<blockquote>
<p>if my computer is infected and my passphrase is compromised, I'm going to do this transaction and never use that wallet again. Is there a risk that my transaction won't be fulfilled successfully?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Users of <a href="https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/issues/4968" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Electrum</a> found to their cost that it is possible that a compromised computer contains a malicously modified wallet that <em>shows</em> it sends money where the user asked (and presumably shows the transaction as successful) but <em>actually sends</em> the money to the address of a thief.</p>
<p>If you suspect a computer may not be clean, you can't be certain that any bitcoin core wallet on that computer has not been compromised in some equally malicous way.</p>
<p>Quantifying the risk is hard, and deciding on an acceptable level of risk is a personal choice. However the risk is not zero.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-15T15:54:17.220Z
2021-01-15T15:54:17.220Z
RedGrittyBrick
<p>Sure, just make sure it's a computer you trust to be free of malware.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-15T09:50:49.240Z
Thanks for the answer, but what I mean is: do I really have to be careful at all? Even if my computer is infected and my passphrase is compromised, I'm going to do this transaction and never use that wallet again. Is there a risk that my transaction won't be fulfilled successfully?
Yababa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-17T12:31:32.747Z
@Yababa Yes: malware exists that will look for Bitcoin wallets and it'll send out any coins on those wallets faster than you can make a transaction. If want to be certain you won't lose the coins then it's still worthwhile to be careful.
ieatpizza
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-15T03:56:15.320Z
2021-01-15T03:56:15.320Z
ieatpizza
<p>I have Bitcoin-Core wallet.dat with a single address and a small amount of bitcoins in it.
Say I want to send all the available bitcoins I have, and then never use that wallet again. Can I use an online computer for that, including entering the passphrase while connected to the internet? Will anybody be able to steal any bitcoins from me?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>

<bitcoin-core><transactions><wallet.dat>
Is there a risk in entering my Bitcoin-Core wallet passphrase, if it's for sending all my available balance and never using that wallet again?
Yababa
# Is there a risk in entering my Bitcoin-Core wallet passphrase, if it's for sending all my available balance and never using that wallet again?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-15)

I have Bitcoin-Core wallet.dat with a single address and a small amount of bitcoins in it.
Say I want to send all the available bitcoins I have, and then never use that wallet again. Can I use an online computer for that, including entering the passphrase while connected to the internet? Will anybody be able to steal any bitcoins from me?

Thanks

**Tags:** bitcoin-core, transactions, wallet.dat


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-01-15. Score: 1

> if my computer is infected and my passphrase is compromised, I'm going to do this transaction and never use that wallet again. Is there a risk that my transaction won't be fulfilled successfully?

Users of [Electrum](https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/issues/4968) found to their cost that it is possible that a compromised computer contains a malicously modified wallet that *shows* it sends money where the user asked (and presumably shows the transaction as successful) but *actually sends* the money to the address of a thief.

If you suspect a computer may not be clean, you can't be certain that any bitcoin core wallet on that computer has not been compromised in some equally malicous way.

Quantifying the risk is hard, and deciding on an acceptable level of risk is a personal choice. However the risk is not zero.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2021-01-15. Score: 0

Sure, just make sure it's a computer you trust to be free of malware.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for the answer, but what I mean is: do I really have to be careful at all? Even if my computer is infected and my passphrase is compromised, I'm going to do this transaction and never use that wallet again. Is there a risk that my transaction won't be fulfilled successfully?  
> **username_2**: @username_0 Yes: malware exists that will look for Bitcoin wallets and it'll send out any coins on those wallets faster than you can make a transaction. If want to be certain you won't lose the coins then it's still worthwhile to be careful.  

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