/ Let imKey be your best companion to walk through market cycles. /
As the bear market rages one, battered crypto users have to embrace “the sustainable, work to earn paradigm”. Well, whether you want to work to earn or sleep to earn, the hardware wallet imKey is always your best choice to protect your gains.
Why should you choose imKey?
Experienced team
imKey was founded in 2018 by experts with complementary backgrounds in embedded security, cryptocurrencies and financial companies.
At the beginning of its establishment, imKey has obtained angel investment from imToken, a world-leading crypto wallet, and has long focused on the security of crypto assets. imKey has launched a series of products such as imKey Pro and imKey Secret Box.
Safe and good products
Why do you need a hardware wallet?
Crypto wallets can be divided into two types: cold wallets and hot wallets.
Cold Wallet: a wallet created offline and eliminates cyber threats, making the assets in the wallet more secure.
Hot Wallet：a wallet connected to the internet and is vulnerable to cyber attacks
Crypto theft is on the rise and most crimes are committed through stealing users’ mnemonic and private key by online attacks. So to avoid the mnemonic from being compromised, imKey has launched the hardware wallet imKey Pro, a kind of cold wallets, that can generate and store your mnemonic offline to keep your assets safe.
You can evaluate the security of a hardware wallet from three aspects, namely, security chip , security mechanism and supply chain
1. Security chip
The security chip of a hardware wallet usually refers to the Secure Element (SE). SE is a tamper-proof microprocessor chip, capable of securely storing data, encryption and decryption operations through unique security components and chip operating system (COS). Security chips are commonly used in IC card, SD card, SIM card, eSE, USB security key, wearable devices, etc.
How do you measure the security of a chip?
In 1999, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) established a framework, ISO/IEC 15408 - Information technology -- Security techniques -- Evaluation criteria (also known as Common Criteria or CC) for IT security.
CC, the world's most rigorous security system assessment guideline, contains a set of requirements for the security functions of IT products and systems, increases users’ confidence in the security of IT products, promotes the security of systems and eliminates repeated evaluations.
A numerical grade ((EAL1 through EAL7) will be assigned to security chips after they complete Common Criteria security evaluation. The higher the level, the more security assurance requirements need to be met. And each assurance level needs to be evaluated from multiple perspectives.
EAL4+ and EAL5+ products are commonly used in the financial industry, and EAL 6+ has reached the military level.
imKey Pro uses the CC EAL6 + security chip and has the following security features:
- Built-in true random number generator;
- Dual-core CPU, one for program execution, one for security detection;
- All CPU registers have mask function;
- All NVM and RAM are encrypted and have special integrity verification protection;
- Equipped with temperature, voltage, frequency, light sensors and special protection net;
- Equipped with DES, AES and a co-processor for PKI operations.
Note: The key to crypto assets security is the private key, which is actually a string of random numbers. The security of the random number directly affects that of the private key. The chip built in imKey uses a true random number generator, which usually generates random numbers from thermal noise. It has strong randomness, a high level of security, and is difficult to predict. Therefore the security of your assets stored through imKey is ensured since that of the private key is guaranteed.
2. Security mechanism.
The flow of a hardware wallet from production to delivery to the user is shown in the following picture.
Four scenarios will pose risks to your assets.
1. The hardware wallet has already been used by others before it is delivered to users.
2. Connecting private keys to the network accidentally.
3. Losing imKey and someone accessing your hardware wallet.
4. Non-authorized clients accessing your hardware wallet.
In order to avoid these risks, imKey adds some advanced security features to keep your assets safe.
1. Irreversible Seal: An irreversible seal is glued on the box of the product so that it can be discovered once it is opened, making sure imKey Pro delivered to your remains unopened!
2. imKey Pro only supports Bluetooth & USB connections, so the entire process is offline, ensuring that your private key is not connected to the internet.
3. PIN stands for Personal Identification Number, and is used to verify the identity of the imKey users. When users turn on imKey, they will be asked to set a code to prevent the device from being manipulated by others
imKey allows users to type in PIN using physical buttons, which dramatically reduces the possibility of the numeric being intercepted.To ensure the security of assets in the wallet, imKey will be automatically reset if users type in the wrong PIN five times in a row. So please remember to back up your PIN since it cannot be reset once you lose it.
4. Binding code is composed of 8 random numbers and letters, which is used to bind imKey and imToken to prevent unauthorized clients from accessing imKey. Be sure to back up your binding code which will come in handy if you want to re-bind imKey to imToken.
In addition, imKey Pro supports you to sign what you see and authenticate transactions. When using imKey Pro to transfer funds, physical keystrokes are required for confirmation,
3. Prevent supply chain attacks
Supply chain attacks are one of the common ways that hardware wallets get attacked. Therefore, for hardware teams, supply chain management is a compulsory course, and strengthening supply chain security management is a very complex and difficult task due to the potential risks in every step.
The imKey team's supply chain security management focuses on the following areas.
Manufacturing: The imKey team reached a consensus with Feitian, a well-known Chinese security hardware manufacturer, and signed a strategic cooperation agreement
Packaging: original packaging & irreversible seal & authenticity verification
Goods storage: For product storage, imKey team has built two warehouses in Hangzhou and Beijing, which are fully waterproof, fireproof, and anti-theft.
Regulated Process: The entire process is regulated and transparent, ensuring that every imKey Pro that reaches the customer is brand new and unopened!
4. Powerful features
imKey Pro is a hardware wallet that generates and stores mnemonics/private keys offline, and then binds with imToken via Bluetooth to generate wallet addresses, i.e. imKey wallet addresses.
Thanks to imToken native integration, you can use an imKey wallet address in imToken to experience most of the features of the software wallet!
What you can experience with imKey
- Support for 11 public chains: You can manage assets on 11 public chains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. imKey Pro also allows users to transfer/swap tokens, and interact with DApp.
- Support for custom nodes: You can one-click switch between Ethereum and EVM compatible chains such as BSC, HECO, Polygon, etc.
- Layer2 friendly: Supports Arbitrum, zkSync, Optimism, and their rich ecosystem DApps
- More features are waiting for you to explore .....
PS: Hardware wallets can not eliminate all risks, so be sure to backup your mnemonic, binding codes, PIN and other important information. Once you lose your mnemonic, your crypto assets are gone too. Please do not import mnemonic generated by imKey into a hot wallet. We strongly recommend you to use a physical medium such as imKey Secret Box to store your mnemonic
How to buy imKey?
For customers in mainland China: https://imkey.im/
For customers outside of mainland China: https://store.imkey.im/
imKey get started: https://imkey.im/get-started?locale=en-us
imKey's vision is to help build a blockchain security ecology, and protect the security of your digital assets.
imKey Twitter: Follow @imKeyOfficial for the latest imKey events
Study.
What is the security chip used in hardware wallets
