BIP-39 Seed Phrases: The Most Dangerous Backup You’ll Ever Own
Practical cybersecurity guide on the risks and responsibilities of BIP-39 seed phrase storage and management.
PDF document · Published
Open the PDF (8 pages, 144 KB)
Contents
- Let's be clear
- What Is a BIP-39 Seed Phrase, Really?
- Some things people think are safe (but aren't)
- Instead, experts recommend
- Are There Better Alternatives?
- Some projects offer alternatives
- And never - ever - let it be found
- Keywords:
- BIP-39 · seed phrase · crypto backup · wallet recovery · self-custody · private key · crypto security · Shamir Secret Sharing · SLIP-39 · digital sovereignty
Guides on the same subject
- How to Store a Seed Phrase: Paper, Steel and Safe Locations
Store a seed phrase offline on paper or stamped steel, in at least two separate places, never as a photo or file, and test each copy by restoring from it.
- Test Your Wallet Backup: A Self-Audit of Your Seed Phrase
Audit your own wallet the way a thief or an heir would: test the backup, find stray copies, count what a partial leak reveals and check your passwords.
- How to Store Crypto Safely: A Hot, Cold and Backup Plan
A practical plan for storing crypto: a small hot wallet for spending, cold storage for savings, separate backups and safe transfers between them.
One of the documents in the Seed Phrase PDF Archive, listed on archive page 4.