Developers claim that without the device owner’s permission, third-party apps cannot access Ledger users’ keys.
Ledger, a maker of crypto hardware wallets, detailed the operation of its firmware in response to a contentious tweet that claimed it would be possible to obtain users’ private keys. The message was credited to a customer care representative.
The business subsequently deleted the tweet. Ledger responded to the concern by assuring customers that their private keys are secure and by accurately describing the capabilities of its firmware.
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Technically speaking, it is and always has been feasible to create firmware that makes key extraction easier, according to the initial tweet from Ledger customer service. Whether you realized it or not, you have always trusted Ledger to avoid deploying such firmware.
![Ledger clarifies how its firmware works after deleted tweet controversy image 118](https://i0.wp.com/nosisnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image-118.png?resize=1024%2C387&ssl=1)
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The tweet ignited a firestorm of controversy on Twitter, as many users accused the company of misrepresenting the security of its wallet.
The firmware, or operating system, of the wallet is described in the latest Guillemet Twitter thread as “an open platform” in the sense that “anyone can write their own app and load it on the device.” Apps are initially assessed by the team to make sure they are not harmful and do not contain security weaknesses before being approved for use with the Ledger Manager software.
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Ledger claims that even once an app has been certified, the OS prevents it from using the private key for a network it was not designed for. The business gave the example of how Ethereum apps and Bitcoin keys cannot be used together, and vice versa, on a device, in Bitcoin apps.
Guillemet also confirmed that this system is part of the current OS, which could theoretically be changed if Ledger were to become dishonest or if an attacker were to somehow gain control of the company’s computers:
“If the wallet wants to implement a backdoor, there are many ways to do it, in the random number generation, in the cryptographic library, in the hardware itself. It’s even possible to create signatures so that the private key can be retrieved only by monitoring the blockchain.”
Although the chief technical officer of Ledger rejected this worry, he added that using a wallet only needs a small degree of confidence. He continued by saying that consumers could only safeguard themselves from dishonest wallet developers by creating their own computer, compiler, wallet stack, node, and synchronizer, which the CEO described as “a lifetime journey.”
Related: Trezor wallet enables Bitcoin privacy feature with CoinJoin
Rival hardware wallet provider GridPlus has offered to open-source its firmware in an attempt to attract Ledger users.