Is Ledger safe in 2026?

What happened

In October 2026, Ledger said criminals fitted cellular implants into genuine devices sold through unauthorized sellers in Southeast Asia, capturing recovery words during setup. Ledger says its secure element, operating system and servers were not compromised (Ledger; BleepingComputer).

On October 15, 2026, Ledger asked sellers across Asia to halt sales during its investigation (BleepingComputer). On October 13, MediaMarkt pulled Ledger devices in Germany as a precaution (Cointelegraph).

Are you affected?

• Bought from ledger.com: no action is indicated by current reports. Keep firmware current.
• Bought from a marketplace or unlisted reseller, especially in Southeast Asia: treat the seed as exposed. Buy a new device directly, create a new seed on it, and move your funds.
• Not sure where it came from: treat it as exposed. Moving coins to a fresh seed costs a fee; losing them costs everything.

Never type your 24 words into a website, app or form to "check" whether you are affected. Any site or message asking for them is a scam.

Our verdict

Ledger is a reasonable choice for people who need many coins on one device, if bought only from ledger.com and with Ledger Recover left off. Bitcoin-only holders have simpler options; see best Bitcoin hardware wallets in 2026.