In this article, we will shortly discuss the possibility of Helium (HNT) Miners to be hacked. We will take a quick look at security protocols used by the network and the miners and what is the community input on the issue. So, let’s dive into it.

Can Helium (HNT) Miner be hacked?

As the official Helium website stated, the HNT devices that use LoRaWAN are hardware-secured to protect the traffic from the utilized spectrum. In other words, the security is already build-in as long as the devices are using the network that has AES private key encryption at the chip level.

The Helium wallets uses asymmetric keys, which secures the private keys, according to Helium official website.

As for LoRaWAN, is a low power and wide area networking protocol that is designed to wirelessly connect to IoT in regional, national and global networks which can include essential demands such as bi-directional communication, end-to-end security, mobility and localization.

AES private key, is a cryptography, a symmetric algorithm. A single key is involved, that is a secret that is shared between the sender and the receiver.

What does the community think of Helium Miner hacking?

Many people from the mining community expressed their concern of exposure to hackers, however hacking doesn't seem to be a big concern, mostly agreeing that hacking into LoRaWAN is basically impossible, extremely difficult to do so.

A way of getting into your Hotspot device is through inbound ports. The only thing required for the Helium Hotspot is one port open in both directions, but fortunately all inbound can be secured by a firewall of your personal needs. Therefore, being hacked while using a Helium Miner is practically impossible.

Another way of getting hacked would be through manufacturer's automatic updates that your Hotspot receives, however, these updates are scanned and follow latest security protocols.

A few tips that might lower the chance of getting hacked while mining Helium, or at least mitigate potential damages

Adding your miner to a “guest network” which will not allow access to your main network. For example, Netgear Nighthawk routers already have this feature built into their device, all you have to do it to enable it. But you have to keep in mind that having this kind of router might make it harder for you to get the miner working in the first place.
Adding a separate V-LAN (Virtual Lan) on the Ethernet port your miner is hooked up on will get you a little bit more safety. This way it’s separate from your network.
Follow good habits online, use a anti-virus, and scan your computer often.