Standalone · Foundation
Self-Custody & Security
Holding your own keys as an operational discipline: backups, recovery, and the scripts run against people.
- 6 hours
- 4 modules
- 13 units
- Free, in full
About this course
Self-custody is usually taught as a shopping decision — buy this device and you are safe. This course treats it as an operating procedure, because the losses that actually happen are backup failures, recovery gaps and approvals granted to the wrong contract, not broken cryptography.
It is free and always will be. Publishing security material behind a paywall would be a strange thing for a school to do.
What you will be able to do
- Design a backup scheme you could actually execute under stress
- Explain what a hardware wallet does and does not protect against
- Audit and revoke outstanding token approvals
- Recognise the standard social-engineering scripts before they run
Syllabus
6 hours of contact material
01The threat model you actually face3 units · 1 hr 30 min
- Ranking the realistic threats: loss, coercion, malware, deception
- What a hardware wallet does and does not solve
- Why "not your keys" is a trade-off, not a slogan
02Backups and recovery4 units · 1 hr 40 min
- Seed phrases, passphrases and the difference that matters
- Redundancy, geography and durable media
- Rehearsing a recovery before you need one
- Exercise: write and test a one-page recovery plan
03Transacting safely3 units · 1 hr 30 min
- Reading what you are actually signing
- Token approvals, allowances and revocation
- Address hygiene, test sends and clipboard attacks
04Social engineering, unscripted3 units · 1 hr 20 min
- The support-impersonation script, step by step
- Fake airdrops, drainer sites and urgency as a tool
- Inheritance and incapacity planning
Who it is for
- Anyone holding assets outside an exchange
- People who set up a wallet once and never revisited the arrangement
- Teams writing a recovery plan for the first time
Prerequisites
None, though the fundamentals course makes the key-management units easier.
What is included
- Video and written notes for every unit
- Recovery-plan template
- Approval-audit walkthrough
- Certificate of completion
Assessment
One practical exercise: a written recovery plan, self-marked against a published rubric.
Educational disclaimer
Ledgerworks Institute provides educational content and learning tools only. Nothing on this platform constitutes financial advice, an investment recommendation, or a guarantee of any outcome. Cryptocurrency and digital-asset markets carry substantial risk, including the total loss of capital. Conduct your own research and consult a qualified, licensed professional before making any financial decision.
Read the full disclaimer