supper bro.....your post is always the best.....

GREAT Post my friend! Helped me understand much more about the keys.

Well writen and easy to understand for all steemit users 💪
Thanks

This was much needed thanks for the detailed post :)

I think this is useful for most users not just new ones.  Good job at making these things clear.

A very good explanation! Thanks for sharing...

Thank you this is useful and interesting. Although I don't understand how and where you get those other keys. I mean.. I only have my main password to login. I don't see any other password or key to actually be manually entered or used?

If we do get hacked, what is the best thing to do ?    Can we still reach people on discord, or should we have emails of other people on Steemit to reach out to ??

Good info...  i never able to use the other keys for instance whenever i post or transfer it doesn't accept other keys (posting/active/owner) but will only accept the masterkey ??

Don't sign in anywhere else.

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/27/273ce8c99f971a4414b0212a17ca59598b19beef767f025ff24a41d57023ea89.jpg

Thank you for writing and sharing this-- this makes it very CLEAR what's what. I think a lot of people-- and this will get "worse" as Steemit becomes more and more mainstream-- are confused about a site that seems to have (in street terms) "so many passwords." 

Public keys, private keys, and different keys to do different things. Most web sites-- as you know-- have ONE password. End of story.

It's important for people to know exactly what each of these ARE and what they DO.

Resteeming.

wow super post

Very useful post  for everyone in steemit. Thanks @dragosroua.

I'm still not clear on the difference between private and public keys.
for example..._Busy_ asks for the posting key...what exactly are they asking for?

Thanks for this post. It's a MUST READ for everyone who's not sure about those keys.

This is a great write up.  I go through intro posts and give promising new people beginner information.  A "Security" section is part of it.  I want to make sure people understand the basics of account security right away.

In addition to the key issue, people should also understand why using "Savings" to store Steem Dollars and Steem Power to store STEEM is so important.  The three day withdraw time for Savings and the many week long withdraw time from Steem Power protects your investment here in case you are hacked or have your account compromised.

I'm beginning to think I completely understand the key issue too, but there's still one missing link people fail to mention.  Your master key when you get the account starting with P5 is a hint.  I was initially getting confused when I looked in my account permissions area and did not see that key.  Well, it makes sense, for the key you see listed in the Owner section (same as master) is the public key.  The one you get when the account is first made is the _private_ master key.  Is that correct?  Per traditional PKI knowledge though, that can be confusing.  Both should not be shared with anyone.  "Public" does not mean it should be given out.

Here's the security blurb I share with new promising accounts when I see them:

### Security

Do not use your owner key to log into Steemit.com to post.  Use your private posting key instead.  Keep your owner key offline as much as possible, and only use it when you must.  

Per the advice given by Arcanage, you should only use your owner key to:

1. Recover your account.
2. Change the other keys.
3. Give a present to your children a few minutes before dying.

A lot of scams have been happening on Steemit recently.  If you click a link to a site that prompts you to log into it, be extra careful.  Double and triple check the address to make sure it is really steemit.com.  A recent scam was using "lsteemit" as the domain name, and people were entering their owner keys to log into it.  That allowed the scammers to take those user's accounts, empty the money from them, and then ruin their reputation by using the newly hacked accounts to further the scam.

If you find or suspect a scam, please report it in the #steemitabuse channel on steemit.chat.

---

Edits and suggestions are welcome.  Thanks everyone for being diligent, patient, and helpful regarding the security of Steemit.com!

I like the interactive way you laid it out with question and answer format.

This part  below is really hilarious
>**Question:** So there is a way to get back my account?
**Answer:** You're not following me. Your account is just a transaction in the blockchain, that can be unlocked by your owner / active / posting key. If you lose those keys, your only chance to recover your account is to remember the email address with which you signed up and then initiate a recovery process with Steemit INC.

This post well explains everything a newbie and any old user needs to know about Steemit security.

I have shared(resteemed) to my friends.

Great. That has cleared up a lot of confusion. Thanks

Best key/ password explanation yet, thank you for your efforts.

Interessing post witness with need this infos thanks

Good proactive info!  Keep fighting the good fight, fellow witness brother!

thanks for searing.

Thank you for the clearest explanation I've come across.  I wish you posted this a little sooner as my account was stolen about 2 weeks ago.

I like the way you explained in a simple and easy to understand manner. By following this no one should ever lose their account :)

Thanks. This was some helpful information. Appreciate it. :)

hey @dragosroua,
This is good information, you always update the data to facilitate and analyze. This is a good job

What if the bad guy changes the email address which I used to register here? One thing I want to know that I submitted my master key in esteem app so is that a matter of concern and I should change it immediately.

Thank you for all the clarifications. It is a must-read for newcomers.

this post is very useful for steemit users,
Thanks You so much

thanks for this helpful post brother :)

__*P. S. Don't use sunscreen, the chemicals steep into your skin, and that is the start of dis-ease, illness and ailments harming your skin organ...*__

The rest is all **GOOD**!

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It seems we can't say these things enough, but people don't even read the FAQ. There will be more accounts getting hacked.

Nice!  I've been around a minute or two and enjoyed this still!  Thanks!

You really can't pay enough attention to online secure these days. Even Pornhub is getting attacked by hackers and malware-spreaders these days. 

I would also recommend Steemians install an ad blocker on the browser they use to access Stemmit. A lot of viruses and keyloggers area spread through Google/Bing ads.

Thanks for posting this detailed info!