Hello! Everyone, welcome to my blog. I hope we are all good? The newbies initiative is still on and we are still having lots of fun while learning what we need to know about hive blockchain.

So, last week Sunday we had our third (3rd) newbies initiative meeting on discord. The meeting was about hive keys and security. Our speaker was @depressedfuckup who talked about the importance of keeping your keys safe and what to do if you mistakenly let your keys know to the public. It was concluded by @starstrings01.

For this note we were giving some questions which I find very interesting and a must know.

Question 1

If your partner for the week from Newbies-hive mistakenly dropped their active key in a Discord channel, highlight the various steps you'll indulge in to keep such account assets safe from potential theft.

If my partner who is @debby-cwm mistakenly dropped her active key on a discord channel…

Firstly, I will notify her to delete it as quickly as possible. This will help minimize the risk of unauthorized access to her account but no assumptions.

Secondly, I will advise her to immediately transfer all her liquid assets(HBD and Hive) to a trusted account. By doing so, she can protect her assets from potential theft or unauthorized transactions. It is important to choose a reliable and secure account to avoid any further loss or compromise.

Thirdly, I will advise her to change her keys by using her master key. By changing her keys, she can ensure that unauthorized individuals cannot gain access to her account and manipulate her assets. After changing her keys, she can then transfer her liquid assets back to her account with increased security.

To change your keys follow the blue arrow on the screenshots below 👇

Question 2

What advice would you give to your friend, in regard to safekeeping his/her keys?

To all friends and acquaintances, it is advisable to store Hive keys in a more secure manner. While saving them digitally, such as on Google Drive or via emails, may seem convenient, it is not fully secure. The best practice is to write down the keys in a diary or a physical book.

Additionally, if you must print or save your keys on Google Drive or emails, it is recommended to modify some of the characters, such as changing uppercase and lowercase letters, to make it more difficult for potential thieves to decipher. This method allows for easy recall while prioritizing security.

Just something you can remember.

Question 3

Assuming your partner does not understand the use of each of these keys, how do you explain this to him/her in the simplest way?

I will simple explain to @debby that:

     Master key

This is a very important and powerful key which should be guarded intentionally. It is also known as the owner's key. This key is used for account recovery, declining of votes and also resetting or changing of other keys. If a thief gets a hold of this key he/she can change keys thereby locking you out of your account and you wouldn't only lose your hard-earned money others too can fall a victim through the thief's actions onwards.

         Active key

This is also a very important key that enables us to do various transactions such as powering hive up or down, HBD conversions, voting for witness, profile change e.t.c on the blockchain . It is frequently used, and therefore, should be safeguarded diligently, along with the other keys.

        Posting key

This key is used for activities on the hive blockchain, such as publishing a post, commenting, reblogging, upvoting, downvoting, following accounts, mute comments e.t.c. Like I said, It holds a significant role in one's interactions on the blockchain.

         Memo key

This is not as powerful as the rest. This key is used to send and view encrypted messages, by encrypted I mean private messages. Though not frequently utilized, it still plays a role in communication security.

I believe that my explanation of the importance and functionalities of each key type to @debby will help her understand the significance of safeguarding her account and assets.