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Read your hardware wallet screen before you approve
A cold wallet keeps your keys offline, but you still approve each send, so read the address and amount on the device screen first.
Written by John AlewineReviewed by the Crypto Guidance team
Published ยท Updated
A cold wallet keeps your private keys offline. Transactions are signed inside that offline boundary, and your computer only ever sees the signed result, never the keys.
That is the part cold storage protects. Signing a hostile transaction is still possible on a cold wallet if you approve it. Cold storage protects keys, not judgment.
Read the device screen before you approve
- Read the full destination address on the device screen and match it to where you meant to send.
- Read the amount on the device screen.
- If either one is not what you expected, reject it on the device.
Do this every time. Never skip the on-device check, even when the computer screen looked fine. A chat assistant can explain cold wallets in general, but the numbers on your device screen are still yours to read.
How cold storage works is in What is a cold wallet. The hardware for savings split is on the Security page. If you want a second set of eyes, I sit with people one at a time through consulting, and I never ask for your keys or seed phrase.