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A suspicious message does not prove your Ledger wallet was compromised. The key questions are whether anyone could have obtained your Secret Recovery Phrase and whether an unauthorized transaction is confirmed on the relevant blockchain. Never share or type your phrase into a website, app, or computer. If it may have been exposed, treat it as unsafe and move remaining assets to accounts controlled by a different phrase.
First, stop anything that could expose your wallet
- Do not share your Secret Recovery Phrase with anyone, including someone claiming to be Ledger Support. Ledger says its staff will never ask for it and that you should enter the 24 words only directly on your Ledger device. See Ledger’s phishing guidance.
- Do not approve a transaction on the device unless you initiated it and understand the details shown on its screen.
- If an app or website says there is an error and asks for your 24 words, stop using it. Ledger warns that fake wallet apps and sites use this tactic to steal recovery phrases; get the app from Ledger’s official website.
- Do not follow links or phone numbers in a suspicious message. Reach official support independently.
Work out what actually happened
A phishing attempt and a compromised wallet are not the same thing. Sort the event into the closest case before deciding what to do next.
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| What happened | What it indicates | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You received an unsolicited email, text, call, message, or token/NFT, but did not share your phrase or approve a transaction. | It indicates an attempted scam or lure, not by itself that the phrase was obtained or funds moved. | Do not engage with the contact or token. Check account activity as a precaution. |
| You entered, photographed, sent, or otherwise disclosed your phrase—or you are not sure whether someone saw it. | Assume the phrase is exposed. A blockchain check cannot prove that nobody copied it. | Move remaining assets to accounts controlled by a genuinely different phrase, then retire the exposed phrase. Follow Ledger’s recovery-phrase change instructions. |
| You approved a transaction you did not initiate. | The approval may have authorized an on-chain action, even if it appeared during use of a suspicious app. | Inspect the transaction and affected address on the appropriate blockchain explorer. Secure any remaining assets if the phrase may also be exposed. |
| Ledger Wallet history is missing an entry, or the account is not syncing. | An incomplete app display is not proof of theft, but it also does not establish that the account is safe. | Confirm the network, address, and transaction status using a suitable explorer. |
| Recovery Check says the backup phrase failed. | A failed check alone does not mean the wallet was compromised or the coins are locked. | Check the phrase carefully; if the backup may be wrong, follow the safe-remediation steps below. |
Check account activity on the blockchain
- Open the affected account in Ledger Wallet and note its network and account address.
- Review the transaction list for outgoing activity you did not initiate. Verify any questionable transaction details and addresses against what you approved on the hardware device. Ledger’s guidance is in Verify transaction details.
- Look up the address or transaction on an explorer for that exact network. Confirm that the address matches your account and whether the transaction is confirmed, pending, or absent.
- If Ledger Wallet has no entry but the explorer does, investigate the confirmed on-chain record. Some transaction types may not appear in the app history; Ledger’s Polkadot guidance, for example, recommends checking Subscan or another appropriate chain source when activity is missing: Missing transactions in my Polkadot account.
An unfamiliar confirmed outgoing transaction is more significant than a missing app entry alone. Check the correct network and account before concluding that funds moved; explorers and transaction formats differ between networks.
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Move assets to accounts derived from a different recovery phrase. A new hardware device by itself does not protect funds if you restore the exposed phrase onto it: the security change comes from using a genuinely different phrase and moving assets to its accounts.
#1 Best Overall
- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
- Enjoy Bluetooth connectivity, iOS access, and hours of battery use with this mobile-first, secure backup signer. Freedom you can depend on.
- Genuine Check: confirm your signer is authentic during setup with the Ledger Wallet app.
- Protect your signer: keep it in mint condition at all times with a bespoke Pod or Case to avoid scratches and everyday wear and tear.
- Set up temporary accounts you control using a different recovery phrase. Do not reuse the potentially exposed phrase.
- Transfer tokens first, then transfer native assets such as ETH or BNB as needed to cover network fees. Ledger’s instructions describe this order; the required fees and steps depend on the network.
- After the assets are moved, reset the Ledger device, set it up as a new device to generate a fresh phrase, and create new accounts. Stop using the exposed phrase to protect funds.
Do not reset the device before securing assets if the reset would remove your access to the accounts. If you are unsure how to move a particular asset or network account, use Ledger’s official instructions and independently reached support rather than sharing your phrase with anyone.
If Ledger Recovery Check fails
Ledger says an unsuccessful Recovery Check does not lock accounts, reset the device, or compromise coins. A failure may instead mean the backup was entered incorrectly or is faulty. Check the phrase length, spelling, BIP39 word list, and word order, then retry carefully. Never send the words to support or enter them on a computer to troubleshoot.
Rank #2
- Simply & securely take control of your digital assets and identity with the all-in-one Ledger Wallet crypto app and Ledger Flex touchscreen signer.
- Digital asset control at your fingertips: manage 15,000+ crypto across multiple chains. Earn rewards. Top up & share with ease. Explore DeFi with confidence. Collect and showcase NFTs. Make informed choices with clarity.
- Connect effortlessly with Ledger Wallet: pair your secure Ledger signer with the all in one Ledger Wallet crypto app to manage thousands of digital assets across multiple devices and accounts with Ledger Sync from a single, secure dashboard.
- Cutting-edge design: monitor the market, compare rates, and Clear Sign transactions on the secure, high resolution, 2.8'' E Ink touchscreen.
- This is what security feels like: Ledger touchscreen signers all come with a private, offline, PIN-protected backup, Ledger Recovery Key, to never lose access to your assets.
If the check continues to fail and the backup may be incorrect, Ledger recommends moving crypto to safe accounts first, deleting emptied accounts, resetting the device, creating a new phrase and accounts, and then moving assets back. Keep the old backup available if any accounts have not yet been moved. See Ledger’s Recovery Check guidance.
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What the 2023 Ledger Connect Kit incident does—and does not—show
Ledger’s support page about the December 14, 2023 Connect Kit exploit says malicious code affected some decentralized applications and that Ledger hardware and Ledger Wallet integrity were not affected. That statement concerns that specific incident. It does not determine whether an individual user approved a malicious transaction or disclosed a recovery phrase. For an individual wallet, inspect the relevant address and transaction on-chain, and treat any possibly disclosed phrase as exposed. Ledger’s incident page is Ledger Connect Kit exploit: how to submit a compensation request.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- All your digital assets in one place. You can manage thousands of crypto including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tether and more.
- Connectivity: USB-C cable connection only. No Bluetooth.Compatible with the Ledger Wallet crypto app, both desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (Android only). Not compatible with iOS.
- Protect your digital assets with the industry's best security: keep your private keys offline in your private signer, battle-tested by the Donjon's white hat hackers, CC EAL 6+ certified Secure Element, constantly updated Ledger OS.
- Effortlessly build your crypto portfolio via the all in one Ledger Wallet app: buy, sell, send, receive, swap, stake and more across popular blockchains. 15,000+ coins & tokens in a single dashboard. Keep a close eye on the market. Compare service providers. Track performance. Get timely alerts. Build your portfolio with confidence.
- Choose the colors that match your style: express your personality and your crypto management mood, color code your signers, one for each use (trading, staking, HOLDing...).
Rank #3
- More than just crypto: confirm your device is authentic with Genuine Check, manage all your logins with Ledger Security Key, detect common scams with Transaction Check and more.
- Industry-defining security: battle-tested by the Donjon's white hat hackers, protected by the Secure Element, and powered by Ledger OS.
- Connect effortlessly with Ledger Wallet: pair your secure Ledger signer with the all in one Ledger Wallet crypto app to manage thousands of digital assets across multiple devices and accounts with Ledger Sync from a single, secure dashboard.
- Playful, user-friendly design: monitor the market, compare rates and Clear Sign all transactions on the secure 2.8'' anti-glare, scratch-resistant touchscreen.
- This is what security feels like: Ledger touchscreen signers all come with a private, offline, PIN-protected backup, Ledger Recovery Key, to never lose access to your assets.
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