When you keep your cryptocurrency on a crypto exchange, you are relying on the exchange to keep your assets safe. Regrettably, if the exchange is hacked, your cryptocurrency may be gone forever.
Additionally, leaving your cryptocurrency on an exchange does not provide you full control over your private secrets and also, therefore, leaves you susceptible. There are a few better alternatives to utilize such as a custodial wallet or a self-hosted wallet, such as a paper wallet, cold wallet, or hardware wallet from a brand like Trezor.
Storing cryptocurrencies on an exchange is useful for trading but outside of this everything else is very risky. The most common risks when saving your cryptocurrency on an exchange are bankruptcy of the exchanges and also hacking attempts.
These can be quite common and also there are many instances that exchanges are a target for hackers and so if the exchange is hacked you might lose all of your assets.
It's likewise important to keep in mind that you do not really own the private keys to the coins you store on an exchange. This basically means that if something takes place on the exchange, you might not have the ability to gain access to or recoup your crypto assets without the assistance of a 3rd party.
Cold storage wallets are one of the safest ways of storing cryptocurrency and allow you to save bigger quantities of cryptocurrency than exchange wallets normally do.
Trading on exchanges, although necessary and vital, also has its “dark side” by exposing traders to greater dangers than if they maintain their cryptocurrencies in cold storage wallets. Exchange wallets do not give enough security and also high frequency investors can quickly lose a lot of money if their funds are tied down on an exchange for too long a time.
The exchange that is in charge of the wallet will never ever have the ability to supply the very same level of protection as specially-made hardware wallets and even paper wallets that are specially made to store cryptocurrencies with a high degree of security.
Investors who store their crypto offline are much less susceptible to the risk connected with exchange-based pocketbooks. Offline storage methods such as hardware wallets, and paper wallets offer an added degree of protection by keeping cryptocurrencies away from hackers who may specifically target exchanges.
One of the most secure approaches is to use a combination of these devices and also paper purse methods.
Storing your cryptocurrency funds on an exchange puts you in a position of increased risk, considering that you are entrusting your money/cryptocurrency to a third-party service. If the exchange's servers are hacked or the incorrect individual gains access to your account, it can result in the theft of your digital pocketbook.
An additional threat is that you might shed access to your funds if you forget or lose your password as well as can not recoup it or are prohibited from trading.
Also, when sending cryptocurrency from an online exchange, there is no guarantee that the funds will definitely end up in the right wallet address; once sent, there is no way to get them back and that means there is a chance that they can wind up in the wrong wallet.
With all the events that have actually happened recently, it has shown that customers are subjected to massive threats associated with storing cryptocurrencies in an exchange wallet, utilizing a cold storage wallet or a hardware wallet to safeguard crypto assets is the solution, in my point of view.
My personal preference is a hardware wallet like a trezor – costs a bit of money but if you have a lot of high-value cryptocurrency it's probably the best solution.