Discover the latest news, development and security tips to safeguard your assets with Keystone.

<h2>The Evolution of Money and Wallets</h2>
In the beginning of early Civilization, there were no wallets to hold money in. Instead, the forms of money were either a big stone or a live animal. Only later on, the transition to smaller salable items started appearing that required storage. Some of the earliest wallets were used as sacs that held bales of wheat or pieces of pebbles.
As it became more complex to assess values, civilization started adopting better salable currencies, such as gold.
With the advent of money, first in the form of silver or gold, the necessity of the purse was born. Gold was heavy and required strong material for daily carrying, typically textile or leather. The quality of the leather indicated one&#39;s social standing and power. However, carrying coins also came with the risk of theft.
<h2>Transition to Modern Wallets</h2>
As gold was gradually captured by the nation-state and fiat currencies, especially paper ones, began to appear, the modern wallet was born. A typical modern wallet has space for fiat banknotes and sometimes coins. The introduction of debit and credit cards added a new dimension to wallets, driven by banks incentivizing deposits with lower reserve ratios to speculate with customer funds.
This item has been relevant for over a hundred years, controlling our life and spending ability. Without a wallet, purchasing anything anywhere becomes impossible. As time changes, wallets are evolving due to the convenience offered by bank cards.
<h2>The Minimalistic Modern Wallet</h2>
Modern wallets are now very minimalistic, often containing no paper money or coins, just a few cards. This trend started in the 2000s as the use of physical money declined. In some countries like Sweden, money is now almost entirely digital, making it difficult to obtain paper banknotes. This shift reduces the privacy of transactions due to increased digital surveillance.
This trend leads us towards a world with Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), where central banks issue money and have complete oversight over all transactions. This threatens privacy and could enable governments to restrict spending for any reason.
With Satoshi Nakamoto&#39;s release of Bitcoin in 2009, a revolutionary change began. Bitcoin introduced the concept of digital wallets, allowing users to control their money without third-party oversight. Hardware-based digital wallets enhance this control.
<h2>The Evolution of Hardware Wallets</h2>
Hardware wallets are still in their infancy but come in various forms and functions. While initially complex, newer models are becoming more user-friendly. These wallets are sleek, easy to carry, and password-protected. If a device is stolen, it can be restored with a secret phrase, making monetary theft more difficult.
We can speculate that this is not the final form of wallets. From textile to leather, and from leather to plastic, and now silicone-based circuitry, the next step might integrate wallets into the human entity, possibly controlled through our minds. This future could be utopian or dystopian, but as we move forward with Bitcoin, we head towards a more prosperous world.

Evolution of Wallet: From textile to silicon PCB

In the contemporary world, a rising tide of environmental concerns — land, water, and air contamination, climatic changes, biodiversity loss, or health repercussions like respiratory issues and cancer — continues challenging humanity. Among these pressing concerns, product packaging is one of the easily overlooked culprits.
<h2>The Unseen Impact of Unboxing Joy</h2>
<img src="https://keyst.one/images/1_3ol_O_Ha_W_Wvs_FY_3cxc_D_On_JQ_4135957146.webp" alt="1_3olOHaWWvsFY3cxcDOnJQ.webp">
Most of us have experienced the joy of unboxing a new electronic device. That distinct smell, the pristine components, and the adrenaline rush that accompanies the reveal. However, each time we relish this moment, we inadvertently contribute to the mounting waste from packaging materials. For many businesses, the quest for delivering an optimal unboxing experience can often overshadow the bigger environmental picture.
At Keystone, we’re on a mission to rethink this dynamic. While our immediate business objectives focus on enhancing product experience and driving sales, we’re equally, if not more, invested in our planet’s future. With the new packaging for our Keystone 3 Pro, we are embarking on a journey to harmonise the thrill of unboxing with sustainable practices.
<h2>Our Approach: Incorporating Sustainability</h2>
<h2>Prioritising Eco-friendly Materials</h2>
<img src="https://keyst.one/images/1_M_Evjx37e_QDW_Ez_QSGAZKS_Mg_64ebac3766.webp" alt="1MEvjx37eQDWEzQSGAZKSMg.webp">
Purity in Packaging: Our product’s external packaging utilises FSC(Recycled Kraft Paper), recognised for its near-complete pulp content and zero plastic elements. The surface of the packaging paper does not use PP film to protect the ink, but instead uses substitute plastic oil to protect the printed content. It contains no plastic components, meaning our packaging materials are 100% biodegradable.
<img src="https://keyst.one/images/1gdl_E_ow_Fl_Hr9_Avwfl_R_Uk_Pw_3cb1e10bb1.webp" alt="1gdlE-owFlHr9AvwflRUkPw.webp">
Sensible Inner Design: For the inner core, we’ve opted for cardboard made from RGBP(Recycled Gray Board Paper), commonly known as grey cardboard. It’s not only robust but also has a reduced carbon footprint compared to its white cardboard counterpart due to the reduced bleaching processes.
<img src="https://keyst.one/images/17s_Bv1q_E_Kt_S1o_Bda_IFV_Ypsg_e776b503fd.webp" alt="17sBv1qEKtS1oBdaIFVYpsg.webp">
Optimised Tray Design: Crafted from black kraft card paper, the product tray is meticulously designed to reduce paper consumption without compromising product safety. Furthermore, we’ve incorporated cushioning paper, eliminating the need for traditional, less eco-friendly foam or plastic buffers.
<img src="https://keyst.one/images/1_WJ_Ol_Ya_O1_ZITVF_6_Sn_B73_To_Q_9a8c51c3e7.webp" alt="1WJOlYaO1ZITVF6SnB73ToQ.webp">
Environment-friendly ink: The content printing uses environmentally friendly vegetable oil ink.
<h2>Embracing Recycling and Reuse</h2>
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At Keystone, we believe packaging is more than just a protective cover or an impressive unboxing moment. We design our packaging to be repurposed, recycled, and reused long after its initial purpose is fulfilled. Our unique drawer-style packaging, accompanied by our special jelly glue, can easily be repurposed into a functional storage unit that can be attached under your table. What’s more, the washable nature of the glue ensures it can be reused, making it ideal for securing other items like power strips.
<h2>Final Thoughts: Our Eco-promise</h2>
<img src="https://keyst.one/images/1_Cp_BZ_Zf8_Y_byi_S3k1_MS_67_MQ_e6a221b018.webp" alt="1CpBZZf8Y_byiS3k1MS67MQ.webp">
Our journey towards sustainable packaging isn’t merely a business move; it’s a testament to our unwavering commitment to Mother Earth. We genuinely believe that even if our efforts offset a minuscule amount of carbon, it’s a step in the right direction. Through constant innovation, we aim to provide our customers with not just a product but a sustainable experience.
<h2>About Keystone</h2>
<a href="https://keyst.one/">Keystone</a> is an <a href="/the-role-of-open-source-tech-in-keystones-development-4dd77faea752">open-source</a> airgap hardware wallet that utilises an embedded system. To further enhance its security, the device is equipped with <a href="/secure-elements-the-bedrock-of-hardware-wallet-security-1dd8cbdef461">three secure element chips</a>. One of Keystone’s unique features is its ability to support <a href="/unleashing-the-power-of-multiple-secret-recovery-phrases-with-keystone-3-a-comprehensive-guide-3c3afb997cc4">multiple recovery seed phrases</a>, reducing the need to purchase multiple hardware wallet devices.
With the <a href="/keystone-3-pro-a-community-centric-designed-hardware-wallet-81646869feff">primary aim</a> of maximising security against potential threats, minimising dependence, reducing human errors, and eliminating single points of failure, Keystone also strongly emphasises extensive interoperability. It is compatible with well-known software wallets such as <a href="https://metamask.io/">MetaMask</a> (both <a href="https://twitter.com/MetaMask/status/1469351219290382341">Extension</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MetaMask/status/1517256930389110785">Mobile</a> versions) and other premier software wallets like the <a href="https://www.okx.com/web3">OKX Web3 Wallet</a>, <a href="https://solflare.com/">Solflare</a>, <a href="https://rabby.io/">Rabby</a>, and more.
<a href="https://keyst.one/">Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/KeystoneWallet">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://keyst.one/discord">Discord</a> | <a href="https://t.me/KeystoneWallet">Telegram</a> | <a href="https://github.com/KeystoneHQ">GitHub</a>

Sustainable Packaging: Keystone’s Perspective

<h2>How can you verify your hardware wallet isn’t a fake?</h2>
By <a href="https://medium.com/@patrickkim_1991">Patrick Kim</a>
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Supply chain attacks are one of the most serious security threats for hardware wallets because they target vulnerabilities in the logistics process and could happen without the owner knowing. This is why you should never purchase a hardware wallet from anywhere other than an official website or authorized reseller. The Keystone, like most hardware wallets, comes with tamper-evident packaging as a countermeasure. While tamper-evident packaging raises the cost of supply chain attacks, it’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1OBIGslgGM&feature=youtu.be&t=434">not a foolproof measure</a> to prevent them.
<h3>How Web Authentication Works Upon Initialization</h3>
The Keystone’s Web Authentication process gives you a much higher degree of assurance that your device has not fallen victim to a supply chain attack. When you initialize your Keystone, you will be prompted to visit <a href="https://keyst.one/authentication">https://keyst.one/authentication</a> to confirm your device has not been tampered with or swapped out for a fake somewhere along the supply chain. Web Authentication works because of the same digital signature algorithm used in Bitcoin. In asymmetric encryption, only a private key can produce a digital signature that can be verified with its corresponding public key, and only a private key can decrypt information encrypted using its public key. This is one-way transfer of information powers verifiability in Bitcoin.
Each Keystone has a pair of public and private keys pre-installed in the Secure Element during manufacturing that is used solely for the purpose of Web Authentication. This pair of keys has nothing to do with the public and private master key pair generated from <a href="/secure-elements-harnessing-a-force-of-nature-14a959da7b54">physical entropy</a> by the Secure Element during initialization of the Keystone. We will call this pair of public and private keys Web Authentication keys.
The backend of the Web Authentication page is operated by a hardware security module (HSM) server, which is a highly secure crypto processing service offered by AWS. Like a Secure Element, it also has a pair of public and private keys. Each Keystone’s <a href="/secure-elements-the-last-line-of-defense-4669012d4edc">Secure Element</a> knows the public key of the HSM server, while the HSM server knows that device’s Web Authentication public key.
On the Web Authentication page, you will be prompted to scan a QR code. This QR code is a random string of numbers generated by the HSM which has been encrypted with your Keystone’s Web Authentication public key and then signed by the HSM’s private key. When you scan this QR code, your Keystone will first use the HSM’s public key to verify the HSM server’s signature of the message. This is to ensure that the QR code you are looking at is from the official Web Authentication page, and not the victim of a phishing scam.
The Keystone will then use its Web Authentication private key to decrypt the message that was encrypted with its public key by the HSM server. This results in the 8 digits you are asked to enter into the Web Authentication page after scanning the QR code. The HSM system will then check to see whether the digits align with the original random string it generated. If Web Authentication fails, you will not want to use your device at all. A failure message indicates that either your Keystone is not operating the Secure Element it was manufactured with, or that your device was swapped out for a counterfeit entirely.
<h3>What Are the Potential Risks for it Being Compromised?</h3>
To spoof this process, attackers would need a considerable amount of resources. Not only would the HSM server have to be hacked, but the device’s Secure Element would also have to have been compromised. We are using AWS’s HSM server, which in our evaluation has the highest degree of security. With the Secure Element’s strong track record of being notoriously difficult to directly hack into, it is extremely improbable that both would be compromised at the same time.
The Keystone Pro also includes an <a href="/self-destruct-mechanisms-unique-defense-against-side-channel-attacks-4cfea3d4eff1">anti-tamper self-destruct mechanism</a> that would render the device useless in the event attackers seek to open it and tamper with the components inside.

Keystone's Blog

Evolution of Wallet: From textile to silicon PCB

Sustainable Packaging: Keystone’s Perspective

Web Authentication: A Counter to Supply Chain Attacks