What is cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange. It is a type of currency that relies on cryptography to control its creation and management.
Cryptocurrency is not tangible, and it only exists in the form of data. It can be transferred from person to person without the need for any third-party intermediary or central bank. Some people use cryptocurrency as an investment, while others use it as a means of payment for goods and services online. The idea of cryptocurrency was first introduced in 1998 by Satoshi Nakamoto.
What Are the Different Categories of Cryptocurrency?
The types of cryptocurrency vary, and there are many different categories.
The current count is 18,776 different cryptocurrencies, according to Coin Market Cap.
Bitcoin (BTC) is the original cryptocurrency that has been around since 2009. It is currently the most popular cryptocurrency, with a total market capitalization of $820 billion.
Ethereum is a digital currency imagined in 2013 by programmer Vitalik Buterin. It is the second-most popular cryptocurrency, with a current market capitalization of $400 billion. Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. Ether (ETH) is the native cryptocurrency of the platform.
Litecoin (LTC) is a digital currency designed to be quicker and cheaper than Bitcoin, which has a market capitalization of $7.9 billion. The Litecoin Foundation encourages the use of Litecoin and promotes the greater adoption of cryptocurrencies. The foundation seeks to develop and promote the use of Litecoin for global payment settlement.
Monero (XMR) is a digital currency focused on privacy and decentralization and has a market capitalization of $4.4 billion. They are offering untraceable and unlinkable payments. Secured through a consensus network, open-source, and requires no central authority. The system allows for a secure environment where all personal details about financial transactions are hidden.
Digibyte (DGB) protocol is gaining traction, appealing to more users and increasing decentralization. Digibyte focuses on security. To be problematic, attackers would have to gain control of 60 percent of the total network hash rate. Digibyte has a market capitalization of $437 Million and is quickly growing.
Most people are familiar with Bitcoin and Ethereum, but Litecoin, Monero, and Digibyte are less known.
Storing Bitcoins and Altcoins
With the increasing number of Bitcoin and altcoin exchanges and wallets getting hacked, it is essential to take purposeful safety measures. The most important thing is to store your coins on a hardware wallet. This way, you can be sure that they are safe from hackers. It would help if you also used two-factor authentication for your exchanges and wallets and a password manager to keep track of your passwords.
Bitcoin Security Tips: How to Store Your Coins Safely?
Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that holders can utilize when purchasing items from stores and online retailers. It has become an increasingly popular form of payment for many people because it does not have to go through a bank or credit card company. However, this also means that any financial institution does not back your Bitcoin wallet, and as such, it is essential to take precautions when storing your coins.
The most important thing to remember when storing your coins is to use a hardware wallet. Securing your coins with a hardware wallet keeps the private key stored in a physical device and not on a computer or mobile device that digital thieves can hack.
Hardware wallets are different from software wallets in that they are entirely offline and do not require an internet connection. They do not store your private keys on their servers, making them impossible to hack without the device.
Hardware Wallet Recommendation
A crypto enthusiast can use many different hardware wallet options, making it not the easiest to know where to start. If you are only storing a small amount of money at any time, a hardware wallet might not be for you. On the other hand, a hardware wallet is your best option if you want to secure more significant amounts of crypto.
We recommend the Ledger hardware wallet. I have personally used a Ledger Nano for two years and found their hardware design sleek and secure, with knowledgeable and available customer service.
Are cryptocurrency wallets safe?
All crypto wallets are in the form of a software program or hardware device, and they are used to send, receive and store different types of cryptocurrencies.
Hardware wallets have been seen as more secure than software wallets because they provide an extra layer of protection against cybercrime.
However, there are some risks to hardware wallets, too – for example, if the hacker has access to your computer, they can steal your private key from the wallet. Hence, you mustn’t just rely on one type of wallet for all your needs but use them in combination and use strong passwords so that no one can access any information from your devices.
The Ledger Nano is a smartcard-based hardware wallet. It enables users to spend their assets conveniently and safely at any merchants or online services that support NFC payments. The Ledger Nano S is a smart card for the following desktop wallets: Mycelium, Electrum, GreenAddress, BlackHalo, BlueWallet, and more.
The Best Way to Protect your Wallets Seed Phrase?
A seed phrase is a set of words used to recover a cryptocurrency wallet.
Your seed phrase is hidden in the software when using a desktop wallet. However, if you use an online service provider like MyEtherWallet, the service provider will store your seed phrase on their website. You are making your seed phrase more vulnerable to hackers and other cyber threats.
The best way to protect your wallet’s seed phrase is by generating a new one from the same hardware device used for the first one. Ensuring that there are no traces of the first wallet left on any device makes it hard for hackers to crack it open and steal your coins.
If you lose or damage your device, have your seed phrase backed up in a secure location that you can access at any time in the future. Having a physical copy of your seed phrase lets you access your crypto funds even if you lose your phone or forget the password.
It is vital to protect your wallet by writing down the seed phrase and storing it in a safe place. We recommended going a step further than just writing down your seed phrase. In the event of a fire, the odds are that piece of paper is just not going to make it.
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Where can I use my cryptocurrency?
These days, you can find bitcoin cash machines all over the world. A bitcoin ATM allows a person to exchange bitcoins and cash. ATMs are active at venues such as malls, cafés, venues, stadiums, or online retailers worldwide. The machine prints a paper receipt that lists the amount of cash and the corresponding bitcoin address from which the transaction came.
With these machines popping up in stores and restaurants nonstop, you can use your cryptocurrency anywhere you can buy goods and services. Numerous companies have adopted Bitcoin, allowing you to spend your cryptocurrency online by using an e-commerce website for goods or services.
*Article coming: WHY You Should be Looking At Opportunities Cryptocurrencies and Cryptocurrencies Companies are Offering.
Conclusion on Cryptocurrency Wallets in The Market Today
There are many types of cryptocurrency wallets available on the market today. The most common type of wallet is a web-based crypto wallet, which is software that runs on your computer. However, there are also hardware wallets to store your cryptocurrency offline.
Hardware wallets sometimes come with a high price tag ($60 – $200+), but they have some benefits over web-based wallets. One of these benefits is that you don’t need to worry about viruses and other computer issues when using this type of wallet.
If your hardware wallet breaks, you can quickly recover the private key that allows you to access your account, unlike web-based crypto wallets, which are vulnerable to hackers.
To safeguard your crypto funds from damage or loss, have a physical copy of your seed phrase. There will be an easily accessible copy of your seed phrase that will eventually get you access to those funds again.
Storing your seed phrase in a safe place is vital to prevent anything from happening to it. It’s a good idea to write down the location of your seed phrase somewhere safe. Someplace only you know.
That’s all for this one, I look forward to expanding on these articles and helping you through the weeds!
Sincerely,
Modest Miner
We at Modest Miner personally thank our partners. We have tried, or in most cases, use daily, every product we recommend in our articles. Please feel free to contact us anytime by visiting our contact page. Thank you for your support! www.modestminer.com
Bonus Tips: It’s good practice to keep your wallet offline; one of the best ways to protect your crypto wallet is by keeping it offline as much as possible. Try not logging in every day, not downloading any new apps, not installing any updates, etc. Keeping it offline ensures that no one can access or steal your private key without physical access to the device or by asking for your password.
