Using Monero Securely

Monero (XMR) is a secure, private and untraceable cryptocurrency. Despite this, using Monero on your everyday computer could allow attackers to seize your coins.

I recommend installing the Monero CLI on Tails or the Monero GUI on a fresh dedicated device for Monero and other cryptocurrencies. I do not recommend storing your Monero on a device that will be used for other purposes.

Tails

Tails is a live operating system that allows you to use the Internet anonymously. If you want to use Monero with an extra layer of anonymity I recommend this route. The Monero CLI can be installed on Tails from here (Linux 64-bit). The GUI can be installed on tails, but I found it to be more complicated to do. Make sure to install it in the persistent folder. Open the directory in Terminal and enter these commands to start it. Use one of the remote nodes listed below instead running a local node. Some of these may not always work.

./monero-wallet-cli --daemon-host [remote node]

List of remote Monero nodes on Tor:

• xmrag4hf5xlabmob.onion
• monerowinfamlvkp.onion
• pzlnznwgrjlgjsb6.onion
• qjz3tnotsv7xlxj4.onion

Enter

./monero-wallet-cli --help

for more commands or refer to the Monero User Guide. It may take a while for the wallet to sync.

Live USB or Burner Computer

The Monero CLI or GUI can be installed on a live USB or Burner Computer that was not used for anything else before this. To create a live USB, I recommend using Unetbootin to install Debian on a USB (with at least 8gb space). Once it is installed the USB can be booted from almost any laptop and once it has booted up, install either the Monero CLI or GUI from here (Linux 32-bit or 64-bit). Connect to this remote node (node.moneroworld.com:18089) to avoid running a local node. It may take a while for the wallet to sync.

Other Wallets

Monero is not supported by any hardware wallet as of now, but it is on the Ledger roadmap. Ledger wallets are reputable and considered to be secure. A dedicated Monero hardware wallet is also being worked on.

A reputable Monero wallet is not available on iOS, but on Android Monerujo exists. It is open source and reputable however the Google Play Store is not as strict as the iOS App Store in verifying the safety of apps and is more prone to malware.

MyMonero.com is a reputable web wallet for Monero. I do not recommend using a web wallet for any cryptocurrency since the owners of the site could choose to take your private keys whenever they like.

This guide was last updated on December 23rd 2017 and may not reflect the latest changes to the Monero ecosystem. Monero donation address: 42NwH3QiB1tFbDKMQsTrK4f1swkPPQNu843GSaQTYDbacDWqi6E7G3FQf9ptXPzFsVVYHkeKYYUuFVd1qN5iAGvwReoq9qN