Software Wallet

Overview

Software wallets run on mobile devices, desktops, browsers, servers, or embedded applications. They can be self-custodial, hosted, watch-only, hardware-connected, or contract-based. The software may store keys locally or communicate with another signer.

General-purpose devices expose wallets to malware, phishing, malicious extensions, clipboard replacement, insecure updates, and stolen sessions. Open-source code does not prove that a downloaded binary is authentic. Cloud synchronization and backup can change where secret material exists.

Users should obtain software from verified sources, review permissions, keep devices and applications updated, and protect recovery material separately. Transactions require destination, amount, network, and contract verification. Businesses need approved versions, endpoint controls, monitoring, and recovery. High-value assets may require signing isolated from the software’s online environment.

Records for Software Wallet should preserve account and address identifiers, asset and network identity, policy version, requester, approvers, signed payload or transaction reference, fees, timestamps, status history, confirmations, exceptions, and final balance and accounting effects. For Software Wallet, corrections must remain linked rather than overwrite the original event.

Software Wallet should be distinguished from the asset balance and from the application that displays it. For example, a customer-facing success message does not prove that the intended transaction executed on the correct network; operations should verify execution and reconcile the result before irreversible fulfillment.

Production ownership for Software Wallet should identify the user or legal entity, supported assets and networks, address model, custody boundary, signing authority, recovery method, and systems permitted to request or observe transactions. For Software Wallet, these fields determine who can act and which evidence is authoritative.