Cobo Hardware Wallet Has Tamper-Proof Security Chip

The arms race between hardware wallet manufacturers showed no signs of abating. Each new device must be safer, stronger, and impenetrable than its predecessor to claim the rights of boasting and getting shekels from the crypto rich, to whom nothing is done but the best. The Cobo Vault is the latest wallet hardware that demands to be the best device of its kind.

Also read: The Best Cryptocurrency Hardware Wallet for You?

In Post-Apocalyptic Societies, Years Start Now ...

This year is 2140 and the last bitcoin has just been mined. Thanks to nuclear war, the population has been reduced to several hundred thousand strong souls. Bitcoin is the world's global reserve currency, there are only a few worlds left to fight for. Only a few scorched earth, cockroaches and some gunmetal gray objects protruded out from the ground. This is Cobo Vaults, the last hardware wallet in the galaxy.

Aside from hyperbole, it is still too early to know how Cobo Vault will be included in a long life bet. What can be said, here and now, is that this is the biggest and heaviest hardware wallet (HW) you might have. Vault has many properties, but portability is not one. Unlike, say, Coolwallet , Cobo Vault is not designed to leave your bank's strong room or vault. Which is more difficult than it might sound, because Vault is the type of device that you want to show to all your friends. Don't be tempted by a sleek metal casing and touch screen that tempts you to Instagram this wallet. That aesthetic is for you and yourself to admire. Good Opsec is a mindset, not a device.

Features and benefits

If you believe you can refrain from shouting your ownership of Cobo Vault from the roof, this is what you can expect from a $ 299 device (which will sell for $ 479 after full production begins):

* Air-gapped without wifi, NFC bluetooth, or USB capabilities

* Encryption chip with special firmware that meets 32, 39 and 44 BIPs

* Supports BTC, ETH, BCH, DASH, LTC, ETC, TRX, and EOS plus ETH, TRX and EOS tokens

* Casing outside military class

* Internal self-destruction mechanism to protect private keys

* Multi-signature ability

* Multi-coins and tokens with no storage or memory limits for coins

* There is no physical attack point

* Waterproof aerospace metal body

* A magnetically removable battery to avoid corrosion

The Cobo website is full of video recordings of Vault that are plunged into water and may live to tell the story. The protective mattress can also support the weight of a tank, so we were told. I am not brave enough to test my review tool in such a way, because it is not produced for the final specifications, but like Gudang Cobo, maybe you are made of harder goods.

Hands on With the Cobo Vault

Vault is beautifully packaged, with quality, design, and a presentation that almost rivals Ledger, experts in providing neatly packed wallets. This is a kind of HW made for unboxing videos. A small instruction card guides the user through the settings, in between a hard warning sending such as "the security chip will be damaged by itself if changed." Because the Cobo Vault application is not yet available in the Google Play store, I have to install it using the link provided, encouraging all types of scary alerts from Android:

The production version will direct users to the Play or App store, eliminating this speeding step. After installing the application, you must turn on Cobo Vault, which means removing the battery compartment and filling it using a separate dock. After turning on Vault, you are directed to the page on the Cobo website to scan the QR code and verify the device. Then, after choosing to make a new safe using a touch screen device, it is time to take note of your mnemonics, heed the screen warning to be careful because "spies or hidden cameras." Entering a confusing 24-word seed, as it's not clear that you have to press back after typing each word. There are still some elements from Cobo Vault that can benefit from improvements, starting with mnemonic confirmation.

Installation Device

After the seed is recorded, it's time to scan the QR code again, this time to pair Cobo Vault with the mobile application. When finished, the mobile application displays the wallet screen perfunctory. BTC and ETH are the only coins that are supported in the test version, but the full version will be sent with support for all previously registered coins including BCH and DASH.

The feature that is now standard on many HWs, including Vault, is the ability to make hidden safes. If owners are forced to unlock their wallets under pressure, they can reveal addresses that only contain a number of cryptocurrency. A large number of hidden domes can be created with Cobo Vault, so it is impossible for physical attackers to know for sure whether they are being shown the original wallet. To verify that everything works correctly, I send a BTC test transaction to Vault, and then send it to another address, use Vault to sign the transaction using a QR code scan.

Physical Assembly

With most hardware wallets, reviews end after the wallet and mobile device are paired, a bitcoin address is created and tests the transaction sent. But with Cobo Vault, real pleasure begins when you prepare to pack your device. The body and battery are separated and put into separate compartments in a protective container. The mattress holds the closed part comfortably, without much noise, no matter how strong you shake the ensemble.

One accessory that hasn't been discussed in this review is a mnemonic tablet and letter block that allows you to wrap your 24-word seed in a metal container that looks as strong as a protective case for Vault itself. It would be nice if there was a way to easily separate the two parts of the tablet so that the seeds could be stored in two separate locations. If you decide to put the letter on the tablet, use a screwdriver and 282 letters provided, please, but it might be wise to obscure one or more words. It may still be wiser to save your mnemonic tablet in a different location from your Cobo Vault.

The Cobo Vault is a solid kit that is likely to claim the coat of the Toughest in Class, at least in the wallet category at a reasonable price. A few hundred dollars seems a reasonable expense for the device that should be, provided that the right opsec is used, keeping your cryptocurrency safe for an indefinite time, or until you have to liquidate at least. Software can and will be better in some places, and UX needs are tidied up. Expect Niggle to have been completed when the production version starts shipping.

Cobo Vault will outlive you. The sooner you accept that fact, the faster you can accept your own death and the permanence of bitcoin.

In closing, I would like to say that there are professional teams on the platform, clear development plans, ideological and topical issues. This in turn makes the COBO Wallet a sophisticated platform aimed at big plans.