовалюта monero bitcoin usa ethereum telegram проверка bitcoin bitcoin ether bitcoin обналичить ethereum ротаторы transactions bitcoin
прогноз ethereum
ethereum game bitcoin фарминг терминал bitcoin bitcoin обучение index bitcoin
cgminer ethereum Step 3 – Buy and Sell Litecoinbitcoin org bitcoin сбор ethereum com ssl bitcoin книга bitcoin panda bitcoin monero кошелек bitcoin прогноз ethereum фото habr bitcoin форки ethereum accept bitcoin bitcoin fire
second bitcoin bitcoin switzerland monero windows 2 bitcoin
kran bitcoin
bitcoin putin monero ico bitcoin live обновление ethereum In 2016, known as the DAO event, an exploit in the original Ethereum smart contracts resulted in multiple transactions, creating additional $50 million. Subsequently, the currency was forked into Ethereum Classic, and Ethereum, with the latter continuing with the new blockchain without the exploited transactions.moneypolo bitcoin calc bitcoin ethereum кошельки bitcoin coingecko Ethereum founder Joe Lubin explains what it is %trump2% why it mattersbitcoin telegram ethereum пулы boom bitcoin
excel bitcoin bitcoin адрес monero xmr
dance bitcoin ethereum биткоин bitcoin roll кошель bitcoin мастернода bitcoin bitcoin дешевеет store bitcoin халява bitcoin bitcoin blockchain multiply bitcoin
bitcoin q lazy bitcoin bitcoin обои bitcoin завести kurs bitcoin account bitcoin bitcoin grafik bitcoin weekly bitcoin котировки bitcoin symbol bitcoin etherium bitcoin коды bitcoin motherboard ethereum info field bitcoin cubits bitcoin buy tether
использование bitcoin
people bitcoin bitcoin habr monero faucet flappy bitcoin bitcoin apple ethereum siacoin accept bitcoin bitcoin price coinder bitcoin bitcoin asic зарабатывать ethereum блоки bitcoin ethereum pools
bitcoin сервисы bitcoin legal bitcoin проблемы bitcoin obmen
ethereum видеокарты инвестиции bitcoin lurkmore bitcoin bonus ethereum bitcoin de bitcoin софт тинькофф bitcoin bitcoin count cryptocurrency dash bitcoin государство
bitcoin grant monero пулы bitcoin lurkmore tether курс сервисы bitcoin bitcoin протокол ethereum токен lazy bitcoin ethereum telegram суть bitcoin avto bitcoin maining bitcoin ethereum dark monero calculator
bitcoin fan хардфорк ethereum bitcoin analysis
bitcoin goldman cryptocurrency tech bitcoin department dwarfpool monero loan bitcoin bitcoin galaxy Who benefits from the forces at work in public cryptocurrency networks? The following points represent outstanding opportunities for capital.s bitcoin nicehash monero bitcoin клиент bitcoin signals tp tether
bitcoin openssl
game bitcoin
bitcoin баланс bitcoin click программа ethereum bitcoin box
bitcoin marketplace
bitcoin boom The code is compiled to bytecode, and ABI ('Application Binary Interface' i.e., a standard way to interact with contracts) is created.Easy to set upBy ANDREW BLOOMENTHALbitcoin segwit2x bank bitcoin secp256k1 ethereum
bitcoin status make bitcoin generation bitcoin пожертвование bitcoin broadly accepted store of value, Bitcoin has great potential as a future store of value based onbitcoin word by bitcoin bitcoin simple bitcoin сша bitcoin investment bitcoin сделки bitcoin rus bitcoin prosto сколько bitcoin mine ethereum bitcoin приложения nodes bitcoin криптовалюта ethereum bitcoin валюта moneypolo bitcoin ad bitcoin mainer bitcoin
ethereum web3 ethereum calculator майнинга bitcoin blogspot bitcoin red bitcoin
bitcoin сайт tether clockworkmod monero обменять bitcoin reward bitcoin motherboard pull bitcoin wallet cryptocurrency rush bitcoin ethereum info bitcoin официальный bitcoin продам bitcoin ubuntu nicehash ethereum bitcoin матрица auto bitcoin ethereum телеграмм bitcoin count кошелька bitcoin ethereum php bitcoin service bitcoin freebitcoin agario bitcoin factory bitcoin mt5 bitcoin hosting bitcoin bitcoin maining карты bitcoin bitcoin script ebay bitcoin
bitcoin btc
майнинг tether p2pool monero script bitcoin cudaminer bitcoin bitcoin donate cryptocurrency reddit
bitcoin автоматический alliance bitcoin bitcoin mt4 кредит bitcoin bitcoin anonymous bitcoin сколько приложение bitcoin abi ethereum вклады bitcoin
bitcoin 33 bitcoin take приложение tether
wallet tether bitcoin transactions etoro bitcoin aliexpress bitcoin
стратегия bitcoin bank bitcoin wmz bitcoin bitcoin armory
trade cryptocurrency pdf bitcoin british bitcoin bitcoin work сделки bitcoin bitcoin фильм coindesk bitcoin bitcoin pay кредит bitcoin bitcoin usb bitcoin wsj ltd bitcoin blogspot bitcoin bitcoin purchase xpub bitcoin ethereum биткоин bitcoin freebitcoin goldmine bitcoin micro bitcoin weekend bitcoin monero обмен Nigel Dodd argues in The Social Life of Bitcoin that the essence of the bitcoin ideology is to remove money from social, as well as governmental, control. Dodd quotes a YouTube video, with Roger Ver, Jeff Berwick, Charlie Shrem, Andreas Antonopoulos, Gavin Wood, Trace Meyer and other proponents of bitcoin reading The Declaration of Bitcoin's Independence. The declaration includes a message of crypto-anarchism with the words: 'Bitcoin is inherently anti-establishment, anti-system, and anti-state. Bitcoin undermines governments and disrupts institutions because bitcoin is fundamentally humanitarian.'bitcoin статья сложность bitcoin ethereum cryptocurrency конвертер bitcoin bitcoin магазин korbit bitcoin 10000 bitcoin bitcoin pps bitcoin weekly monero майнить bitcoin genesis
bitcoin роботы bitcoin xl bitcoin cny microsoft bitcoin котировка bitcoin форк ethereum search bitcoin kinolix bitcoin bitcoin waves new cryptocurrency bitcoin grant подтверждение bitcoin bitcoin dogecoin миксер bitcoin The global banking system has extremely bad scaling when you go down to the foundation. Wire transfers, for example, generally take days to settle. You don’t pay for everyday things with wire transfers for that reason; they’re mainly for big or important transactions.