How to check security key - Gatehub

[cryptobkk]

Hello everybody,

Happy to join XRP-Chat.

I have a newbie question. I have the gatehub wallet and am curious to know how to check my security key. While signing up with gatehub I made a mistake. First I signed up with my email address (A) and downloaded the security key. I tried to transfer some XRP to the wallet but that didn't work. I got a little frustrated (I know, wrong) and thought I messed up the wallet somehow.

So I decided to try again with my other email address (B) and succeeded to get a new wallet and downloaded the security key. Before I did anything I re-read the instructions and found out that the wallet needed activation first (30 XRP) before you can use it. So I waited until Gatehub sent the 30 XRP and since than everything worked perfectly.

Now at this moment I can't remember (I am getting old) if I replaced the new security key from email address (B) with the old one (A) in my back-up. So just to be sure I want to check if I have backed up the right security key. Is there a possibility to do this ? I read that when you change your password it will ask the security key to do that. Is that correct ?

Many thanks for your help.

cryptobkk

[Eik]

Hi @cryptobkk,

This depends a bit on your level of knowledge of the Ripple protocol and the amount of risk you are willing to expose yourself to.

1. I'm not very technical, don't want to be bothered by it, but neither do I want to compromise any security.
2. I'm not very technical, don't want to be bothered by it, I'm not too paranoid
3. I'm not very technical, I would be ok doing some stuff on the computer, and I do want to compromise any security.
4. I'm not very technical, I would be ok doing some stuff on the computer, I'm not too paranoid
5. I can do some coding and know how to install rippled, [any about security]

Let us know which category you fall into, then we can help you further.

Answer to nr 1: make another wallet, this time write the secure key down properly. Gatehub allows you to make multiple wallets.

[Eik]

27 minutes ago, cryptobkk said:

[...] and downloaded the security key. [...]

You stored the key on a file on your computer? With or without encryption? If you stored it in plain text, you can ignore the security options I states. Or become a bit more paranoid.

[cryptobkk]

Hi Eik,

Thanks for your help.

I stored the security key (gatehub-security-key.txt) in a encrypted file on a usb stick.

I am in category number 1 indeed. As I understand I can make a new wallet. Do you mean a new XRP wallet inside my existing gatehub wallet or so you mean that I can apply for another brand new gatehub wallet under the same email address ?

[Eik]

I am not sure if Gatehub allows you to check again your secret key. I'd advise to read some of the posts in an earlier topic, e.g. https://www.xrpchat.com/topic/4200-seriously-lost-trying-to-recover-xrp-from-2013/?do=findComment&comment=40932
Also other posts there to check if your secret key indeed fits with the wallet that you want. But they are a bit more technical than regular account signing up at gatehub

But if you want to be sure to not expose your secret key unnecessarily, I'd advise you to make another wallet and not use the other ones. In Gatehub you can add new wallets by pressing the '+' button on the top in your wallet view.

[Eik]

I think I have mistaken Gatehub's recovery key with a secret key of a Ripple wallet.

You were talking about a recovery key that is provided by Gatehub to get back into your Gatehub hosted wallet.
I was talking about secret key of Ripple wallets that is used to control Ripple wallets.

Can you confirm you were talking about Gatehubs recovery key and not a Ripple wallet secret key?

• Ripple wallet secret key consists of 29 characters (base58), starting with an 's'. Characters that can be inside: 123456789aAbBcCdDeEfFgGhHijJkKLmMnNopPqQrRsStTuUvVwWxXyYzZ
• Gatehub recovery key I think [this is for me the case] consists of 32 characters (hexadecimal). Characters that can be inside: 0123456789abcdef (independent of caps)

[cryptobkk]

Thanks, Yes I was talking about the recovery key provided by Gatehub. I understand that I can make a new wallet inside my Gatehub wallet by pressing the + sign. I will do that.

But now arises another question and  I think a more important one and that is the Ripple security key you are talking about. Please ignore my ignorance, I am still a newbie. How do I get my  secret key of Ripple ?  In the meantime I will read the topic you mentioned.

[cryptobkk]

OK, I found my secret key starting with 's'.

Last question, if I mess things up in the future with password and or username with my gatehub wallet I can always recover my funds with the ripple secret key, right ?

Many thanks for all your help !!!

Edited May 7, 2017 by cryptobkk

[Eik]

2 hours ago, cryptobkk said:

OK, I found my secret key starting with 's'.

Last question, if I mess things up in the future with password and or username with my gatehub wallet I can always recover my funds with the ripple secret key, right ?

Many thanks for all your help !!!

Better to ask than to be sorry afterwards, good you ask.

With the recovery key provided by Gatehub you can get back access to the hosted wallets on Gatehub.
With the secret key of Ripple wallets, you can get access to the specific Ripple wallet.

Both of these will circumvent passwords that are 'protecting it'.

So make sure you back them up safely.

[namini]

Yes, that is correct. But don't keep your secret key on your computer or anything connected to the internet, I would advise to print it and keep it somewhere safe.

Secret key bypass every other protection and allow direct access to your funds.

[cryptobkk]

Eik and namini many thanks. This makes everything clear now.