Hardware wallets radically reduce risk, but they are not a substitute for good operational security. The most common loss scenarios involve social engineering, phishing, and poor handling of the recovery phrase. This section gives clear, practical guidance to protect your assets over the long term.
Never share your recovery phrase. The recovery phrase is the master key to your funds. Anyone who has it can restore your wallet on another device and steal your funds. Ledger support, legitimate exchanges, and law enforcement will never ask you to disclose it.
Write it down offline. Use a durable method — high quality paper stored in a safe, or consider metal seed backups for long-term protection against fire, moisture, and aging. Keep at least one secure copy in a different physical location (e.g., a home safe and a safety deposit box), but be mindful of the trade-offs between redundancy and exposure.
Guard against phishing. Attackers create convincing fake websites, emails, or apps that imitate official services and trick users into entering their recovery phrases. Always type the correct address, use bookmarks for important sites, and verify TLS/HTTPS. Never paste your recovery phrase into a website or app.
Tip: When in doubt, disconnect your device and check official documentation or support channels. Confirm that you are on the official application or page before proceeding with any sensitive action.
Operational measures
Use a unique PIN and change it if you suspect it’s been exposed. Avoid using the device on shared or untrusted computers when possible. If you must use a public computer, treat it as compromised: do not enter sensitive information or sign transactions you don't fully control.
Handling large holdings
If you manage substantial assets, consider splitting them across multiple devices or using a multi-signature arrangement where several hardware devices or signers are required to approve large transactions. Multi-sig increases complexity but can significantly reduce single-point failure risks.
Finally, keep software up to date. Firmware updates and Ledger Live updates include security and compatibility improvements. Always follow official instructions when updating firmware; do not install unofficial firmware.