Ledger Live Clear Signing: The Safest Way to Approve Crypto Transactions

Built for Safety, Powered by Caution

Within a decade of operations, Ledger devices have sold over 8 million devices and continue to secure 20% of the global digital value. Ledger takes security seriously. This time-tested security model is built on three powerful layers:

1. Secure Element: This is the heart of Ledger’s security, an EAL6+ certified secure chip often used in credit cards or biometric passports. It’s a dedicated chip that keeps your private keys offline, and also drives the secure screens/touchscreens of every Ledger device.  
2. Secure Operating System (OS): Ledger’s Secure OS is purpose-built to be immune to malware and attacks, providing an additional layer of protection. 
3. Secure Screens & Secure Touchscreens: The screen you use to verify transactions is fully isolated and tamper-proof.  It’s not connected to the internet, so there’s no risk of someone hijacking your transaction approvals.

Education is critical, especially for safe practices, like never sharing your recovery phrase, and this is why using Ledger isn’t just about having the right tools, but also being crypto cautious. Why trust third party screens or apps when you can trust yourself?

Ledger also embraces education for all interested in taking their first steps in web3. It continually invests in educational resources and interactive guides through Ledger Academy to ensure users are well-equipped to handle potential risks in the real world. Social engineering will always remain a possible attack vector so ultimately, security goes beyond hardware or software, it boils down to awareness, good habits, and informed decision-making.

Security in Use: Don’t Trust, Verify 

In crypto, trusting a screen connected to the internet is never a good idea. Usual everyday screens are connected to the internet, do not have a Secure Element chip running them, and hackers can (and do) manipulate what you see on them when it comes to signing transactions.

In early May 2025, a sophisticated blind signing hack targeted Phantom Wallet users on the Solana blockchain, resulting in $1.5 million in losses across 80 victims. How did this happen?

A fraudulent NFT minting site tricked users into signing a transaction that secretly transferred SOL and SPL tokens to attackers. Phantom’s default signature prompt function was exploited, which failed to clearly display the transaction’s true intent, a classic blind signing vulnerability. This is just one example of a long line of hacks and attack vectors in web3 owing to blind signing.

That’s why Ledger takes a radically different approach with its Secure Screens and Secure Touchscreens. 

Ledger’s Approach to Security

When you approve a transaction, you can see the details clearly on a tamper-proof screen that’s driven directly by the Secure Element chip. Plus, the device itself is not connected to the internet. This way, even if the screen of your third party device is compromised, you can still verify the transaction details securely.

Together, the three layers of Ledger’s security model give you peace of mind when you’re not using your device, and security in use when you are. 

Ledger understands security is not a static concept, it must evolve alongside the ever-changing digital landscape. This constant evolution ensures that Ledger remains not just a hardware wallet, but a comprehensive security solution for the future of crypto assets.

Ledger’s approach embodies the fundamental crypto principle: “Don’t trust, verify.” By offering users a fully secure, offline verification process, Ledger places complete transactional clarity into the hands of its users, helping them rely less on external trust and forcing personal autonomy by default in financial decisions.

When you use a Ledger device, your security is automatically taken care of as far as the device and ecosystem are concerned. As soon as you connect your device, it’s already protecting you from the threat of online hacks and malware. But here’s the catch: Ledger can protect you from hacks, but not from human error. If you misplace your recovery phrase or fall for a phishing attack, even the best security system won’t be able to help. 

The Problem: From Simple Transactions to Complex Smart Contracts 

When Bitcoin was first introduced, transactions were relatively simple: transferring value from one address to another. It was easy to verify the details; what you see is what you get.

However, with the introduction of Ethereum and its smart contracts, things became much more complex. Now, transactions are more than just value transfers, they can be anything from decentralized finance (DeFi) actions to NFTs or even interacting with decentralized applications (dApps).

The increased complexity has significantly expanded the attack surface. Without a clear understanding of transaction specifics, users are more vulnerable to unintended actions and exploits. This is why clear visibility and comprehensible transaction details are becoming critical elements of modern blockchain security. 

What is Blind Signing? 

Blind signing is when a user approves a transaction without fully understanding or verifying what they are agreeing to.

This happens because smart contracts often involve multiple steps or instructions, and it can be difficult to know exactly what the transaction entails unless you have the right tools to review it. 

Blind signing essentially asks users to trust without verification, directly contradicting crypto’s fundamental ethos. 

Ledger recognizes blind signing as a significant vulnerability, one that has unfortunately led to billions in losses across the industry. Take Bybit’s $1.5 Billion loss in 2025 or the fall of Wazir X, an Indian trading platform that lost ~$235 million due to blind signing. 

It’s painfully obvious that there is a need for a better way to verify and secure transactions for everyone in crypto.

The Solution: Clear Signing—Making Security Simple and Transparent 

Clear Signing in web3 means showing users exactly what they’re approving in a blockchain transaction, displayed in plain language, instead of complex codes. It lets you clearly verify transaction details directly on your wallet, keeping your crypto safe from hidden scams or threats.

Ledger makes it a priority to introduce Clear Signing as a standard within all apps/dApps native to the Ledger Live ecosystem. By integrating this, users are now able to see all the details of a transaction before they approve it without needing to rely on third-party apps. While initially tailored for Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains, it is architected with a broader vision to encompass multiple blockchain ecosystems. 

This strategic design means you can now have confidence exploring multichain web3 ecosystems with transparent and understandable transaction details and can be universally applied. 

Ledger’s Clear Signing Initiative

Ledger’s Clear Signing Initiative offers a structured, human-readable format, enabling straightforward verification of transaction intents, recipient identities, and affected assets. At the heart of Ledger’s Clear Signing is a meticulously structured metadata format that translates complex transaction data into human-readable information. This format is organized into distinct sections:​

• Context: Provides overarching details about the transaction’s environment.
• Metadata: Contains specific information about the transaction’s components.​
• Display: Dictates how this information is presented to the user.​

By leveraging JSON paths and reference mechanisms (such as $, #, @), this structure enables wallets to accurately map and display intricate details like addresses, amounts, and timestamps in a clear and comprehensible manner. This approach ensures that users can easily verify transaction specifics, bridging the gap between raw blockchain data and user-friendly interfaces.

Ledger’s tamper-proof secure screen combined with the Clear Signing standard integrated into Ledger Live provide unmatched security for your digital assets. 

Clear Signing on Ledger Live vs Other Ecosystems

Clear signing inside Ledger Live is relatively straightforward because Ledger controls the entire environment; it can handle how transaction data is parsed, displayed, and approved directly on its secure screen.

However, clear signing outside of Ledger Live, like when using third-party dApps or wallets, depends on dApp developers providing metadata (clear, human-readable descriptions of what the transaction does), and wallet providers integrating Ledger’s SDK to pass that information securely to the device. It requires cooperation across the ecosystem to ensure clear signing becomes a consistent standard everywhere and not just within Ledger’s native environment​.

The Challenge: Not All Solutions Can Be Integrated at Once 

While Ledger Live is continually improving, not everything can be integrated as quickly. Many Ledger users also rely on third-party wallets or dApps to manage their assets, and not all of these apps support clear signing out of the box.

Another concern is ensuring that wallet providers actively curate and manage metadata to uphold transaction security. Achieving this means an industry-wide collaboration, where trust and information are shared among wallets and dApps (and their companies) to establish a cohesive and secure user experience across web3. 

This integration gap is a known limitation and a focal point of Ledger’s ongoing security roadmap. It highlights the need for an industry-wide collaboration which will be a net positive for web3 security measures beyond Ledger’s ecosystem.

The Solution: Building in the Open with Ecosystem Stakeholders 

Ledger tackles this problem head-on. Ledger is actively collaborating with prominent ecosystem stakeholders to develop a universal clear signing standard. Ledger has worked with leading Web3 names such as MetaMask, which now enables human-readable transaction details directly on Ledger devices; 1inch, which has integrated Clear Signing into its Fusion feature for more secure DeFi transactions.

Moreover, to maintain the integrity and reliability of the metadata that’s important for clear signing, Ledger has also proposed a transparent governance framework. Initially, this involves a public GitHub repository managed by Ledger, with contributions and reviews from the broader community to ensure accuracy and trustworthiness. 

To further grow adoption and implementation of clear signing, Ledger provides developers with accessible tools and resources. An example is the ERC-7730 JSON Builder, an open-source tool that enables developers to easily create and visualize compliant JSON files for clear signing. This tool simplifies the process of crafting and validating metadata, allowing developers to preview how transaction details will appear on Ledger devices. 

While clear signing markedly improves transaction transparency, Ledger acknowledges that it functions best as part of a multi-layered security strategy. Complementary tools, such as Web3 firewalls and transaction simulations, are also important in identifying and mitigating potential threats. 

Inspire Confidence with Ledger: Protect, Educate, Empower 

By sharing Ledger’s vision for secure signing with your audience, you’re helping people navigate the exciting world of crypto safely and securely. Promoting Clear Signing as the industry standard provides the essential tools and knowledge users need to protect their digital futures.

Ultimately, Ledger’s commitment transcends mere product development. It’s about empowering users through education, security, and clarity. Ledger’s Clear Signing initiatives along with your help are proactively shaping a secure and transparent crypto landscape for tomorrow.