Here's a list of the five things that I believe will help keep you from losing your coins. 

 

**Store your cryptocurrencies in a safe location**

Don't leave your money on an exchange, you lose a lot of control over your coins, you wont own the private keys and they're constantly vulnerable to hacks and DDOS attacks which puts your money at a considerable risk.

Hardware wallets are the safest method of storing your coins. An example of a hardware wallet would be a [Ledger Nano S](https://www.ledgerwallet.com/). These types of wallets do not have the ability to access the internet.

There are wallets in between these two options that have their own benefits and differing levels of security such as paper, software and USB sticks.

![18887920396_bef27d582b_o.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRWNZ1Y5RYsMZJdezUN4JM2vUz5EvCqxekgMkZ37t2WZg/18887920396_bef27d582b_o.png)
*Image by [Tech in Asia](https://www.techinasia.com)*


**Utilise Two Factor Authentication**

This is a vital step to prevent criminals from getting access to your wallet, a common authenticator is the [Google Authenticator](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.authenticator2&hl=en_GB) this added security creates a code that is used in conjunction with your password and username to access your account which prevents attackers from getting into your account if they don't have physical access to that device. 

Always keep a copy of any authenticator generated code stored safely offline, just in case you lose your device.

For even more security you could use a [Fido](https://www.yubico.com/products/yubikey-hardware/) hardware key. 

**Use strong passwords and/or a password manager**

Strong passwords are more secure than easy to guess passwords, the more complicated and longer the password, the better, but these can be hard to remember and a pain if you lose them. That's why [password managers](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lastpass.lpandroid&hl=en_GB) are really convenient, they allow you the safety of really strong passwords and the convenience of having access to them wherever you are. 

**Use anti-malware software**

This is a must, malware is malicious software than comes in a variety of forms, both harmful and intrusive such as viruses, trojan horses, spyware and ransomware all of which can be used to part you from your coins.

I use [Malwarebytes](https://www.malwarebytes.com/) to guard me against these types of intrusions.

**Don't use your mobile phone number as an authentication step**

Hackers can use your mobile number to access your account if you use it as a form of password recovery, they do this through a method called [social engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_(security)) by contacting your network provider's customer service team and getting them to port your mobile number to their SIM card allowing them to use your mobile number to get into your account via password recovery. 

Here's a great visual guide by [Jennifer Leigh](https://twitter.com/Jennicide/status/940236428411367424) of other things you can do to improve your security.
![Bitcoin.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTuBHbi3cRzbFWQqRxiASjJGWYttN11MEYbPsB7ZNjEJ2/Bitcoin.jpg)


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