Location and security tips for Bitcoin Core 29.0

Hey everyone, Just got Bitcoin Core 29.0 up and running on my Ubuntu 24.04 setup. I'm curious if it's possible for someone with bad intentions to figure out where my node is located. Could that make me a target for things like burglary? What are some basic security measures you’d suggest to keep my anonymity intact? And should I be doing anything to protect myself from online attacks? Just to clarify, I don’t have any BTC on this node. I'm just running it to support the network. Appreciate any help!

Depends on your settings, if you are just a listening node and have not done any port forwarding you will just be seen as one of many thousands of downloading clients. At worst, your IP can be logged. But what about it? Do you know that you leave your IP address anywhere you visit on the web, including this forum? If this is a concern for you, you could run the node behind a proxy, TOR, I2P or even somewhere online by renting out a server. You don't need to really do anything. I have not really ever heard of a case of someone getting hacked this way.

It's very unlikely considering there are about 21K nodes that accept incoming connection[1] and about 87K of all running full nodes[2]. By default, Ubuntu is secure enough (assuming you're not specifically targeted by someone with tons of resources). Even Ubuntu help page only mention very common advice[3]. If you don't want your IP address known by other full node and any website you visit, VPN should be good enough. But take note some some VPN provider doesn't take privacy seriously. [1] https://bitnodes.io/ [2] https://luke.dashjr.org/programs/bitcoin/files/charts/historical.html [3] https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/net-security-tips.html.en

For his purpose, it doesn't matter if the VPN takes privacy seriously or retains logs. In any case, his real IP will be hidden. He can go with any of the current top VPN providers and it will suffice for this use case.

If this is a concern for you, I recommend that you enable Tor in the Bitcoin Core settings. I don't know about Windows (I think it's easier on Linux), but on Linux the steps to run Bitcoin Core over Tor are as linked below: Setting up a Tor hidden service TOR SUPPORT IN BITCOIN 15. Bitcoin over Tor[video] - This tutorial helped me a lot No need for VPN, just enable TOR.

I get your point. Although i mentioned privacy since people who use Bitcoin and one of Linux distro is more likely to take privacy seriously. Yeah, assuming OP willing to setup it (Bitcoin Core using Tor and Tor service on Ubuntu) and don't live on place where Tor connection is blocked.