Checklist

If your password is too short, or contains dictionary words, places, or names, then it can be easily cracked through brute force or guessed by someone. The easiest way to make a strong password is by making it long (12+ characters) — consider using a 'passphrase' made up of many words. Alternatively, use a password generator to create a long, strong random password. Have a play with Security.org's How Secure Is My Password?, to get an idea of how quickly common passwords can be cracked. Read more about creating strong passwords: securityinabox.org.

If someone were to reuse a password and one site they had an account with suffered a leak, then a criminal could easily gain unauthorized access to their other accounts. This is usually done through large-scale automated login requests, and it is called Credential Stuffing. Unfortunately, this is all too common, but it's simple to protect against — use a different password for each of your online accounts.

For most people, it is going to be near-impossible to remember hundreds of strong and unique passwords. A password manager is an application that generates, stores, and auto-fills your login credentials for you. All your passwords will be encrypted against 1 master password (which you must remember, and it should be very strong). Most password managers have browser extensions and mobile apps, so whatever device you are on, your passwords can be auto-filled. A good all-rounder is Bitwarden, or see Recommended Password Managers.

While there may be times that you need to share access to an account with another person, you should generally avoid doing this because it makes it easier for the account to become compromised. If you absolutely do need to share a password — for example, when working on a team with a shared account — this should be done via features built into a password manager.

2FA is where you must provide both something you know (a password) and something you have (such as a code on your phone) to log in. This means that if anyone has your password (e.g., through phishing, malware, or a data breach), they will not be able to log into your account. It's easy to get started, download an authenticator app onto your phone, and then go to your account security settings and follow the steps to enable 2FA. Next time you log in on a new device, you will be prompted for the code that is displayed in the app on your phone (it works without internet, and the code usually changes every 30 seconds).

When you enable multi-factor authentication, you will usually be given several codes that you can use if your 2FA method is lost, broken, or unavailable. Keep these codes somewhere safe to prevent loss or unauthorized access. You should store these on paper or in a safe place on disk (e.g., in offline storage or an encrypted file/drive). Don't store these in your password manager as 2FA sources and passwords should be kept separately.

After a website suffers a significant data breach, the leaked data often ends up on the internet. Several websites collect these leaked records and allow you to search your email address to check if you are in any of their lists. Firefox Monitor, Have I Been Pwned, and DeHashed allow you to sign up for monitoring, where they will notify you if your email address appears in any new data sets. It is useful to know as soon as possible when this happens so that you can change your passwords for the affected accounts. Have i been pwned also has domain-wide notification, where you can receive alerts if any email addresses under your entire domain appear (useful if you use aliases for anonymous forwarding).

When typing your password in public places, ensure you are not in direct line of sight of a CCTV camera and that no one can see over your shoulder. Cover your password or pin code while you type, and do not reveal any plain text passwords on your screen.

Database leaks and breaches are common, and, likely, several of your passwords are already somewhere online. Occasionally updating passwords of security-critical accounts can help mitigate this. But providing that all your passwords are long, strong, and unique, there is no need to do this too often — annually should be sufficient. Enforcing mandatory password changes within organisations is no longer recommended, as it encourages colleagues to select weaker passwords.

Most modern browsers offer to save your credentials when you log into a site. Don’t allow this, as they are not always encrypted and could allow someone to gain access to your accounts. Instead, use a dedicated password manager to store (and auto-fill) your passwords.

Avoid logging in on other people's computers since you can't be sure their system is clean. Be especially cautious of public machines, as malware and tracking are more common here. Using someone else's device is especially dangerous with critical accounts like online banking. When using someone else's machine, ensure that you're in a private/incognito session (Use Ctrl+Shift+N/ Cmd+Shift+N). This will request the browser to not save your credentials, cookies, and browsing history.

Some sites allow you to set password hints. Often, it is very easy to guess answers. In cases where password hints are mandatory, use random answers and record them in your password manager (Name of the first school: 6D-02-8B-!a-E8-8F-81).

If a site asks security questions (such as place of birth, mother's maiden name, or first car, etc.), don't provide real answers. It is a trivial task for hackers to find out this information online or through social engineering. Instead, create a fictitious answer, and store it inside your password manager. Using real words is better than random characters, as explained here.

Don’t use a short PIN to access your smartphone or computer. Instead, use a text password or a much longer PIN. Numeric passphrases are easy to crack (A 4-digit pin has 10,000 combinations, compared to 7.4 million for a 4-character alpha-numeric code).

When enabling multi-factor authentication, opt for app-based codes or a hardware token if supported. SMS is susceptible to several common threats, such as SIM-swapping and interception. There's also no guarantee of how securely your phone number will be stored or what else it will be used for. From a practical point of view, SMS will only work when you have a signal and can be slow. If a website or service requires the usage of an SMS number for recovery, consider purchasing a second pre-paid phone number only used for account recovery for these instances.

Many password managers are also able to generate 2FA codes. It is best not to use your primary password manager as your 2FA authenticator as well, since it would become a single point of failure if compromised. Instead, use a dedicated authenticator app on your phone or laptop.

Most phones and laptops offer a facial recognition authentication feature, using the camera to compare a snapshot of your face with a stored hash. It may be very convenient, but there are numerous ways to fool it and gain access to the device through digital photos and reconstructions from CCTV footage. Unlike your password, there are likely photos of your face on the internet and videos recorded by surveillance cameras.

A hardware keylogger is a physical device planted between your keyboard and the USB port, which intercepts all keystrokes and sometimes relays data to a remote server. It gives a hacker access to everything typed, including passwords. The best way to stay protected is just by checking your USB connection after your PC has been unattended. It is also possible for keyloggers to be planted inside the keyboard housing, so look for any signs that the case has been tampered with, and consider bringing your own keyboard to work. Data typed on a virtual keyboard, pasted from the clipboard, or auto-filled by a password manager can not be intercepted by a hardware keylogger.

A U2F/FIDO2 security key is a USB (or NFC) device that you insert while logging in to an online service to verify your identity instead of entering a OTP from your authenticator. SoloKey and NitroKey are examples of such keys. They bring with them several security benefits. Since the browser communicates directly with the device, it cannot be fooled as to which host is requesting authentication because the TLS certificate is checked. This post is a good explanation of the security of using FIDO U2F tokens. Of course, it is important to store the physical key somewhere safe or keep it on your person. Some online accounts allow for several methods of 2FA to be enabled.

Passkeys (also known as FIDO2 WebAuthn) are a passwordless authentication method that is more secure and convenient than traditional passwords. They use your devices biometric authentication (fingerprint, face ID) or a PIN to log in, and are resistant to phishing attacks. Many major services now support passkeys including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and GitHub. Consider enabling passkeys for accounts that offer them as an alternative to passwords or as an additional 2FA method.

For increased security, an encrypted offline password manager will give you full control over your data. KeePass is a popular choice, with lots of plugins and community forks with additional compatibility and functionality. Popular clients include: KeePassXC (desktop), KeePassDX (Android) and StrongBox (iOS). The drawback being that it may be slightly less convenient for some, and it will be up to you to back it up and store it securely.

Having different passwords for each account is a good first step, but if you also use a unique username, email, or phone number to log in, then it will be significantly harder for anyone trying to gain unauthorised access. The easiest method for multiple emails, is using auto-generated aliases for anonymous mail forwarding. This is where [anything]@yourdomain.com will arrive in your inbox, allowing you to use a different email for each account (see Mail Alias Providers). Usernames are easier since you can use your password manager to generate, store, and auto-fill these. Virtual phone numbers can be generated through your VOIP provider.

In the security settings of your important accounts, regularly check the list of active sessions and connected devices, sign out anything you don't recognize, and turn on alerts for new sign-ins.

The address used to recover your accounts should not be your everyday address. Use a dedicated one that nobody knows, protected by its own strong password and 2FA.

Every dormant account is a potential leak. List your accounts (your password manager helps), delete the ones you no longer need, and remove the stored data first when you can.

Using an ad-blocker can help improve your privacy, by blocking the trackers that ads implement. uBlock Origin is a very efficient and open source browser addon, developed by Raymond Hill. When 3rd-party ads are displayed on a webpage, they have the ability to track you, gathering personal information about you and your habits, which can then be sold, or used to show you more targeted ads, and some ads are plain malicious or fake. Blocking ads also makes pages load faster, uses less data and provides a less cluttered experience.

It may sound obvious, but when logging into any online accounts, double check the URL is correct. Storing commonly visited sites in your bookmarks is a good way to ensure the URL is easy to find. When visiting new websites, look for common signs that it could be unsafe: Browser warnings, redirects, on-site spam and pop-ups. You can also check a website using a tool, such as: Virus Total, IsLegitSite, Google Safe Browsing Status if you are unsure.

Your system or browser can be compromised by spyware, miners, browser hijackers, malicious redirects, adware etc. You can usually stay protected, just by: ignoring pop-ups, be wary of what you're clicking, don't proceed to a website if your browser warns you it may be malicious. Common signs of browser malware include: default search engine or homepage has been modified, toolbars, unfamiliar extensions or icons, significantly more ads, errors and pages loading much slower than usual. These articles from Heimdal explain signs of browser malware, how browsers get infected and how to remove browser malware.

Firefox (with a few tweaks) and Brave are secure, private-respecting browsers. Both are fast, open source, user-friendly and available on all major operating systems. Your browser has access to everything that you do online, so if possible, avoid Google Chrome, Edge and Safari as (without correct configuration) all three of them, collect usage data, call home and allow for invasive tracking. Firefox requires a few changes to achieve optimal security, for example - arkenfox or 12byte's user.js configs. See more: Privacy Browsers.

Using a privacy-preserving, non-tracking search engine, will reduce risk that your search terms are not logged, or used against you. Consider DuckDuckGo, or Qwant. Google implements some incredibly invasive tracking policies, and have a history of displaying biased search results. Therefore Google, along with Bing, Baidu, Yahoo and Yandex are incompatible with anyone looking to protect their privacy. It is recommended to update your browsers default search to a privacy-respecting search engine.

Extensions are able to see, log or modify anything you do in the browser, and some innocent looking browser apps, have malicious intentions. Websites can see which extensions you have installed, and may use this to enhance your fingerprint, to more accurately identify/ track you. Both Firefox and Chrome web stores allow you to check what permissions/access rights an extension requires before you install it. Check the reviews. Only install extensions you really need, and remove those which you haven't used in a while.

Browser vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered and patched, so it’s important to keep it up to date, to avoid a zero-day exploit. You can see which browser version you're using here, or follow this guide for instructions on how to update. Some browsers will auto-update to the latest stable version.

If you enter information on a non-HTTPS website, this data is transported unencrypted and can therefore be read by anyone who intercepts it. Do not enter any data on a non-HTTPS website, but also do not let the green padlock give you a false sense of security, just because a website has SSL certificate, does not mean that it is legitimate or trustworthy. HTTPS-Everywhere (developed by the EFF) used to be a browser extension/addon that automatically enabled HTTPS on websites, but as of 2022 is now deprecated. In its announcement, the EFF explains that most browsers now integrate such protections. Additionally, it provides instructions for Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Safari browsers on how to enable their HTTPS secure protections.

Traditional DNS makes requests in plain text for everyone to see. It allows for eavesdropping and manipulation of DNS data through man-in-the-middle attacks. Whereas DNS-over-HTTPS performs DNS resolution via the HTTPS protocol, meaning data between you and your DNS resolver is encrypted. A popular option is CloudFlare's 1.1.1.1, or compare providers- it is simple to enable in-browser. Note that DoH comes with its own issues, mostly preventing web filtering.

Compartmentalisation is really important to keep different aspects of your browsing separate. For example, using different profiles for work, general browsing, social media, online shopping etc will reduce the number associations that data brokers can link back to you. One option is to make use of Firefox Containers which is designed exactly for this purpose. Alternatively, you could use different browsers for different tasks (Brave, Firefox, Tor etc).

When using someone else's machine, ensure that you're in a private/ incognito session. This will prevent browser history, cookies and some data being saved, but is not fool-proof- you can still be tracked.

Browser Fingerprinting is an incredibly accurate method of tracking, where a website identifies you based on your device information. You can view your fingerprint at amiunique.org- The aim is to be as un-unique as possible.

Clearing cookies regularly is one step you can take to help reduce websites from tracking you. Cookies may also store your session token, which if captured, would allow someone to access your accounts without credentials. To mitigate this you should clear cookies often.

Third-party cookies placed on your device by a website other than the one you’re visiting. This poses a privacy risk, as a 3rd entity can collect data from your current session. Disable them in your browser settings, then check that the setting works.

Blocking trackers will help to stop websites, advertisers, analytics and more from tracking you in the background. Privacy Badger, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials, uBlock Origin and uMatrix (advanced) are all very effective, open source tracker-blockers available for all major browsers.

While some redirects are harmless, others, such as Unvalidated redirects are used in phishing attacks, it can make a malicious link seem legitimate. If you are unsure about a redirect URL, you can check where it forwards to with a tool like RedirectDetective.

Many browsers allow you to sign in, in order to sync history, bookmarks and other browsing data across devices. However this not only allows for further data collection, but also increases attack surface through providing another avenue for a malicious actor to get hold of personal information.

Some browsers allow for prediction services, where you receive real-time search results or URL auto-fill. If this is enabled then data is sent to Google (or your default search engine) with every keypress, rather than when you hit enter.

When you visit a web page written in a foreign language, you may be prompted to install the Google Translate extension. Be aware that Google collects all data (including input fields), along with details of the current user. Instead use a translation service that is not linked to your browser.

Browser push notifications are a common method for criminals to encourage you to click their link, since it is easy to spoof the source. Be aware of this, and disable them in your browser settings.

Drive-by downloads is a common method of getting harmful files onto a users device. This can be mitigated by disabling auto file downloads, and be cautious of websites which prompt you to download files unexpectedly.

Mobile websites can tap into your device sensors without asking. If you grant these permissions to your browser once, then all websites are able to use these capabilities, without permission or notification.

Location Services lets sites ask for your physical location to improve your experience. This should be disabled in settings. Note that there are still other methods of determining your approximate location.

Check browser settings to ensure that no websites are granted access to webcam or microphone. It may also be beneficial to use physical protection such as a webcam cover and microphone blocker.

Do not allow your browser to store usernames and passwords. These can be easily viewed or accessed. Instead use a password manager.

Turn off autofill for any confidential or personal details. This feature can be harmful if your browser is compromised in any way. Instead, consider using your password manager's Notes feature.

The CSS Exfiltrate attack is a method where credentials and other sensitive details can be snagged with just pure CSS. You can stay protected, with the CSS Exfil Protection plugin.

ActiveX is a browser extension API that built into Microsoft IE, and enabled by default. It's not commonly used anymore, but since it gives plugins intimate access rights, and can be dangerous, therefore you should disable it.

WebRTC allows high-quality audio/video communication and peer-to-peer file-sharing straight from the browser. However, it can leak information, including your real IP address.

Canvas Fingerprinting allows websites to identify and track users very accurately. You can use the Canvas-Fingerprint-Blocker extension to spoof your fingerprint or use Tor.

The user agent tells the website what device, browser and version you are using. Switching user agent periodically is one small step you can take to become less unique.

Enabling Do Not Track has very limited impact, since many websites do not respect or follow this. Since it is rarely used, it may also add to your signature, making you more unique.

HSTS was designed to help secure websites, but privacy concerns have been raised as it allowed site operators to plant super-cookies. It can be disabled by visiting chrome://net-internals/#hsts in Chromium-based browsers.

Even when you are not using your browser, it may call home to report on usage activity, analytics and diagnostics. You may wish to disable some of this, which can be done through the settings.

First Party Isolation means that all identifier sources and browser state are scoped using the URL bar domain, this can greatly reduce tracking.

Websites often append additional GET parameters to URLs that you click, to identify information like source/referrer. You can sanitize manually, or use an extension like ClearURLs to strip tracking data from URLs automatically.

After installing a web browser, the first time you launch it (prior to configuring its privacy settings), most browsers will call home. Therefore, after installing a browser, you should first disable your internet connection, then configure privacy options before reenabling your internet connectivity.

The Tor Project provides a browser that encrypts and routes your traffic through multiple nodes, keeping users safe from interception and tracking. The main drawbacks are speed and user experience.

Many modern web apps are JavaScript-based, so disabling it will greatly decrease your browsing experience. But if you really want to go all out, then it will really reduce your attack surface.

Fake sites bought as ads often appear above the real result, especially for wallets, exchanges and banks. Skip the sponsored links and use your bookmarks or the official address.

Consider using a different email address for security-critical communications from trivial mail such as newsletters. This compartmentalization could reduce the amount of damage caused by a data breach, and also make it easier to recover a compromised account.

Do not share your primary email publicly, as mail addresses are often the starting point for most phishing attacks.

Use a long and unique password, enable 2FA and be careful while logging in. Your email account provides an easy entry point to all your other online accounts for an attacker.

Email messages can contain remote content such as images or stylesheets, often automatically loaded from the server. You should disable this, as it exposes your IP address and device information, and is often used for tracking. For more info, see this article.

There are two main types of emails on the internet: plaintext and HTML. The former is strongly preferred for privacy & security as HTML messages often include identifiers in links and inline images, which can collect usage and personal data. There's also numerous risks of remote code execution targeting the HTML parser of your mail client, which cannot be exploited if you are using plaintext. For more info, as well as setup instructions for your mail provider, see UsePlaintext.email.

If you give a third-party app or plug-in full access to your inbox, they effectively have full unhindered access to all your emails and their contents, which poses significant security and privacy risks.

Emails are very easily intercepted. Furthermore, you can’t be sure of how secure your recipient's environment is. Therefore, emails cannot be considered safe for exchanging confidential information, unless it is encrypted.

Secure and reputable email providers such as Forward Email, ProtonMail, and Tutanota allow for end-to-end encryption, full privacy as well as more security-focused features. Unlike typical email providers, your mailbox cannot be read by anyone but you, since all messages are encrypted.

OpenPGP does not support Forward secrecy, which means if either your or the recipient's private key is ever stolen, all previous messages encrypted with it will be exposed. Therefore, you should take great care to keep your private keys safe. One method of doing so, is to use a USB Smart Key to sign or decrypt messages, allowing you to do so without your private key leaving the USB device.

Email aliasing allows messages to be sent to [anything]@my-domain.com and still land in your primary inbox. Effectively allowing you to use a different, unique email address for each service you sign up for. This means if you start receiving spam, you can block that alias and determine which company leaked your email address.

An alternative to aliasing is subaddressing, where anything after the + symbol is omitted during mail delivery. This enables you to keep track of who shared/ leaked your email address, but unlike aliasing, it will not protect against your real address being revealed.

Using a custom domain means that you are not dependent on the address assigned by your mail provider. So you can easily switch providers in the future and do not need to worry about a service being discontinued.

To avoid losing temporary or permanent access to your emails during an unplanned event (such as an outage or account lock), Thunderbird can sync/ backup messages from multiple accounts via IMAP and store locally on your primary device.

You do not know how secure of an email environment the recipient of your message may have. There are several extensions that automatically crawl messages, and create a detailed database of contact information based upon email signatures.

Out-of-office automatic replies are very useful for informing people there will be a delay in replying, but all too often people reveal too much information- which can be used in social engineering and targeted attacks.

Do not use outdated protocols (below IMAPv4 or POPv3), both have known vulnerabilities and out-dated security.

Self-hosting your own mail server is not recommended for non-advanced users, since correctly securing it is critical yet requires strong networking knowledge.

There are SSL options for POP3, IMAP, and SMTP as standard TCP/IP ports. They are easy to use, and widely supported so should always be used instead of plaintext email ports.

For self-hosted mail servers, to prevent DNS problems impacting availability- use at least 2 MX records, with secondary and tertiary MX records for redundancy when the primary MX record fails.

For self-hosted mail servers (specifically SMTP), limit your total number of simultaneous connections, and maximum connection rate to reduce the impact of attempted bot attacks.

For self-hosted mail servers, you can improve spam filters and harden security, through maintaining an up-to-date local IP blacklist and a spam URI realtime block lists to filter out malicious hyperlinks.

Unexpected attachments, even from a known sender, are a classic way to deliver malware. Check with the sender through another channel, and if in doubt, scan them first or open them in an isolated environment.

An attacker who gets into your mailbox often adds a forwarding rule or a filter to keep reading your mail. Check these settings regularly: a rule you didn't create is a sign of compromise.

Old messages with ID scans, passwords or financial details are a treasure if your mailbox is breached. Move what you need to encrypted storage and delete the rest, trash included.

The display name proves nothing. When in doubt, look at the full headers: the real sender address, the servers the message went through and the SPF, DKIM and DMARC results.

If you own a domain, publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so nobody can send convincing email in your name. A domain that sends no email should say so (SPF -all, DMARC p=reject).

End-to-end encryption is a system of communication where messages are encrypted on your device and not decrypted until they reach the intended recipient. This ensures that any actor who intercepts traffic cannot read the message contents, nor can anybody with access to the central servers where data is stored.

If code is open source then it can be independently examined and audited by anyone qualified to do so, to ensure that there are no backdoors, vulnerabilities, or other security issues.

When selecting an encrypted messaging app, ensure it's fully open source, stable, actively maintained, and ideally backed by reputable developers.

Enable security settings, including contact verification, security notifications, and encryption. Disable optional non-security features such as read receipt, last online, and typing notification.

Your conversation can only be as secure as the weakest link. Often the easiest way to infiltrate a communications channel is to target the individual or node with the least protection.

Some mobile messaging apps offer a web or desktop companion. This not only increases attack surface but it has been linked to several critical security issues, and should therefore be avoided, if possible.

The risk of compromise rises exponentially, the more participants are in a group, as the attack surface increases. Periodically check that all participants are legitimate.

There are several stages where your digital communications could be monitored or intercepted. This includes: your or your participants' device, your ISP, national gateway or government logging, the messaging provider, the servers.

In certain situations, it may be worth making a communication plan. This should include primary and backup methods of securely getting in hold with each other.

Metadata is "Data about Data" or additional information attached to a file or transaction. When you send a photo, audio recording, video, or document you may be revealing more than you intended to.

Sending links via various services can unintentionally expose your personal information. This is because, when a thumbnail or preview is generated- it happens on the client-side.

Always ensure you are talking to the intended recipient, and that they have not been compromised. One method for doing so is to use an app which supports contact verification.

Self-destructing messages is a feature that causes your messages to automatically delete after a set amount of time. This means that if your device is lost, stolen, or seized, an adversary will only have access to the most recent communications.

SMS may be convenient, but it's not secure. It is susceptible to threats such as interception, sim swapping, manipulation, and malware.

Be wary of messaging applications with trackers, as the detailed usage statistics they collect are often very invasive, and can sometimes reveal your identity as well as personal information that you would otherwise not intend to share.

The jurisdictions where the organisation is based, and data is hosted should also be taken into account.

If you believe you may be targeted, you should opt for an anonymous messaging platform that does not require a phone number, or any other personally identifiable information to sign up or use.

Opt for a platform that implements forward secrecy. This is where your app generates a new encryption key for every message.

If all data flows through a central provider, you have to trust them with your data and meta-data. You cannot verify that the system running is authentic without back doors.

Message previews on a locked screen can be read by anyone nearby. Show only that a message arrived, not its content or its sender.

Add a separate lock (PIN or biometrics) to your messaging app, so a phone left unlocked doesn't hand over your conversations.

Chat backups in the cloud are often not end-to-end encrypted and can be read by the provider or by anyone who gets into the cloud account. Turn them off, or use end-to-end encrypted backups if the app offers them.

On Signal and similar apps, a registration lock PIN stops someone who takes over your phone number from registering your account on another device.

Messaging apps can be linked to computers and tablets. Review the list of linked devices regularly and remove any you don't recognize.

Social media profiles get stolen or taken over all too often. To protect your account: use a unique and strong password, and enable 2-factor authentication.

Most social networks allow you to control your privacy settings. Ensure that you are comfortable with what data you are currently exposing and to whom.

There are still numerous methods of viewing a users 'private' content across many social networks. Therefore, before uploading, posting or commenting on anything, think "Would I mind if this was totally public?"

Pretty much every post, comment, photo etc is being continuously backed up by a myriad of third-party services, who archive this data and make it indexable and publicly available almost forever.

Profile information creates a goldmine of info for hackers, the kind of data that helps them personalize phishing scams. Avoid sharing too much detail (DoB, Hometown, School etc).

Status updates, comments, check-ins and media can unintentionally reveal a lot more than you intended them to. This is especially relevant to photos and videos, which may show things in the background.

Posting your real email address or mobile number, gives hackers, trolls and spammers more munition to use against you, and can also allow separate aliases, profiles or data points to be connected.

By default many of the popular social networking apps will ask for permission to access your contacts, call log, location, messaging history etc. If they don’t need this access, don’t grant it.

Avoid signing up for accounts using a Social Network login, revoke access to social apps you no longer use.

If you plan to share any content that reveals a location, then wait until you have left that place. This is particularly important when you are taking a trip, at a restaurant, campus, hotel/resort, public building or airport.

Most smartphones and some cameras automatically attach a comprehensive set of additional data (called EXIF data) to each photograph. Remove this data before uploading.

Tools like Fawkes can be used to very subtly, slightly change the structure of faces within photos in a way that is imperceptible by humans, but will prevent facial recognition systems from being able to recognize a given face.

Even if you yourself never use social media, there is always going to be others who are not as careful, and could reveal your location.

If you just want to read, and do not intend on posting too much- consider using an alias name, and false contact details.

Social media is fundamentally un-private, so for maximum online security and privacy, avoid using any mainstream social networks.

Fake profiles collect your contacts, photos and habits before a scam. Accept only people you actually know, and check through another channel when in doubt.

Disable automatic face recognition and tagging in social networks and photo services, so your face isn't identified in other people's pictures.

Most networks let you prevent search engines from listing your profile. Turn it on so that your name doesn't lead straight to it.

Years of posts reveal your habits, places, family and possessions. Review and delete old posts, especially those with personal or financial details.

"Your first pet plus your street name" quizzes and similar trends collect the answers to security questions. Don't play.

Use a reputable, paid-for VPN. This can help protect sites you visit from logging your real IP, reduce the amount of data your ISP can collect, and increase protection on public WiFi.

After getting a new router, change the password. Default router passwords are publicly available, meaning anyone within proximity would be able to connect.

There are different authentication protocols for connecting to WiFi. Currently, the most secure options are WPA2 and WPA3 (on newer routers).

Manufacturers release firmware updates that fix security vulnerabilities, implement new standards, and sometimes add features or improve the performance of your router.

If you configure your VPN on your router, firewall, or home server, then traffic from all devices will be encrypted and routed through it, without needing individual VPN apps.

When using a VPN, it is extremely important to exclusively use the DNS server of your VPN provider or secure service.

OpenVPN and WireGuard are open source, lightweight, and secure tunneling protocols. Avoid using PPTP or SSTP.

Use DNS-over-HTTPS which performs DNS resolution via the HTTPS protocol, encrypting data between you and your DNS resolver.

Typically they’re manufactured cheaply in bulk in China, with insecure propriety firmware that doesn't receive regular security updates.

You can whitelist MAC addresses in your router settings, disallowing any unknown devices to immediately connect to your network, even if they know your credentials.

It is possible for a malicious script in your web browser to exploit a cross-site scripting vulnerability, accessing known-vulnerable routers at their local IP address and tampering with them.

You should update your network name, choosing an SSID that does not identify you, include your flat number/address, and does not specify the device brand/model.

WiFi SSIDs are scanned, logged, and then published on various websites, which is a serious privacy concern for some.

Your router's Service Set Identifier is simply the network name. If it is not visible, it may receive less abuse.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup provides an easier method to connect, without entering a long WiFi password, but WPS introduces a series of major security issues.

Universal Plug and Play allows applications to automatically forward a port on your router, but it has a long history of serious security issues.

Do not grant access to your primary WiFi network to visitors, as it enables them to interact with other devices on the network.

Modifying your router admin panel's default IP address will make it more difficult for malicious scripts targeting local IP addresses.

Services like Telnet and SSH that provide command-line access to devices should never be exposed to the internet and should also be disabled on the local network unless they're actually needed.

Close any open ports on your router that are not needed. Open ports provide an easy entrance for hackers.

When protocols such as PING, Telnet, SSH, UPnP, and HNAP etc are enabled, they allow your router to be probed from anywhere in the world.

You should treat your router's admin panel with the utmost care, as considerable damage can be caused if an attacker is able to gain access.

It's common to want to pump your router's range to the max, but if you reside in a smaller flat, your attack surface is increased when your WiFi network can be picked up across the street.

VPNs have their weaknesses. For increased security, route all your internet traffic through the Tor network.

Connecting to even a secure WiFi network increases your attack surface. Disabling your home WiFi and connect each device via Ethernet.

On a public network, wait until you are on a trusted connection for banking, exchanges or wallets, or at least use a reputable VPN.

Put smart devices and guests on separate networks (a VLAN or a dedicated Wi-Fi), so a compromised camera or light bulb can't reach your computers or your node.

An intrusion detection system (Suricata, Zeek, or the one built into your firewall) alerts you to unusual traffic on your network.

In order to keep your data safe from physical access, use file encryption. This will mean if your device is lost or stolen, no one will have access to your data.

When you're not using WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC etc, turn those features off. There are several common threats that utilise these features.

Uninstall apps that you don’t need or use regularly. As apps often run in the background, slowing your device down, but also collecting data.

Don’t grant apps permissions that they don’t need. For Android, Bouncer is an app that allows you to grant temporary/ 1-off permissions.

Applications on Apple App Store and Google Play Store are scanned and cryptographically signed, making them less likely to be malicious.

Juice Jacking is when hackers use public charging stations to install malware on your smartphone or tablet through a compromised USB port.

SIM hijacking is when a hacker is able to get your mobile number transferred to their sim. The easiest way to protect against this is to set up a PIN through your mobile provider.

To keep your details private, you can unlist your number from caller ID apps like TrueCaller, CallApp, SyncMe, and Hiya.

Consider using an offline maps app, such as OsmAnd or Organic Maps, to reduce data leaks from map apps.

You can slightly reduce the amount of data collected by opting-out of seeing personalized ads.

To protect against an attacker brute forcing your pin, set your device to erase after too many failed login attempts.

εxodus is a great service which lets you search for any app and see which trackers are embedded in it.

To prevent applications from leaking privacy-sensitive data, you can install a firewall app.

For Android, SuperFreeze makes it possible to entirely freeze all background activities on a per-app basis.

Prevent permission-hungry apps from accessing your private data with Island, a sandbox environment.

Orbot provides a system-wide Tor connection, which will help protect you from surveillance and public WiFi threats.

It is recommended to stick with your device's stock keyboard. If you choose to use a third-party keyboard app, ensure it is reputable.

Restarting your phone at least once a week will clear the app state cached in memory and may run more smoothly after a restart.

SMS should not be used to receive 2FA codes or for communication, instead use an encrypted messaging app, such as Signal.

MySudo allows you to create and use virtual phone numbers for different people or groups. This is great for compartmentalisation.

Stalkerware is malware that is installed directly onto your device by someone you know. The best way to get rid of it is through a factory reset.

Where possible, consider using a secure browser to access sites, rather than installing dedicated applications.

If you're concerned about your device manufacturer collecting too much personal information, consider a privacy-focused custom ROM.

QUIETKEYS Go further: GrapheneOS getting started guide (paid)

Turn on the option that blocks USB accessories while the phone is locked (USB Restricted Mode on iOS, USB port control on GrapheneOS, USB settings on other Android systems) to defeat data extraction tools.

Set AirDrop, Quick Share and similar features to off or contacts only, so strangers can't send you files or see your device name.

System updates contain fixes/patches for security issues, improve performance, and sometimes add new features. Install new updates when prompted.

Use BitLocker for Windows, FileVault on MacOS, or LUKS on Linux, to enable full disk encryption. This prevents unauthorized access if your computer is lost or stolen.

Maintaining encrypted backups prevents loss due to ransomware, theft, or damage. Consider using Cryptomator for cloud files or VeraCrypt for USB drives.

USB devices can pose serious threats. Consider making a USB sanitizer with CIRCLean to safely check USB devices.

Lock your computer when away and set it to require a password on resume from screensaver or sleep to prevent unauthorized access.

Voice-controlled assistants can have privacy implications due to data sent back for processing. Disable or limit their listening capabilities.

Keep installed applications to a minimum to reduce exposure to vulnerabilities and regularly clear application caches.

Control which apps have access to your location, camera, microphone, contacts, and other sensitive information.

Limit the amount of usage information or feedback sent to the cloud to protect your privacy.

Use a strong password instead of biometrics or short PINs for unlocking your computer to enhance security.

Shut down your device when not in use, especially if your disk is encrypted, to keep data secure.

Use a local account only to prevent data syncing and exposure. Avoid using sync services that compromise privacy.

Disable network sharing features you are not using to close gateways to common threats.

Use an unprivileged user account for daily tasks and only elevate permissions for administrative changes to mitigate vulnerabilities.

Cover your webcam when not in use and consider blocking unauthorized audio recording to protect privacy.

Use a screen privacy filter in public spaces to prevent shoulder surfing and protect sensitive information.

Use a Kensington Lock to secure your laptop in public spaces and consider port locks to prevent unauthorized physical access.

Use a power bank or AC wall charger instead of your PC to avoid security risks associated with USB connections.

Modify or randomize your MAC address to protect against tracking across different WiFi networks.

Install a firewall app to monitor and block unwanted internet access by certain applications, protecting against remote access attacks and privacy breaches.

Use key stroke encryption tools to protect against software keyloggers recording your keystrokes.

Be vigilant for hardware keyloggers when using public or unfamiliar computers by checking keyboard connections.

Lock your PC when away and consider using USBGuard or similar tools to protect against keystroke injection attacks.

Rely on built-in security tools and avoid free anti-virus applications due to their potential for privacy invasion and data collection.

QUIETKEYS Go further: ClamAV on Debian 13 guide (free)

Regularly check for rootkits to detect and mitigate full system control threats using tools like chkrootkit.

Enable a BIOS or UEFI password to add an additional security layer during boot-up, though be aware of its limitations.

Consider switching to Linux or a security-focused distro like QubeOS or Tails for enhanced privacy and security.

Use virtual machines for risky activities or testing suspicious software to isolate potential threats from your primary system.

Isolate different programs and data sources from one another as much as possible to limit the extent of potential breaches.

Disable unnecessary Windows "features" and services that run in the background to reduce data collection and resource use.

Ensure that Secure Boot is enabled to prevent malware from replacing your boot loader and other critical software.

Take steps to protect SSH access from attacks by changing the default port, using SSH keys, and configuring firewalls.

Turn off services listening on external ports that are not needed to protect against remote exploits and improve security.

Restrict privileged access to limit the damage that can be done if a system is compromised.

Deploy canary tokens to detect unauthorized access to your files or emails faster and gather information about the intruder.

Before parting with a computer, phone or drive, erase it properly: full-disk encryption followed by a factory reset, or the manufacturer's secure erase. Deleting files is not enough.

Keep three copies of your important data, on two different media, one of them off-site. Encrypt every copy.

A backup you have never restored may be incomplete or unreadable. Restore a few files regularly to check.

Manual backups get forgotten. Schedule them, and check from time to time that they really run.

Ransomware or a silent error can corrupt your latest backup too. Keep several versions over time, at least one of them offline.

Compare the checksum or signature of the software you download with the one published by the developer on the official site.

Look regularly at sign-in, update and security logs for anything unusual: failed logins, new services, unknown users.

Change default device names to something generic to prevent targeted attacks by obscuring brand or model information.

Use hardware switches to turn off microphones and cameras on smart devices to protect against accidental recordings or targeted access.

Research and ensure comfort with the data handling practices of smart home devices before purchase, avoiding devices that share data with third parties.

Adjust app settings for strictest privacy controls and opt-out of data sharing with third parties wherever possible.

Use anonymous usernames and passwords, avoiding sign-up/log-in via social media or other third-party services to maintain privacy.

Regularly update smart device firmware to apply security patches and enhancements.

Secure your home WiFi and network to prevent unauthorized access to smart devices.

Consider the extensive data collection capabilities of wearable devices and their implications for privacy.

Evaluate the risks of internet-connected thermostats, alarms, and detectors due to potential remote access by hackers.

Consider privacy-focused alternatives like Mycroft or use Project Alias to prevent idle listening by voice-activated assistants.

Use tools like FingBox or router features to monitor for unusual network activity.

Use firewalls to block internet access for devices that don't need it, limiting operation to local network use.

Consider the privacy implications for all household members and adjust device settings for security and privacy, such as disabling devices at certain times.

Enable fraud alerts and credit monitoring through Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax to be alerted of suspicious activity. This applies to the United States; elsewhere, use your bank's alerts.

Prevent unauthorized credit inquiries by freezing your credit through Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax (United States; check the equivalent in your country).

Utilize virtual card numbers for online transactions to protect your real banking details. Services like Privacy.com and MySudo offer such features.

Pay with Cash for local and everyday purchases to avoid financial profiling by institutions.

Opt for privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Monero for online transactions to maintain anonymity. Use cryptocurrencies wisely to ensure privacy.

Securely store cryptocurrencies using offline wallet generation, hardware wallets like Trezor or ColdCard, or consider long-term storage solutions like CryptoSteel.

Purchase cryptocurrencies without linking to your identity through peer-to-peer platforms like Bisq, RoboSats, HodlHodl, Peach or RetoSwap (see the conditions in the Bitcoin section), or Bitcoin ATMs. (LocalBitcoins, listed in the original, shut down in 2023.)

Use CoinJoin before converting bitcoin to currency to obscure transaction trails. Check the law in your country first.

For online purchases, consider using alias details, forwarding email addresses, VOIP numbers, and secure delivery methods to protect your identity.

Opt for deliveries to non-personal addresses such as PO Boxes, forwarding addresses, or local pickup locations to avoid linking purchases directly to you.

Emails can be easily spoofed. Verify the sender's authenticity, especially for sensitive actions, and prefer entering URLs manually rather than clicking links in emails.

Fake pop-ups can be deployed by malicious actors. Always check the URL before entering any information on a popup.

Unattended devices can be compromised even with strong passwords. Use encryption and remote erase features like Find My Phone for lost devices.

Protect against camfecting by using webcam covers and microphone blockers. Mute home assistants when not in use or discussing sensitive matters.

Use privacy screens on laptops and mobiles to prevent others from reading your screen in public spaces.

Be cautious of phishing attempts. Verify URLs, context of received messages, and employ good security practices like using 2FA and not reusing passwords.

Be aware of stalkerware installed by acquaintances for spying. Look out for signs like unusual battery usage and perform factory resets if suspected.

Only download software from legitimate sources and check files with tools like Virus Total before installation.

Ensure all personal data on devices or in the cloud is encrypted to protect against unauthorized access.

When sharing documents, obscure personal details with opaque rectangles to prevent information leakage.

HTTPS does not guarantee a website's legitimacy. Verify URLs and exercise caution with personal data.

Use virtual cards for online payments to protect your banking details and limit transaction risks.

Regularly review and manage app permissions to ensure no unnecessary access to sensitive device features.

Remove yourself from public databases and marketing lists to reduce unwanted contacts and potential risks.

Do not provide additional personal information when opting out of data services to avoid further data collection.

Many apps and services default to data sharing settings. Opt out to protect your data from being shared with third parties.

Regularly check and update your social media settings due to frequent terms updates that may affect your privacy settings.

Keep different areas of digital activity separate to limit data exposure in case of a breach.

Use WhoIs Privacy Guard for domain registrations to protect your personal information from public searches.

Use a PO Box or forwarding address for mail to prevent companies from knowing your real address, adding a layer of privacy protection.

Opt for anonymous payment methods like cryptocurrencies to avoid entering identifiable information online.

"Your account will be closed", "act within the hour": urgency is the main lever of fraud. Slow down and verify through a channel you already know.

A message from your bank, a colleague or a relative asking for something unusual? Call them back on a number you already have, never the one in the message.

A voice or a video can now be faked in minutes. Agree on a code word with your family for emergencies, and hang up and call back before acting.

Fake support often asks you to share your screen or install a remote-access tool. Refuse: they would see, and sometimes control, everything.

A QR code can lead to a fake site or a malicious download, and stickers are easily placed over real ones (parking meters, menus, posters). Check the address before opening it.

A "lost" USB drive is a classic bait to infect a computer. Don't plug it in: hand it in.

Airdrops, giveaways that double your coins, guaranteed returns: these are scams. Nobody gives away money in exchange for a deposit.

A screenshot of a payment, a balance or a conversation is easy to fake. Check the original source yourself.

Your security also depends on your family and colleagues. Share the basics with them: phishing, urgency, the code word, updates.

Report phishing to the impersonated service and to the authorities or reporting platform of your country. It helps protect others.

In the European Union, the GDPR (Article 17) lets you ask a company to delete your personal data. Use it for the services you no longer use.

Data brokers resell your address, phone number and habits. Send them deletion requests, or use a removal service if you are willing to trust it with your data.

Search for your name, addresses and usernames from time to time to see what is public, and request removal or delisting where you can.

Contests and free offers are often a way to collect your contact details and resell them.

PDF and office documents can contain your name, your organization, revision history and comments. Clean them before sharing.

Shred or redact sensitive documents before disposal to protect against identity theft and maintain confidentiality.

Contact people search websites to opt-out from listings that show persona information, using guides like Michael Bazzell's Personal Data Removal Workbook.

Add a watermark with the recipient's name and date to digital copies of personal documents to trace the source of a breach.

Only share personal data on calls you initiate and verify the recipient's phone number.

Be aware of your surroundings and assess potential risks in new environments.

Ensure physical security of locations storing personal info devices, minimizing external access and using intrusion detection systems.

Use physical security measures like Kensington locks, webcam covers, and privacy screens for devices.

Prevent devices from being visible from outside to mitigate risks from lasers and theft.

Shield your PIN entry from onlookers and cameras, and clean touchscreens after use.

Inspect ATMs and public devices for skimming devices and tampering signs before use.

Use alternative locations, forwarding addresses, and anonymous payment methods to protect your home address.

Prefer PINs over biometrics for device security in situations where legal coercion to unlock devices may occur.

Wear disguises and choose routes with fewer cameras to avoid surveillance.

Wear clothing with patterns that trick facial-recognition technology.

Use IR light sources or reflective glasses to obstruct night vision cameras.

Avoid sharing DNA with heritage websites and be cautious about leaving DNA traces.

A USB key labelled "backup" or "wallet" tells a thief what to take. Use neutral labels, or none.

Erase whiteboards, shred notes and close documents after working on something sensitive, especially in shared spaces.

Keep your private keys on a dedicated hardware wallet (for example Coldcard, BitBox, Trezor or SeedSigner), which signs transactions without exposing the keys to your computer. Buy it directly from the manufacturer and check the packaging and seals on arrival.

Create your recovery phrase directly on the hardware wallet, never on a website or an internet-connected computer. Discard any seed that came pre-printed or was suggested by someone else.

QUIETKEYS Go further: Offline Secret Generator (free) · BIP39 · passphrase · BIP85 memo (free)

No photo, screenshot, scan, note app, password manager or cloud drive: digital copies can be hacked, synced without you noticing or recovered after deletion. Write it by hand, and check that your phone and computer are not automatically backing up anything wallet-related to the cloud.

Paper burns, soaks up water and fades. Stamp or engrave your recovery phrase on a steel plate, which survives fire and flooding.

Store your seed backups in a safe or another place that is locked, discreet and protected from fire and water, out of sight of visitors.

A single backup in a single place is a single point of failure: fire, flood or burglary can take everything. Keep at least two copies in geographically separate places you trust.

A BIP39 passphrase (the "25th word") creates a separate wallet that the seed alone cannot open, so a stolen seed is not enough. Store the passphrase apart from the seed: if you lose it, the funds are gone for good.

QUIETKEYS Go further: BIP39 · passphrase · BIP85 memo (free) · Offline Secret Generator (free)

Use a long, random PIN (8 digits or more) and check that the device wipes itself after too many failed attempts.

Install firmware updates only from the manufacturer's official source, after checking their authenticity (signature or on-device verification). Read the release notes before updating.

"Not your keys, not your coins": an exchange can be hacked, freeze withdrawals or go bankrupt. Withdraw to your own wallet after buying and keep only what you actively trade there.

Malware can swap the address you copy for its own. Before receiving or sending, check the full address on your hardware wallet's screen, not just on your computer.

Before moving a large amount, send a small one and confirm that it arrives where you expect and that you can spend it.

Keep a small hot wallet on your phone for everyday spending and the rest in cold storage that never touches an internet-connected device.

Before installing wallet software (Bitcoin Core, Sparrow, Electrum…), check its PGP signature or published hashes, and download only from the official site, never from a mirror or a link sent to you.

Manage your bitcoin from a device used for nothing else: no general browsing, no email, no random downloads. Encrypt its disk, keep its firewall on and keep it up to date.

If a device has been tampered with, lost for a while or behaves strangely, move the funds to a new wallet with a new seed and physically destroy the old device. Consider the old seed burned.

Rooting or jailbreaking breaks the isolation between apps: any compromised app could then read your wallet. Keep the device you use for Bitcoin on its stock, up-to-date system, or on a hardened one such as GrapheneOS.

QUIETKEYS Go further: GrapheneOS getting started guide (paid)

Never say publicly that you own bitcoin, let alone how much. Every person who knows is a potential leak, and holders get targeted for theft, kidnapping and the "$5 wrench attack".

A sticker on your laptop, phone, car or door tells people who to target. Stay discreet in the physical world too.

No support team, exchange, manufacturer or authority will ever ask for your recovery phrase. Fake support, phishing and impersonation calls are the most common attacks: hang up, and check the address yourself.

When you write, check or restore your seed, make sure no webcam, security camera, phone or voice assistant can see or hear it. Do it in a room without cameras.

Close your wallets before any screen share or video call, so no address or balance appears by accident.

Never carry your hardware wallet and its seed backup together. When you travel, leave the backup in a safe place, or travel with a separate wallet holding a limited amount.

QUIETKEYS Go further: Bitcoin multisig & nomadism guide (paid)

Prepare a wallet with a small, believable amount you can reveal under duress, for example the wallet without passphrase while your savings sit behind the passphrase. Some devices also support a duress PIN.

QUIETKEYS Go further: BIP39 · passphrase · BIP85 memo (free)

Run your own Bitcoin node (Bitcoin Core, or a packaged node such as Umbrel, Start9 or RaspiBlitz) and connect your wallets to it, ideally over Tor, so you verify your own transactions and don't reveal your addresses to public servers.

A node or home server holds your wallet history, and sometimes hot keys (Lightning). Keep it in a locked, discreet place, with an encrypted disk.

An uninterruptible power supply protects your node from power cuts, which can corrupt its database or force a long resync, and lets it shut down cleanly.

Avoid public Wi-Fi for Bitcoin operations, and use Tor or a trusted VPN so your IP address isn't linked to your transactions or your wallet's server requests.

Use a new address for every payment you receive. Reusing addresses destroys your privacy and makes your history easy to trace.

KYC permanently links your identity to your addresses. Where it is legal for you, prefer peer-to-peer platforms: Bisq (on-chain, multisig escrow, Tor network, desktop and Android), RoboSats (Lightning, Tor only, no registration), HodlHodl (2-of-3 multisig, web; ID may be requested in a dispute), Peach (Swiss mobile app, KYC-free within limits; since 1 September 2026, during an appeal against a regulator's decision, its escrow is paused, selling requires KYC or a qualifying trade history and purchases are capped at CHF 500 per trade) or RetoSwap (Haveno network, desktop app: every trade is against Monero, with a 2-of-3 multisig escrow and a 15% security deposit, so for bitcoin it is a route through Monero). These platforms change fast: check their current status and conditions before sending funds, and never link your addresses to your name, email or phone.

Choose which UTXOs each transaction spends, label them by origin, and avoid merging coins from different sources. Consolidate only when fees are low.

CoinJoin breaks the links between your addresses. Active options: Whirlpool with Ashigaru (the open-source continuation of Samourai's Whirlpool, Tor only; its developers state they have no link with the original team), JoinMarket, or Wasabi Wallet with a coordinator you trust. Check the law in your country first.

To receive recurring payments without publishing a static address, use reusable payment codes (BIP47, for example Ashigaru's PayNyms or Sparrow) or silent payments (BIP352), supported by a growing number of wallets.

A self-custodial Lightning wallet is fast and more private for everyday payments. Keep only small amounts on it.

Before trusting a backup, reset a device and restore your wallet from it. An untested backup is a hope, not a backup.

Once a year, check that each backup is still readable and intact, and that you still remember the restore procedure. Update your documentation if anything changed.

Document your setup separately from the seed: wallet type and model, firmware version, script type and derivation path, whether a passphrase is used, where each backup is. Store it encrypted or sealed.

QUIETKEYS Go further: Emergency transmission guide (free)

Along with the seed, keep a copy of your wallet's output descriptor (or the multisig configuration file): without it, a multisig cannot be recovered even with enough seeds. It holds no private key but reveals your addresses, so store it privately.

Without a plan, your bitcoin is lost forever if you die or become incapacitated. Leave clear, tested instructions with a trusted person or a notary, without handing over the keys themselves.

QUIETKEYS Go further: Emergency transmission guide (free)

A 2-of-3 multisig (with Sparrow, Specter, Nunchuk…) removes the single point of failure: one stolen or lost key is not enough. Spread the keys across places and test the signing procedure.

QUIETKEYS Go further: Bitcoin multisig & nomadism guide (paid)

A Shamir backup splits your recovery into shares (for example 3 of 5) stored in different places. Two options: Codex32 (BIP93), supported by Coldcard since October 2026 (firmware 5.6.3 on Mk4/Mk5, 1.5.3Q on Q) and checkable by hand on paper, or SLIP39 on Trezor. Neither is a standard BIP39 phrase, and Coldcard's own share formats (CW1, CX1) need recovery software that explicitly supports them: test the recovery before relying on it, and never keep as many shares as the threshold in one place.

Wallets based on miniscript, such as Liana, let you add a recovery key that becomes usable only after a period of inactivity, which is useful for inheritance and lost keys.

For critical amounts, sign on a device that never connects to the internet (Coldcard, SeedSigner…), and move partially signed transactions (PSBT) by QR code or microSD card.

OpenTimestamps anchors the hash of a document in the Bitcoin blockchain to prove it existed at a given date, without revealing its content: useful for a will, a contract or your recovery instructions.