When creating a Helium account, users are prompted to write down the 24-word seed phrase. Thismnemonic phrase is generated from alist of 2048 specificallyselected words and can be used to recover the private key of the account. The seed phrase shouldnever be shared.
Seed Phrase Security
Lose the seed phrase, lose it all.
The seed phrase words can never be recovered if they are lost. They are the sole key to accessing anaccount, the tokens and NFTs it contains, and all access to associated Hotspots and their rewards.
Remember these important things.
- Write down and keep seed phrases safe, do it now.
- Never give seed phrase words to anyone who cannot be trusted with full control of your Hotspotsand token balances.
- Do not enter seed phrase words in any app or website you don't fully trust.
Back up a seed phrase by writing down the words in their exact order and appropriately securingthem. As an even more robust solution, some experienced crypto users engrave their seed phrases ontitanium plates.
Storing seed phrases on cloud storage providers like Google Drive or Dropbox is not recommended.When these services are compromised, seed phrases are among the first things that hackers look for.
No one can recover a lost, forgotten, or misplaced seed phrase. Offers to do so should be ignored.
When entering the seed phrase make sure you:
- Enter them in the right order.
- Get the spelling correct. Check the words from this list for correct spelling:https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039/english.txt
- Watch out for similar-sounding word errors, like 'car' vs 'can' or 'blub' vs 'bulk'. SeeCommonly Misspelled Recovery Seed Words,which lists common mistakes.
12 vs 24-Word Seed Phrases
While seed phrases can come in a few different lengths, 12 and 24-word will be most familiar forHelium users. Most early accounts leverage a 12-word seed phrase. Accounts created with theHelium Wallet App are generated with 24-word seed phrases. The HeliumWallet app supports both formats.
With 128 bits of entropy, a 12-word seed phrase has 3.4 × 1038 possible combinations. A24-word seed phrase has 256 bits of entropy, resulting in approximately 1.16 × 1077possible combinations. Both are highly secure, but 24-word phrases offer the best protection.
| PhraseLength | Possible Combinations |
|---|
| 12 Words | 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 |
| 24 Words | 115,792,089,237,316,195,423,570,985,008,687,907,853,269,984,665,640,564,039,457,584,007,913,129,639,936 |
FAQs
Adequate Protection: With 2^128 possible combinations, the 12-word seed is a fortress against brute-force attacks. For most users, this level of security is more than sufficient to safeguard their digital assets.
How hard is it to crack a 24-word seed phrase? ›
However, seed phrases are considered very secure by modern standards. With a 12- or 24-word seed phrase out of 2048 possible words, determining the right words in the right sequence is almost impossible.
Is it possible to guess a seed phrase? ›
Using large, random numbers to create wallets enables users to “open up a bitcoin account” without having to contact, trust or rely on anyone else. The large amount of theoretical wallets make it practically impossible for anyone to guess your seed phrase, not to mention “re-creating” your wallet by sheer accident.
How do I recover my wallet without seed phrase? ›
Recovering a wallet without a seed phrase
- Contact the wallet provider. Some wallet providers may be able to help users recover their wallets if they can provide them with enough information, such as email addresses or phone numbers.
- Hire a data recovery specialist.
Windows command shell knowledge is also helpful. The Tweet challenged users to decipher the correct order of the 12-word seed phrase. Fraser cracked the code using BTCrecover, a software application available on GitHub. It took just 25 minutes to unlock the 100,000 satoshis, worth just under $30.
How do I recover my 12-word wallet recovery phrase? ›
If you forgot to write down your backup phrase you can always access it within the wallet. You just need to enter the wallet with your password. Then go to the Settings tab and find Private Keys. View your phrase and save it in a safe place.
What is an example of a 12-word seed phrase? ›
Here is an example of what a 12-word seed phrase can look like: carpet, cat, flower, chair, foot, river, make, image, amazing, three, say, shoe. The seed phrase is generated the first time a user sets up a wallet.
What is the most common seed phrase? ›
One of the most widely-used standards for seed phrases is BIP39 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 39). And while it was initially proposed for bitcoin wallets, it became a popular standard across the board. It outlines how crypto wallets generate the phrase and reinterprets each word for wallet recovery.
How secure is a 24-word seed phrase? ›
In contrast, 24-word seed phrases offer 256 bits of entropy, doubling the theoretical security. However, the practical security gain from using a 24-word phrase over a 12-word one is not as substantial as the numbers suggest. The effective security of Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography (secp256k1) is 128 bits.
Can someone steal your crypto with your seed phrase? ›
A seed phrase is a set of words that act as a password to access your cryptocurrency wallet. Losing or compromising your seed phrase can result in the loss of your digital assets.
Q: Can someone steal my cryptocurrency if they have my wallet address? A: While it's unlikely someone can steal cryptocurrency with your wallet address alone, crypto wallets can be hacked through other means, such as phishing, malware, or social engineering tactics.
Can two people have the same seed phrase? ›
The total number of cryptocurrency wallets is insignificant compared to the number of possible seed phrases. Put simply, it's virtually impossible for two people to receive the same seed phrase.
How do I reveal my trust wallet seed phrase? ›
Select Settings, located in the bottom row. Choose View Secret Phrase. Enter your password, then click on Reveal.
What happens if you forget your seed phrase? ›
If you lose your seed phrase, you can still use your blockchain wallet to recover your crypto. In this situation, you should transfer all your funds out of that blockchain wallet immediately.
Does MetaMask seed phrase restore all accounts? ›
When MetaMask creates or restores your wallet from the Secret Recovery Phrase, it initially produces only the first account. However, any additional accounts you create can be re-created in a future instance of MetaMask. As the wallet is deterministic, it will always re-create the same accounts, in the same order.
How do you recover a 12-word seed phrase? ›
A seed phrase, also known as a Secret Recovery Phrase (SRP) or mnemonic, is simply a collection of words that allows you to restore your entire crypto wallet. It's those 12-24 English words that your wallet presented you with while setting it up.
Can you change your 12-word seed phrase? ›
The only way to change your 12-word phrase is to create a new Atomic Wallet. For each wallet, a 12-word backup phrase is generated only once and creates the private-public key pairs for all the coins.
How safe are seed phrases? ›
Storing your seed phrase on a cloud service, linked devices, or on your personal computer defeats the purpose of using a self-custody wallet, as this makes it easier for hackers to target your seed phrase. Keeping it offline can prevent any form of a cyberattack.
Can a seed phrase be hacked? ›
Hackers have proven time and again that it is relatively easy to engineer phishing attacks and simply persuade users to disclose their seed phrases. Moreover, accounts protected solely by the seed phrase are highly vulnerable to malware; for instance, a user clicks a malicious link, and their money's gone.
