On Operational Security and Cryptosteel Capsule
Developing the second-generation Cryptosteel backup device was a long and intense process.
How does it fit into OPSEC?
As pioneers on the market, we gathered a lot of information along the way – utilizing feedback from both our supporters and our users. Learning the lessons from several years of service and support, we were finally ready to take offline data storage to the next level.
Along with that – and after a lot of hard work – we completed another product, a booklet On Operational Security and the Cryptosteel Capsule. The main purpose of this passion project is to educate users about good security practices.
We understand that in a digital environment, searching for a relevant knowledge source regarding security issues is always a huge challenge. We decided to create a manual map for how creating a proper backup would fit into Operational Security (OPSEC) as a way to pay it forward to the community that gave us so much. The plan, from the beginning, was to make it free and shareable.
What does it include?
This large 480x680mm vivid poster-like manual shows questions and answers regarding the Private Key Storage problem, as well as guides on how to improve security operations, procedures, and behaviors.
The most important aspect of the manual supplies a base of knowledge of the relevant aspects of OPSEC. This is a deep subject so we just covered the basics on how you can apply them to any type of backup. This is a great place to start and we encourage you to learn as much as you can about the topic.
Additionally, even though the Cryptosteel Capsule is a fairly simple tool, we wanted to give an overview of the product. The manual illustrates the anatomy of the Capsule, giving a name to all of the parts and their purpose. It also provides recommendations for best practices when using it.
Finally, you will notice that we strongly advocate for SatoshiLabs standards (e.g. Mnemonic aka BIP39 and Shamir Backup aka SLIP39) throughout the manual. It should be noted that we have worked hand-in-hand with SatoshiLabs from the beginning. We feel that they bring the highest level of excellence to the cryptosphere standards.
Where to find it?
Starting in February 2020, On Operational Security will be integrated into the packaging of the Capsule at no additional cost. It will also be available for download on our website. Feel free to make copies and share them with people. We are licensing it as Creative Common BY-SA 4.0, so you are welcome to add, update, or remix it.
This is just the next step forward. We would like to provide a kind of hyde-park for professional security experts and ask them to join us to help solve the problem of how to explain to laymen – in simple words – the proper methods of how to take care of security. We will keep developing this as a part of our project and will always keep it relevant with current news and reviews. Please follow our GitHub repository to always be up-to-date with this topic.
We hope that the manual will go a long way toward answering any questions that you have about the Capsule, OPSEC, and SatoshiLabs standards and how to use all three. We encourage your feedback and wish you peace of mind.
Cryptosteel believes the greatest risk to safety and prosperity today lies with the centralization of information, resources, and power. By allowing people to physically safeguard their own digital keys, we champion the decentralization of digital assets, virtual identities, and personal data.
Cryptosteel® 
