Understanding wallet security with seed phrases/secret keys
Hey everyone, apologies if this has been asked before but I've searched around and couldn't find anything on the topic.
Basically, I'm trying to understand the specific details of how your wallet is kept secure via seed phrases. Once input into a software or hardware wallet, from what I understand, a secret key is generated which is then used to sign off on transactions, correct?
So in the case of a software wallet:
- Is this secret key located on your harddrive?
- If so, can this secret key be copied by a computer virus and thus, your wallet can be stolen even without your seed phrases?
In the case of a hardware wallet:
- Every time you transact, you'd still have to export your secret key from your hardware wallet to your computer. Does this mean if your computer is infected with a virus, that secret key can be intercepted and then used to sign other transactions?
submitted by /u/Amberqq
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