Published on: 2011-09-23T21:36:56+00:00
Gavin Andresen and Daniel agree on the importance of GPG signatures in ensuring the authenticity and integrity of files. Andresen mentions that he has uploaded GPG-signed signatures to Github, providing a link for interested users. However, he expresses his reluctance to announce it due to unreliable downloads from the platform.Another user requests secure file checksums to be posted somewhere other than Sourceforge, without specifying the reason for avoiding Sourceforge. A user questions the significance of GPG-signing the checksums regardless of the posting location.In separate news, Gavin Andresen announces the release of Bitcoin version 0.4.0, available for download on SourceForge. However, Andreas expresses concern about downloading directly from SourceForge and suggests posting secure file checksums elsewhere. It is unclear if Gavin responded to this request.Bitcoin version 0.4.0 introduces wallet private key encryption as its main feature. Users must now enter a passphrase before sending coins, offering protection against theft. However, losing or forgetting the passphrase will result in permanent loss of access to the bitcoins. To prevent this, it is recommended that users write down and securely store their passphrase. Additionally, version 0.4 uses a newer version of Berkeley DB, which may cause issues when reverting to older versions.To enable wallet encryption, users should select "Encrypt Wallet" from the Options menu and enter a passphrase. It is important to note that only the keys required for sending bitcoins are protected, not the entire wallet. Therefore, if someone steals the wallet file, they can still view all addresses associated with the user. It is advised to create a backup of the wallet file before encrypting it, as reverting to a Bitcoin client older than version 0.4 becomes impossible once encrypted.Users are responsible for their own security and should follow good security practices such as using up-to-date antivirus software, entering the wallet passphrase only within the Bitcoin client, and using a unique passphrase for the wallet. The full changelog for Bitcoin version 0.4.0 can be found at the provided link.
Updated on: 2023-08-01T02:29:46.298255+00:00