From February 26, 2026, Ledger changes the security logic in Bitcoin and Ethereum applications.
Let's break down without complicated terms what this means for ordinary people who store crypto on Ledger.
🔑 How does Ledger actually store your money
When you set up Ledger, it creates one seed phrase made up of 24 words.
This is not just a list of words - it is the master key from which all your addresses are automatically generated.
Addresses appear according to certain rules - they can be imagined as different "paths" from one root.
These paths are called derivation paths.
📌 In simplified terms:
one path - standard (the one that uses Ledger Live)
other paths - old, non-standard, or created through third-party wallets
Previously, Ledger did not strictly separate these paths.
Now - it separates.
🛡 What exactly changes from February 26
✅ 1. All paths are no longer available "at once"
Now you cannot see or verify all possible addresses at once through one application.
👉 This is important because this is how some attacks work:
the attacker tries to "probe" all possible options.
✅ 2. If you use Ledger Live - nothing changes for you
Your regular addresses:
Bitcoin
Ethereum
- will work as before.
There is no need to transfer, update, or do anything urgently.
✅ 3. There will be a separate tool for non-standard addresses
If you ever:
used old versions of wallets
you created addresses through third-party applications
worked with custom paths
Ledger will release a separate recovery application for Bitcoin, through which you can safely transfer funds to a standard address.
🎯 Why is Ledger doing this
✔️ So that one access point does not open everything at once
✔️ To reduce risks when working with third-party programs
✔️ To complicate the life of targeted attacks on hardware wallets
Simply put:
even if someone tries to hack you - getting to everything at once will become much more difficult.
💡 In simple terms
If you:
you use Ledger Live
you store BTC and ETH in the usual way
👉 for you, everything stays as it was, but the level of security increases.
If you:
you have old addresses
or you worked through Electrum, Sparrow, and similar wallets
👉 it is advisable to check access in advance and be ready to transfer funds to the standard path.
Ledger makes the wallet more "cold" and less convenient for attackers - and that is exactly why it is chosen.
