In the modern world of the crypto industry, there’s a never-ending flow of new investors coming onto the scene. Whilst this is great for the industry as a whole, it sadly brings with it a whole new array of issues. One of them is a surge in crypto-related crimes such as hacking, theft, and a whole range of other stuff you really don’t want to happen to you.
And trust me, I’m not trying to spook you. Just look at the statistics. It’s recently been revealed that crypto-related crime surged in 2021 and amounted to more than $14 billion. Eye-opening, right?
But don’t let this deter you from entering cryptocurrency’s fast-paced, immensely exciting, and often rewarding world. Because wherever there are bad people looking to do you harm, there are often good people trying to do the right thing.
When it comes to the latter, many of the more tech-savvy people amongst the crypto crowd have released an array of tech and gadgets to keep those who invest in crypto as safe as they can be against hackers and cybercriminals.
However, just like Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, there are many gadgets to navigate, which can be daunting for a new investor. But, luckily for you, that’s where I come in! If you want to learn check this out: Bitcoins for beginners.
In this article, I will reveal ten of the most cutting-edge, foolproof, and vital crypto accessories all investors, whether newbies or experienced, should have in their crypto arsenal to stay safe.
Now, let’s begin and show you how to secure your crypto and make them more straightforward to utilise! Combined with low-fee and reliable crypto platforms, these gadgets will form a steel ring around your decentralised assets!
The Ledger Nano S
First up is the Ledger Nano S. Now, this is a crypto hardware wallet. If you’re not yet aware of how these work, they essentially provide a firm ring of protection around your decentralised assets, whether cryptocurrency, digital tokens, or NFTs. Whilst they can take some getting used to, it’s worth getting to grips with them in exchange for the level of security and peace of mind they can offer.
The Ledger Nano S is one of the most commonly used crypto wallets amongst investors. It boasts a bigger screen and a higher internal memory level, which gives you peace of mind when storing large amounts of different cryptocurrencies on it.
Amazingly, the Ledger Nano S comes with the ability to host over 100 different apps, and you can even take advantage of its cutting-edge technology to send and sign non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
The OPOLO Crypto Wallet
If you’re looking for a cryptocurrency wallet that comes with an exceptionally high level of security, then you can’t go wrong with the APOLO. This cutting-edge crypto gadget comes equipped with a threat-busting EAL6+ certified chip.
Plus, the OPOLO also boasts a touchscreen that’s much bigger than standard hardware wallets and comes in at around 3.2 inches. This way, it’s extremely difficult to make any costly mistakes when putting your passphrase, password, and address into the wallet. As any typos or mistakes can often lead to the wallet becoming locked or the cryptocurrency is sent to someone else.
The D’CENT Biometric Multicurrency Wallet
If you’re the type of investor who owns a broad range of different cryptocurrencies and altcoins, then you’ll need a wallet that supports multiple currencies. If so, look no further than the D’CENT!
Whatever cryptocurrency you want to store, you can pretty much guarantee that this wallet supports it. It also boasts an in-built fingerprint reader for that additional layer of high-end security.
In addition, the D’CENT also comes with a private key creator that lets you generate a new key without needing any form of add-on software. Currently, it’s one of the most popular crypto gadgets on the market.
The Material Bitcoin Safe
Amazingly, this Bitcoin safe doesn’t have any electrical parts within it at all. This means that it’s nigh on impossible to hack and can withstand even the most experienced cybercriminals. It also comes with a 77-gigapascals modulus.
The main role of this device is to protect your seed phrase against those who wish to hack your crypto. Plus, it’s pretty much impossible to destroy and has been designed to survive against temperatures of over 900°C.
It’s also notoriously easy to use too. Users just need to use the address on the back of the device to withdraw funds, check their balance, and stay up to speed with their investments in an immensely secure way.
The Solana Saga Android Smartphone
This next amazing gadget is one of the world’s first. It’s an Android smartphone that’s been custom-made for those who actively trade crypto and allows them to achieve mobile liberation.
Are you over having to interrupt your daily life and skip meetings in order to sign a cryptocurrency transaction? With the Solana Saga flagship Android smartphone, you can do it all from your pocket with incredible convenience.
This smartphone operates Solana Mobile Stack, which permits native Android web3 apps to be downloaded. In addition, it also boasts a Seed Vault, a security protocol for signing crypto transactions.
The Mobvoi TicWatch E3
Next, we have the Mobvoi TicWatch E3. A health-focused device, it operates on the Wear operating system from Google. But, most importantly, you can download apps like RobinHood to stay up to speed with your cryptocurrency investments.
You can keep track of your crypto progress with a simple glance at your wrist thanks to the Mobvoi TicWatch E3. And that’s not all! You can also take advantage of contactless payment systems and stay fit and healthy thanks to 100 different workouts on offer. For heavily active crypto enthusiasts, it’s one of the most popular devices on the market today!
The Arculus Key Card
The Arculus Key Card is a highly secure cold storage hardware wallet that is ideal for keeping your cryptocurrencies and NFTs secure. Rather than the standard 2-factor authentication, the Arculus Key Card utilises 3-factor authentication to add an additional layer of protection to people’s digital investments.
Plus, the Arculus Key Card utilises the companion app with a secure NFC connection. This means that your private wallet keys are always kept offline to add another security layer to your crypto assets.
The Trezor Model T
One of the main competitors to the Ledger hardware wallet is Trezor. One of the latest versions of this highly advanced crypto wallet is the Model T, and it allows users to securely stash away Bitcoin, NFTs, passwords, and digital keys.
As well as the Ledger, the Trezor is one of the most popular and easy-to-use hardware wallets around. Not only does it strive to defend your crypto investments from online criminals, but it also pairs your wallet keys with the device offline, keeping it away from the internet and the threats that come with it.
The Coldcard
One of the coolest-sounding names on the list is the Coldcard. This is a Bitcoin-only signing device and provides a high level of security for your seed phrase by utilising specialist-design chips within.
As well as a high level of security, the Coldcard allows crypto users to enjoy quicker and easier transactions as a result of its large keypad and brightly-lit OLED screen. Despite all that it offers, it’s also a very affordable crypto gadget, making it one of the most popular among many investors worldwide.
The BIU-BOOM
And last but not least is the BIU-BOOM. We started off this guide with the Ledger Nano, and we will finish with one of its best accessories. This is a storage box device created from 6061 aviation aluminum alloy designed to keep your hardware wallet as physically protected as possible, despite whatever it goes through.
This little beast is not only airtight, but it’s also waterproof and designed to survive extreme drops. This allows you to achieve peace of mind surrounding your hardware wallet. Plus, despite its level of protection, it is incredibly light, durable, and portable. So much so that many people can flawlessly attach it to their keyrings and carry it wherever they go.
What Crypto Threats Do I Need to be Aware of?
As you can see, securing cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and other digital investments has never been more straightforward, thanks to the array of gadgets currently on the scene. However, to boost your knowledge of crypto security even further, I want to round off this guide by revealing some of the most common threats that any crypto investor faces in the volatile online world.
People who trade and invest in crypto most commonly store their digital assets in an online digital wallet that is integrated as an app on their phone. However, these are some of the most tempting targets for a cybercriminal to target and, for many, are seen as low-hanging fruit.
Because, in the same way with any other mobile app, there is a huge range of ways for a criminal to attack and steal from an online crypto wallet.
However, being aware of the most commonly used methods of attack used to steal crypto and knowing how to firmly defend yourself against them is a solid step to protecting your crypto assets. Especially when combined with the array of high-security gadgets on this list alongside a popular and secure platform.
Theft of Keys and Passphrases
It’s absolutely vital that keys are encrypted at an application level to ensure a base level of security. If the keys remain unencrypted, cybercriminals can easily penetrate their way into preference areas, the application sandbox, and the SD card. When a criminal successfully steals the keys, they then have the power to do whatever they want with the crypto they have in their wallet.
In other words, you can say goodbye to your hard-earned crypto. However, encrypting the keys at an application level will remain secure even if a device is hacked.
Dynamic Theft of Private Keys
Increasingly, online criminals are utilising dynamic attacks to steal the private keys of crypto traders. By dynamic attack, I mean that the criminals utilise a range of methods to intercept and steal the wallet key and passphrase as it’s typed into the online crypto wallet on a mobile app. There are a number of ways this attack can be carried out, such as:
- Shoulder surfing attack: In days gone by, this was a term used to describe a criminal physically getting close enough to someone to look over their shoulder, watch them enter the login details to their cryptocurrency wallet, and then document their critical info. These days, there’s no need for a hacker to even be there in person since they can simply use screenshots or screen recording software to get the job done.
- Keylogging malware: This method works by installing a form of malware on the victim’s phone that discreetly runs without the user knowing. However, every key input the user makes is monitored and recorded to then capture the login details to a crypto wallet to plunder later.
- The overlay tactic: Last but not least is the notorious overlay tactic. This involves cybercriminals placing a discreet malware screen over a user’s device that looks deceptively authentic or, at the very least, transparent. Then, the victim will unknowingly insert his wallet login details into an area of this malware screen. Once the details are entered, they’re automatically sent to cyber criminals and are used immediately to take over control of the wallet and plunder everything inside.
The bulk of these attacks can be defended against by relying on a trustworthy app that is able to keep an eye out for keylogging, overlays, and recording attempts, then immediately notifying the user or, better yet, shutting down the device to stop the attack.
Malicious Instrumenting
Next, we have the relatively lesser-known tactic of Malicious Instrumenting. You see, the overall security profile of a mobile crypto wallet heavily relies on how solid the platform it’s running on is. Because if the smartphone (or another device you’re using) is jailbroken or rooted by criminals, they can easily access the blockchain address of the client app. Even worse, they’re even able to pose as the app and force it to make transactions.
This means that it’s crucial for cryptocurrency wallet applications to have a feature that lets them realise when they’ve been exposed to jailbreaking or rooting tactics. They can close themselves down if needed to defend the user against cyber criminals.
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks
These days, we have access to a wide range of centralised and decentralised crypto platforms or exchanges hosting various cryptocurrency wallets. However, whichever you use more than likely uses an internet connection, making them vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks that see cyber criminals intercept signals sent over public wifi.
To combat this ever-present threat, any exchange or platform you use must ensure that any data sent over the network is protected with AES-256 encryption. Similarly, all communications must be reinforced by secure socket layer (SSL) / transport layer security (TLS).
Modified Cryptocurrency Wallets
Another increasingly common tactic used by cybercriminals is to create a modified cryptocurrency wallet app. Then, they utilise their illicit creations with an array of emulators and simulators with the aim of forming fake accounts to then carry out fraudulent trades and steal crypto.
To defend against such attacks, most cyber security experts recommend users implement a series of runtime application self-protection (RASP) tactics, such as anti-tampering, anti-debugging, and emulator detection.
It’s a Dangerous World Out There Unless You Have the Tools to Stay Safe!
In summary, this guide to crypto security gadgets and the threats currently facing most wallet owners has revealed the dangers involved with the world of crypto. However, with the right gadgets combined with a popular and secure exchange or platform, you can take steps to protect yourself against cybercriminals as best as possible.
