Now that we've seen a drastic rise in Steem prices, you need to ensure your account's security. *The money in your account will only be yours if only **you and only you** are in control of your private keys.*

Before I get into how to secure your account, I'm going to go through a quick rundown of your account's keys:
**Owner Key** - Your master password. This key allows you to withdraw/transfer funds, make posts, vote on posts, vote for witnesses, and change all your keys.
**Active Key** - Can perform all the functions of the owner key with the exception of changing your keys.
**Posting Key** - Lets you post, vote, comment, and follow other accounts. *You should be logging in every day using your posting key!*
**Memo Key** - Not important. You'll probably never use it.

![pexels-photo-277670.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPQVF8jnVdfpa84VEJ9YPnXWoLbxzeCQLVnmGhq8pye1J/pexels-photo-277670.jpeg)

# How do I Secure My Account?
**STEP 1** - Change your keys
**STEP 2** - Backup your keys to multiple secure physical and digital places.
**STEP 3** - Log in ONLY with your Posting Key unless you need to transfer funds. Log in with your Active key when you want to make a transfer.
**STEP 4** - Be mindful of third parties claiming to keep your keys safe. They may not be safe and they could have malicious intentions.
**STEP 5** - Repeat steps 1 and 2 frequently

**IMPORTANT** - There's a difference between your public keys and your private keys. When backing up your keys, be certain it is the *private* keys that you are backing up.