Security habits that still work in five years.
The single biggest predictor of whether someone still has their crypto in five years is whether they wrote down a seed phrase and stored it like cash.
Wallet security, the boring version that actually works.
Most lost-funds stories are not sophisticated attacks. They are a phishing site that looked like the real wallet, a seed phrase typed into a password manager that synced to a cloud, a backup written in pencil on a sticky note, or a person who died without telling anyone how to reach the wallet. Plan for those, not for movie threats, and the survivorship odds get dramatically better.
Everything else — the password, the encrypted file, the hardware device — is convenience on top of the seed. Lose the seed and lose access. Leak the seed and lose funds. Treat those 12 or 24 words like a bearer instrument, because that is what they are.
A seed phrase is not a password. It cannot be reset. It cannot be reissued. There is no "forgot seed" link, because the seed is the cryptographic key the entire wallet is derived from. Once written down and stored well, it works forever. Once leaked, the funds it controls are effectively already stolen — the only question is when the attacker decides to move them.
Where to store a backup
- Paper is fine for years; ink fades and fire destroys.
- Stamped or engraved metal is better for decades.
- Two physical copies in different locations beats one perfect copy.
- Never type the seed into a phone, a password manager, or a cloud document.
- Never photograph the seed — phone cameras silently sync to cloud backups.
The cheapest reasonable setup: write the seed on paper in clear printed letters, seal it in an envelope, store it somewhere fire- and flood-resistant (a small home safe, or a bank safe-deposit box). The next step up: stamp the seed into a steel plate sold for this purpose. Both are better than the average crypto backup, which lives on a phone screenshot.
Use a clean machine for the wallet if you can. Keep the OS patched. Don't install random browser extensions on the same profile. Don't run pirated software on the wallet machine. For meaningful balances, pair a hardware device and verify destinations on the device screen — that one habit defeats the most common host-compromise scenarios.
Electrum RVN binaries are published on the Electrum RVN download page with signed installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux, alongside checksums and signatures that anyone can verify against a reproducible build. Install from that page and the wallet running on your machine matches the published source. A seed phrase is private cryptographic material; legitimate support channels never ask for it, and the wallet itself never transmits it.
Threat modelling for normal people
Most people aren't being targeted by sophisticated attackers. The real risks are mundane: forgotten passwords, broken backups, a shared family laptop with unknown software on it, credentials reused across services, and inheritance after a death. Plan for those, not for movie threats — and you will be better protected than the overwhelming majority of crypto holders.
If your backup plan would not survive a house fire and a forgotten password in the same week, it is not a backup plan.
Write down where the backup lives and what it unlocks, in a form a non-technical executor can act on. A vault nobody can open is identical to lost funds. The legal-pad version is fine: a sealed envelope in a known location, instructions for an executor, a note that the contents are valuable and should be brought to a specific person or lawyer. Update it when the setup changes.
Don't type the seed into a connected device. Don't store it in cloud storage, photos, or password managers that sync to a server. Don't reveal that you hold significant balances, on social media or in person. Treat any unsolicited "wallet update" prompt the same way you would treat an unsolicited bank email — ignore it and open the wallet yourself. None of these are exotic threats; they account for almost every self-custody loss that isn't an exchange failure.
Security habits that age well
Always download the wallet directly from the official download page, even on routine updates. Pair a hardware signer with the wallet for any balance you'd be unhappy to lose. Rehearse the recovery path once a year on a wipeable machine. Write down where the backup lives, in a form a non-technical executor can act on. Re-read this list every time you upgrade the wallet — habit drift is the slowest and most reliable failure mode in self-custody.
Frequently asked
Continue with Electrum RVN
- is Electrum RVN safe — full threat-model writeup
- Electrum seed phrase — store and rotate backups safely
- cold storage Ravencoin — long-term offline custody
Run your own Ravencoin wallet.
Open-source, lightweight, and built for the desktop user who wants real control over keys and assets. Download the wallet directly from our download page — signed installers for every operating system.