Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Protecting cryptocurrency means securing more than the device that holds a private key. You also need to assess the software that prepares a transaction, the screen that displays it, and the people and processes that authorize it. The February 2025 Bybit theft shows why: according to the FBI, North Korean actors stole about $1.5 billion in virtual assets; Ledger and Bybit describe a compromised signing interface that deceived signers.
What happened in the Bybit theft?
On February 26, 2025, the FBI said approximately $1.5 billion in virtual assets had been stolen from Bybit on or about February 21. It attributed the activity, which it called TraderTraitor, to North Korea and said the stolen assets were being converted and dispersed across many addresses. That is the FBI’s attribution and estimate; its announcement does not provide the detailed technical account of how the signers were deceived.
Bybit’s incident timeline reports a total loss of $1.46 billion across ETH, stETH, cmETH, and mETH. The exchange and Ledger provide the technical description: Ledger’s March 27, 2025 analysis says attackers compromised the delivery of Safe.Global’s signing interface and altered a transaction so Bybit signers approved a change to the wallet’s contract logic. Bybit likewise says signers were deceived through the Safe UI. Treat those details as the accounts of Ledger, a wallet vendor, and Bybit, the affected exchange—not as technical findings stated in the FBI announcement.
The case matters because a signature can be genuine while the request presented for approval is deceptive. A multisignature setup or a device that keeps keys offline does not by itself secure every part of the signing process.
#1 Best Overall
- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
- Enjoy Bluetooth connectivity, iOS access, and hours of battery use with this mobile-first, secure backup signer. Freedom you can depend on.
- Genuine Check: confirm your signer is authentic during setup with the Ledger Wallet app.
- Protect your signer: keep it in mint condition at all times with a bespoke Pod or Case to avoid scratches and everyday wear and tear.
What do the FBI’s cryptocurrency loss figures show?
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2025 annual report lists the following three-year series under “Cryptocurrency.” These are losses reported in complaints, not a census of all crypto crime or a count limited to confirmed theft. Complaints can be incomplete, and the category does not establish the scale of worldwide losses.
| Report year | Reported cryptocurrency losses |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $1,653,484,444 |
| 2024 | $2,839,333,197 |
| 2025 | $4,347,081,557 |
The series shows an increase in losses reported to the FBI’s IC3 from one year to the next. It cannot establish the total amount stolen globally, how much went unreported, or that every reported loss resulted from a confirmed criminal theft.
Rank #2
- Proven security at scale: Over 9 years and millions of cards issued with no known remote hacks, while military‑grade EAL6+ security keeps your private keys locked inside the chip. Your cryptocurrencies stay strongly protected from online attackers.
- Tap once to manage your entire crypto wallet across 90 blockchains - no USB cables or Bluetooth, no batteries, no setup. Access 14,100+ coins & tokens, DeFi, NFTs, and staking instantly from your phone
- Smart backup: Use your second Tangem Wallet as your Backup keys with end‑to‑end encryption; no more papers, pictures. If one card is lost, the remaining can still restore full access, with an optional seed phrase available for advanced users.
- Engineered to last up to 25 years: Waterproof (IP69K), shockproof and tested for extreme temperatures from −25°C to 50°C. A durable cold wallet with long‑term protection and independently audited security.
- Trusted by 6 million users worldwide - buy, sell, swap, stake, and spend cryptocurrency directly. The secure offline storage wallet designed for how people actually use crypto wallets
How do I secure my crypto wallet?
Start by treating key custody and transaction approval as separate risks. A private key controls access to assets, but software, websites, contract permissions, and human decisions can all affect what happens when you use it.
Keep recovery information private and recoverable
- Never share a seed phrase or private key with a person, website, or unsolicited support contact. Do not store it in screenshots or ordinary cloud backups where an account compromise could expose it.
- Keep recovery materials separate from the wallet device, and learn the provider’s recovery procedure before you depend on it. The available guidance establishes the importance of protecting key material; it does not provide an independent comparison of recovery methods.
- Be alert to unsolicited investment offers and online pitches that build trust before promoting an investment. The FBI has described cryptocurrency investment fraud using that approach.
Inspect requests before approving them
- Read the transaction information shown on your signing device, when available, and reject requests you did not initiate or cannot explain. Ledger’s clear-signing material recommends reviewing transaction details; that is vendor guidance, not independent proof that a device makes a transaction safe.
- For smart-contract approvals and unfamiliar decentralized apps, understand what action or permission the request grants before signing. A valid signature can authorize a harmful transaction or permission.
- If the displayed information is unclear or materially different from what you intended, stop. Do not approve a request solely because it appeared after connecting a wallet or because a trusted-looking interface presented it.
Are hardware wallets safer?
A hardware wallet can reduce some exposure by keeping key material away from an internet-connected computer or phone. Whether it suits you depends on the assets and networks you use, how clearly it displays transaction details, and whether you can follow its update and recovery processes. The sources available here do not provide independent comparative testing of wallet models, so they do not support ranking particular devices.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
- Unparalleled Security: Protect your assets with EAL 6+ Secure Element, offering robust defense and complete transparency
- Simple & Secure Interface: Manage your digital assets easily with a clear OLED screen for secure on-device confirmations
- Supports 1000s of Coins & Tokens: Securely handle thousands of assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more, all in one wallet
- Effortless Asset Management: Monitor and transact seamlessly with Trezor Suite, our intuitive desktop and mobile app
- Enhanced Backup Solution: Multi-share Backup eliminates single points of failure for secure cold wallet recovery
A hardware signer is one control, not a guarantee. It cannot by itself establish that a transaction interface is trustworthy, that a smart-contract permission is benign, or that an approval request is legitimate. The Bybit case, as described by Ledger and Bybit, illustrates why the signing interface belongs in the threat model alongside the device holding the key.
Ledger’s Academy guidance and its sponsored article recommend reviewing transaction details and protecting key material. Those recommendations come from a wallet vendor and should be weighed as vendor advice, not independent product testing. When comparing devices, check whether they display the transaction details you need to assess, support your assets and networks, explain software updates and recovery, and handle the smart-contract interactions you actually use.
What should organizations include in a custody program?
For an organization, custody is a governance and control problem as well as a key-storage decision. Useful evaluation areas include who can change client-account details, who authorizes and processes transactions, how signing software and interfaces are controlled, and how on-chain activity is reconciled and reported.
Rank #4
- UNPARALLELED SECURITY: Protect your assets with Trezor Safe 5's NDA-free EAL 6+ Secure Element, offering robust defense and complete transparency.
- EFFORTLESS NAVIGATION: Experience seamless crypto management with the vibrant color touchscreen, designed for intuitive and user-friendly interactions.
- ENHANCED USER EXPERIENCE: Enjoy tactile confirmation with Trezor Touch Haptic Engine, making each interaction precise and engaging.
- SUPPORTS 1000s OF COINS & TOKENS: Securely handle thousands of assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more, all in one wallet.
- EASY ASSET MANAGEMENT: Monitor and transact seamlessly with Trezor Suite, our user-friendly desktop and mobile app
- Separate duties so that one person or compromised account cannot quietly initiate and authorize a consequential transfer.
- Use independent transaction review and define how reviewers verify what a signing interface presents.
- Control software delivery and changes to signing interfaces, and include those systems in incident response planning.
- Reconcile on-chain activity against internal records and establish reporting and escalation procedures.
- Assess how key material is protected, who can access it, and how access and recovery are governed.
On October 6, 2026, the SEC proposed custody rules discussing specialized knowledge, cybersecurity practices, and controls for authorization, processing, asset maintenance, on-chain events, reconciliation, reporting, and IT. The proposal is regulatory context, not a final rule or a binding new requirement. Ledger’s discussion of hardware security modules and multi-stakeholder custody is vendor guidance; neither a particular architecture nor a storage technology is established here as mandatory or sufficient.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →How to interpret wallet-security advice
A January 13, 2026 title-matched article from MIT Technology Review Insights, syndicated by CDO TIMES, was sponsored custom content produced in partnership with Ledger and explicitly was not written by MIT Technology Review’s editorial staff. It quotes Ledger chief technology officer Charles Guillemet saying, “The attackers were very well organized, they have plenty of money, and they are spending a lot of time and resources trying to attack big stuff, because they can.” That is a vendor executive’s perspective, not independent verification of every threat or a guarantee that any particular product will prevent an attack.
Its practical message—to take key protection and transaction review seriously—is useful, but no wallet type can eliminate every vulnerability. Security depends on the full path from key storage through software, displayed transaction details, and the person approving the request.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- All your digital assets in one place. You can manage thousands of crypto including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tether and more.
- Defend your identity against hackers: secure your online accounts with passwordless, hardware backed, 2FA logins for all your favorite apps and websites.
- Connectivity: USB-C cable connection only. No Bluetooth.Compatible with the Ledger Wallet crypto app, both desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (Android only). Not compatible with iOS.
- Protect your digital assets with the industry's best security: keep your private keys offline in your private signer, battle-tested by the Donjon's white hat hackers, CC EAL 6+ certified Secure Element, constantly updated Ledger OS.
- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
