Cosmos (ATOM) Wallet

When you first buy crypto, you’re issued with two keys: public and private.

• A public key serves as an address that can be shared with other parties to perform transactions.
• A private key represents a randomly generated number that signs transactions and protects your assets from malicious attacks. If it gets compromised or lost, you won’t be able to access your hardware wallet to spend, withdraw, or transfer your tokens.

To safeguard and keep track of your keys, you can use online or offline wallets. Online wallets, also known as hot wallets, store private keys on systems or devices that are connected to the internet. Hot wallets are easy and convenient to use, however, they come with several drawbacks. Besides being susceptible to attacks and a honeypot for hackers, with hot wallets, the custody of private keys is often entrusted to a third party such as a crypto exchange, which means you never have full control over your funds. The safer choice are specialized hardware wallets that store private keys offline. Stealing private keys from a hardware wallet would require physical access to the wallet and corresponding PIN or the recovery phrase. What’s more, with hardware wallet, you don’t need to rely on third party custodians.

Ledger is the industry-leading hardware wallet. With more than seven customers, Ledger wallets have several layers of security that protect private keys, and hence your assets:

• Your private keys are stored on secure element chips.
• A PIN code and a 24-word recovery phrase are required to access the wallet.
• Ledger wallets have been built using highly durable materials for protection against physical damage.

With full isolation between private keys and your computer/mobile, Ledger cryptocurrency wallets keep your keys secure and give you complete control over your cryptos.

A Cosmos wallet address is a string of alphanumeric characters that serves as an identifier. In the case of a Cosmos wallet address, it begins with “cosmos” and consists of 45 characters.

Here’s an example of a Cosmos wallet address:

cosmos10wljxpl03053h9690apmyeakly3ylhejxgve8g

A Cosmos wallet app is a mobile or desktop application designed for managing and interacting with cryptocurrencies based on the Cosmos Network. Ledger Live is one such Cosmos wallet app that allows users to create a new wallet by generating a private key. It also securely stores, sends and receives cryptocurrencies that are built on the Cosmos Network, such as ATOM (the native cryptocurrency of the Cosmos Hub), and other tokens that operate within the Cosmos ecosystem. Additionally, users can delegate their ATOM tokens to validators on the Cosmos Network and participate in the staking process. By staking their tokens, users can earn rewards in return for helping to secure the network.

Ledger Live provides a user-friendly interface and is available as a mobile app for both iOS and Android platforms, as well as for desktops on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.