In the crypto world, surviving for a long time depends heavily on the choice of wallet, and emphasizing this point is well justified.

A wallet is the most fundamental infrastructure in this industry. Recent high-profile theft cases—such as a veteran wallet under a major exchange being hacked for $7 million, and a well-known trading bot also falling victim—serve as a stark reminder: security awareness must never be relaxed.

As an ordinary investor, how can you protect yourself? Having explored wallet products for years, I’ve summarized several essential principles to remember.

**First, always choose reputable, top-tier wallets.** This doesn’t mean that wallets from small teams are off-limits, but leading platforms—such as major exchange series or well-known trading platforms—generally have established dedicated security compensation mechanisms. Take the recent theft of that veteran wallet as an example: the official team used their insurance fund to fully compensate users. In contrast, with smaller teams, if something goes wrong, users are likely to bear the losses themselves, with no guarantees.

Wallet operations may seem simple, but in reality, it’s a thankless task that requires sufficient resources and robust technical capabilities to manage risks. Once successfully established, however, the rewards can be substantial—directly capturing user traffic entry points.

**Second, the security of browser plugin wallets is indeed questionable; do not store large assets in them.** The recent theft involved a plugin version. The architecture of plugin wallets inherently has design flaws, making them much riskier compared to hardware wallets and other solutions. If you insist on using a plugin wallet, only use it for small emergency funds, and don’t rely on it to safeguard your core assets.