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Vol. 1 · Ed. 2026
CyberGlossary
Entry № 613

Ledger Wallet

What is Ledger Wallet?

Ledger WalletA hardware wallet line by French firm Ledger SAS that stores cryptocurrency keys inside a certified secure-element chip.


Ledger Wallet refers to the family of hardware wallets produced by Ledger SAS, including the Nano S, Nano S Plus, Nano X, and Stax. Each device pairs a general microcontroller with a secure-element chip certified to standards such as CC EAL5+, which isolates the seed and signs transactions without exposing the private keys to the host. Users manage assets through the Ledger Live application across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many other chains. Ledger has faced notable incidents, including a 2020 customer-database leak that fueled phishing campaigns and the controversial 2023 Ledger Recover service, both of which renewed debate over closed-source firmware and seed-extraction risks.

Examples

  1. 01

    A Ledger Nano X paired with Ledger Live to manage Bitcoin and Ethereum holdings.

  2. 02

    Phishing emails impersonating Ledger support after the 2020 customer-data breach, aimed at extracting recovery phrases.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ledger Wallet?

A hardware wallet line by French firm Ledger SAS that stores cryptocurrency keys inside a certified secure-element chip. It belongs to the Web3 & Blockchain category of cybersecurity.

What does Ledger Wallet mean?

A hardware wallet line by French firm Ledger SAS that stores cryptocurrency keys inside a certified secure-element chip.

How does Ledger Wallet work?

Ledger Wallet refers to the family of hardware wallets produced by Ledger SAS, including the Nano S, Nano S Plus, Nano X, and Stax. Each device pairs a general microcontroller with a secure-element chip certified to standards such as CC EAL5+, which isolates the seed and signs transactions without exposing the private keys to the host. Users manage assets through the Ledger Live application across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many other chains. Ledger has faced notable incidents, including a 2020 customer-database leak that fueled phishing campaigns and the controversial 2023 Ledger Recover service, both of which renewed debate over closed-source firmware and seed-extraction risks.

How do you defend against Ledger Wallet?

Defences for Ledger Wallet typically combine technical controls and operational practices, as detailed in the full definition above.

What are other names for Ledger Wallet?

Common alternative names include: Ledger Nano, Ledger device.

Related terms