Qu’est-ce qu’une phrase de récupération ?

In the last article, Ledger Academy explains that the only truly safe way to manage your private key is by securing it in a hardware wallet. That’s because hardware wallets protect private keys from the dangers of the internet.

But this generates another important question: if your keys are secured inside a wallet, does that mean you always need the wallet to access your crypto?

The short answer is no. Nothing should stand between you and your blockchain assets, not even your wallet. In this article, you will learn what a secret recovery phrase is and how to use it.

What Is a Secret Recovery Phrase?

When you set up a crypto wallet, you will receive a random set of 12, 18, or 24 words. No matter what kind of crypto wallet you choose to use, you will receive these words. This is known as your “Secret Recovery Phrase” or “Seed Phrase.”  It is a mnemonic version of all of the private keys secured by your wallet. It’s like multiple private keys rolled up into 24 words. 

What is a Secret Recovery Phrase For?

You might be wondering why you need this phrase, since your private keys should never be visible at all. In short, it’s about giving you control. But the long answer includes 3 key features; it links you with your blockchain addresses, acts like the master key for your private keys and allows you to restore your account.

Links You With Your Blockchain Addresses

Imaginez que vous utilisiez un wallet de cryptos pour stocker plusieurs clés privées (celles de vos différents comptes de cryptos). Malheureusement, un jour, vous pouvez perdre l’accès à votre wallet : il est perdu, volé ou, dans le cas d’un wallet applicatif, l’application ne fonctionne tout simplement plus. Vous êtes bloqué(e).

Alors, sans accès à votre wallet, est-ce que toutes vos cryptos ont disparu ? La réponse est « non ». En effet, vos cryptos ne sont pas dans votre wallet lui-même, mais sur la blockchain. Votre wallet protège simplement vos clés privées, qui vous connectent à ces adresses blockchain.

Acts as the Master Key For Your Private Keys

Votre phrase de récupération secrète sert de sauvegarde pour toutes vos clés privées sécurisées. Cette phrase vous relie à toutes vos adresses sur la blockchain, même lorsque vous n’avez pas accès à votre wallet.

Grâce à cette phrase, vous pouvez restaurer toutes vos clés privées existantes sur un autre wallet, et récupérer vos fonds qui sont sur la blockchain. Cela signifie que vous ne dépendrez jamais d’un unique fournisseur de wallets. Vous pouvez accéder à votre crypto partout, tant que vous avez cette phrase.

Allows You To Restore Your Crypto Wallet

One of the special things about the recovery phrase is, that no matter which wallet you receive it on in the beginning, nearly every other crypto wallet will recognize it. 

Supposons que vous utilisiez un wallet de cryptos d’un fournisseur X pour sécuriser vos clés privées et que vous ayez besoin de les récupérer ailleurs. Il vous suffit de saisir la phrase dans un nouvel appareil du fournisseur Y. Tous vos comptes seront instantanément récupérés sur ce nouvel appareil.

In a sense, the secret recovery phrase is like your personal blockchain fingerprint. It keeps track of all your addresses and allows you to access them from anywhere.

How to Use a Secret Recovery Phrase

Let’s say your hardware device got lost, and you want to regain access to your crypto assets. Simply enter your recovery phrase or 24 words, which you would have taken note of when you first set up a crypto wallet, in another wallet. This will recover all the private keys to the new device. 

Threats To Your Secret Recovery Phrase

Put simply, anyone who gets hold of your recovery phrase can instantly access all of the crypto keys it represents. In other words, you can consider that crypto gone.

The biggest threat to your crypto security is the way you store your recovery phrase. Once a person has access to it, they don’t need your ID, personal details, or your original crypto wallet. This is why storing it securely is imperative.

How to Protect Your Secret Recovery Phrase

So, how can you keep your secret recovery phrase safe? Well, there are a few key methods.

Write it Down Correctly

The very first thing you need to be sure of it that you write your recovery phrase down correctly. If you miss one word or confuse the order of the words, you’ll not be able to recover your crypto. There is no customer support to help you here!

Store the Phrase in a Safe Location

Your secret recovery phrase needs to be safe and accessible to you – while remaining concealed from everyone else. This means it’s up to you to select a place for it that’s hidden from prying eyes, but nonetheless safe, watertight and fireproof.

Choose a Safe Storage Medium

As you know, your recovery phrase is the only backup for your entire wallet. So, it’s no use if it can be easy to destroy. Recording this phrase carefully is another important consideration. If you’re writing your phrase down on paper, it could be vulnerable to fire or water damage. A better option is using accessories like the Cryptosteel Capsule Solo and the Billfodl. Both of these products allow you to record your recovery phrase on a steel backup, making it resistant to fire, water damage, and other physical threats to your crypto access.

Use a Secondary Backup Device

The optimal scenario is simply seeding your phrase into one or more extra hardware devices (each one protected by a PIN, of course). These can then be used as backups if you lose or break your main wallet.

Never Give It to Anyone

Ne partagez jamais votre phrase de récupération avec qui que ce soit. Personne n’a jamais besoin de connaître votre phrase de récupération. Dans les arnaques courantes par hameçonnage, les escrocs se font passer pour un agent du service clientèle et demandent cette phrase dans le cadre d’un processus d’assistance. C’est un piège. Aucun expert de l’assistance n’aura jamais besoin de votre phrase de récupération.

Make sure you follow these simple rules to keep your crypto safe. You will also benefit from reading this article, designed to help you spot and understand common phishing attempts. It also elaborates the tips to protect your crypto assets against them.

The Most Important 24 Words You’ll Ever Write

Une phrase de récupération ne sert pas seulement à sauvegarder votre sécurité. Elle veille aussi à ce que votre accès à la blockchain ne soit pas limité à un wallet ou à une entité. Et si vous repensez à notre premier article, il s’agit de l’objectif principal de la blockchain.

Now, you’re nearly set to start managing crypto for yourself. However, there are a couple more things you need to know before you go. In our next article, you will learn the key threats you face as a crypto owner, and how to secure yourself against them.