diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 05efa56..376879d 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ are ready. - [The Sovran Hub](#the-sovran-hub) - [Install Sovran_SystemsOS](#install-sovran_systemsos) - [For developers](#for-developers) +- [About Bitcoin wallet entropy](#about-bitcoin-wallet-entropy) - [Security approach](#security-approach) - [Acknowledgements](#acknowledgements) - [License](#license) · [Contributing](#contributing) @@ -593,6 +594,42 @@ production environment. --- +## About Bitcoin wallet entropy + +When you create a Bitcoin wallet in Sparrow Wallet, you generate a **24-word +seed phrase**. You should also apply a **128-bit BIP39 passphrase**. These are +**two independent entropy sources** — both are required to recover your wallet, +and neither one alone is sufficient. + +**Create each entropy source on different hardware.** + +The seed phrase is generated by Sparrow Wallet on your Sovran_SystemsOS machine. +The 128-bit passphrase should be generated on a separate device — for example: + +- A **GrapheneOS** phone using Bitwarden's passphrase generator +- A different computer running the **Diceware** program + +This way, no single device ever produces or holds both sources of randomness. +If one device is ever compromised, the other entropy source remains unknown to +an attacker. Your wallet cannot be recovered without **both**. + +This is not a recommendation against hardware wallets, dice, or any other +well-tested method of creating entropy. Those are established and valuable +approaches. If you use a hardware wallet, verify for yourself that its entropy +generation — both the software and the hardware — is sound and follows best +practices. + +The takeaway is simply this: **how your entropy is created matters, and +generating your two entropy sources on two physically separate devices is a +strong practice to understand before setting up a Bitcoin wallet** with the +software included in Sovran_SystemsOS. + +**You must do your own research.** The information above is basic educational +context to help you build your own best practices — not financial advice and not +a substitute for your own due diligence. + +--- + ## Security approach Sovran_SystemsOS is designed around local ownership and explicit control.