Hello everyone! This post is meant as an explanation of what I will be looking for in the posts demonstrating security.

My Expectations

To be clear, if you are one of the users following my program, please make sure to use my username as one of your tags (so #cmp2020), and make sure to mention me in the article (by saying "@cmp2020").

Make sure to include at least "Achievement 2" or "Security" in the title of your post.

Also make sure to post this through the Steem Greet Community, and use the tag #keysecurity.

I will now explain what the significance of each of your keys are:

The Keys and Their Functions

Disclaimer: The information to follow is my understanding of Steem Keys. Before doing anything, you should research this topic more thoroughly, and be cautious in your use of keys. Do not use your keys until you feel that you understand how they work. Also understand that there is not always a way to recover lost keys.

Posting Key - The posting key is the lowest tier key. It is the key you use to post, vote, and comment. This key is also used to update profile details such as your profile picture and bio. You should not use any higher tier keys to do these tasks.

Active Key - The active key is used mainly for financial transactions. This means it is used when claiming rewards, powering up or down, transferring funds, or trading on the market. It is also the key used to vote for witnesses. You should not use any higher tier keys to do these tasks.

Memo Key - This key is used for encrypting and decrypting memos when transferring funds. In order to encrypt a memo, use the pound sign before it.

Owner Key - The owner key is equivalent to the master password, and is the highest tier key. It is capable of doing all of the tasks of the other keys, and of changing the other keys. Because of this it should be used in isolated instances where no other key can be used (such as changing keys).

The Master Password - The Master Password should be stored offline, and should only be used in the event that you need to recover your account.

Here is the image Steemit uses to show the different keys' functions:

There is also a private key, and a public key.

Think of it like your key to your mailbox, and your mail slot. Anyone can put something through the slot, but only you can view what is inside (with your key).

Public keys start with "STM" while private keys start with the number "5".

A common mistake is to accidentally include a private key in a memo when doing a transfer. Be careful not to do that!

Why have different tiers?

You may be wondering what the point of having different keys with different functions is. The reason we do this is in case one key becomes compromised. You don't want to post something using your master password, and find out that the website you used is not legitimate, or that you accidentally sent it publicly in a memo. By creating different keys with different functions, we separate the powers, and make it so lower tier keys are used for the actions that you will likely do most. This means that if one of the lower tier keys is compromised, control of the account (and its assets) is not lost.

How to prove that you understand the keys and their functions?

The way I am asking you to prove that you understand the different functions of these keys is for you to write a post about it. I don't just want you to copy and paste what I said. I want you to write out your own way of saying it, and provide your understanding of why it is important.

Most importantly, I want you to creatively use the posting, active, and memo keys for each of their tasks, and include what you did in the article.

For instance, post a creative comment using the posting key, and screenshot the comment; send me a funny encrypted message using the memo and active keys, and screenshot the message (please use .001 sbd or steem, and I will return it). The fun in it is that you can come up with your own ideas and surprise me. The more creative the use of the key, the larger reward I will give the post! Here is a sample post:

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Sample Post

Hello, my name is Christopher, and I have recently posted my introduction. In this post, I would like to demonstrate my understanding of Steem's keys.

The posting key is used for conventional social media actions such as posting, commenting, and voting. It is also used for updating profile information. This key will likely be used the most, and is the lowest tier key meaning that it is the best to use for these actions. Here is an example of a post I made with the posting key:

As you can see, I am TOTALLY a new user.

The next key is the active key. This is the second most frequently used, and it is used for the currency side of Steem. This means it is used for transfers, converting sbd, powering up and down, and trading in the market. It is also used for voting for witnesses. The active key should only be used for these tasks. For posting, you should still use the posting key. This key is important to keep secure because it can be used for financial tasks, and can result in a loss of assets if compromised. Here is an example of a transfer I made to @remlaps:

The memo key lets you encrypt and decrypt memos in your transfer. This is significant because it lets you send people private messages. Here is an encrypted message I sent to @remlaps:

See it may seem mean, but it is an inside joke, and no one will ever see it except me and @remlaps :)

The different keys are important for keeping different levels of security, and avoiding compromising important controls of your account! Thanks for reading this!

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DISCLAIMER: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES UPLOAD A PICTURE OF ANY OF YOUR KEYS! EVEN IF YOU HAVE DIGITALLY DRAWN OVER THEM

Added June 27th 2020

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Conclusion

I hope this post helped you! If you have any questions, feel free to comment them or ask me on discord (in bio). I look forward to reading your security posts!