Crypto terms, explained plainly
124 short definitions and a handful of guides. Every term links to the coins and charts where you will meet it, and the ones the model actually uses say so.
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A
- Admin key / upgrade keySecurity
The privileged control that can upgrade, pause or drain a contract.
B
- BridgeSecurity
A service that moves assets between chains, and one of the most exploited pieces of infrastructure.
C
- Cold storageSecurity
Keeping keys offline on a device that never connects to the internet.
H
- Hardware walletSecurity
A dedicated device that holds keys and signs transactions after you confirm on it.
- Honeypot tokenSecurity
A token whose contract lets you buy but blocks selling.
M
- Multisignature walletSecurity
A wallet that needs several keys to approve a transaction, removing a single point of failure.
P
- PhishingSecurity
Fake sites and messages that imitate a real service to capture keys or approvals.
- Private keySecurity
The secret that proves ownership of a wallet; anyone holding it controls the funds.
R
- Rug pullSecurity
A project that takes deposits and then removes the liquidity or dumps its own supply.
S
- Seed phraseSecurity
Twelve or 24 words that regenerate every key in a wallet; never type it into a website.
- Smart-contract auditSecurity
A paid review of contract code by a security firm; evidence of diligence, not a guarantee.
T
- Token approvalSecurity
Permission you grant a contract to move a token of yours, sometimes without a limit.