Cold Storage for Crypto Tokens
Cold storage wallets are the wallets that work similarly to physical wallets that hold physical cash or coins. To store Bitcoin tokens, users have to keep their investments in a safe and secure wallet. These wallets are considered the best way to keep your Crypto tokens safe and secure. However, these wallets are not actual physical items and neither have they held any physical currency. Instead, these are digital storage tools that have both private and public keys. These keys are strings that are attached with a Cryptographic character that is necessary to complete the transaction of Bitcoin. The public key is used to identify the wallet authentication so that users can identify where they can transfer their funds during the transactions. On the other hand, a private key is similar to the security code or password to the digital wallet on which only the owner can access the wallet.
Understanding Cold Storage
Cryptocurrency is gaining widespread acceptance and huge popularity since 2009. It becomes a great way for young investors to invest their money in Cryptocurrency. Due to its continuous growth, people are more engaging towards investing their money in Cryptocurrency. However, with the increase in the hype, there have been many attempts to hack or fraud the system. Due to a lack of regulation, there is an increase in the number of theft and fraud cases in Cryptocurrency. Users must keep their investment safe and secure and must be aware of which is the safest place to store their Bitcoin.
Cold Storage Provides Protection from Theft
Wallets provide security to its user by securing their Bitcoin in wallets but if the private key is lost or stolen the user cannot able to access their Bitcoin without it. In concern to this, it is suggested to store all the Bitcoins in the cold storage.
Cold storage is considered the most secure way in comparison to traditional wallets to store Bitcoins. This wallet can access offline which makes it completely separate from internet access. Keeping Bitcoins stored in offline mode makes it more secure and protects from theft. Hackers cannot access this wallet with digital access because these wallets are not available for online access.
Use of Cold Storage Wallet in Bitcoin
The cold storage method is less convenient than taking a backup or encrypting because it can be more difficult for users to access their coins. However, some investors keep their Bitcoin funds in the standard wallet for regular sending, and the rest of the coins are in cold storage. This provides investors to keep their regular spending continue without digging up the coins from cold storage every day.
Exchanges that facilitate the buying and selling of Cryptocurrencies are commonly known to split their reserves. These platforms handle large amounts of Bitcoins (and other Cryptocurrencies) and are frequently hacked. Such platforms may hold a huge portion of their Bitcoin tokens in cold storage which helps to reduce the number of funds lost in the security compromises events. Because these exchanges are aware of withdrawal patterns, they only store a certain amount of money on the server to meet the requirements.
Method of Cryptocurrency Cold Storage
There are various types of cold storage that are used to store Bitcoins safely:
Paper Wallets
A paper wallet is a method of protecting users’ funds against hackers and computer failure by printing the private and public keys on paper. A paper wallet contains a QR code that can be easily scanned and added to a digital wallet for quick transactions. It must be kept safe because the paper contains all of the necessary information regarding coins spend. It’s usually a good idea to encrypt as well as copy the paper wallet for better safety.
Sound Wallets
Sound wallets, while not prevalent, are another method of securing virtual currency tokens. The private keys of encrypted sound files are kept in goods such as vinyl discs and Compact Discs (CDs) via sound wallet technology. A high-resolution spectroscope or spectroscope app can be used to interpret the code encoded in these audio recordings.
Hardware Wallets
Hardware devices like USB drives are also used the most to keep the secret keys safe. To make sure that these hardware devices do not fall into wrong hands, it is necessary to keep these devices in a safety deposit box.
Hardware devices are considered as the way to secure the Bitcoin currency in an offline mode. These type of devices are waterproof and virus-proof generally small in size and even supports multi-signature signs. These are the best and preferred as the convenient way for transferring and receiving digital currency. It has micro storage space and a camera for scanning the QR code.
Deep Cold Storage
Aside from these cold storage options, the notion of a deep cold storage service has gained popularity in recent years. It was launched by a London-based corporation that provided the security of a bank vault for storing Bitcoin wallet keys. This service is insured by an insurer, offering insurance against Bitcoin theft or loss. This service has a disadvantage in that it needs the individual seeking the service to verify identification and residence. This discourages users who want to be anonymous from using the service.
