Frequently asked questions

No… but one can copy paste passphrase to label (obviously weakening security model).

No, of course not… Superbacked license used to encrypt blocks can be used by estate administrator to decrypt blocks.

We recommend including Superbacked license code and website in will alongside other executing instructions.

But what happens if Superbacked, Inc. has gone out of business?

Superbacked is an Electron app therefore, even though its source code is proprietary, it can be audited (watch episode).

Also, Blockcrypt (used to encrypt secrets) is open source.

Choosing the right hardware to run Superbacked depends on use case.

If secret is present or entered on computer (one’s password manager passphrase for example), one can use Superbacked on that computer to back up secret.

If secret is not present or entered on computer (one’s signing device mnemonic for example), one should NEVER use Superbacked on computer that isn’t air-gapped and one should ALWAYS use computer that one can secure-erase (Apple silicon Mac) or that is amnesic by design (computer running Tails).

For sensitive use cases, when using Apple silicon Mac, we recommend factory-resetting computer once done using Superbacked given blocks sent to printer via CUPS are written to disk (among other digital forensics issues).

Given Superbacked is designed to run offline on air-gapped computers, there is no automatic update mechanism in place.

That said, one can download latest release using download links sent when app was purchased.

Lost email? Get in touch.

Please visit https://github.com/superbacked/superbacked to learn how to verify integrity of releases.

It is highly recommended to verify integrity of releases before using Superbacked.

If Superbacked, Inc. goes out of business, app will be open sourced and published on GitHub to make sure blocks can be decrypted forever.

Superbacked runs on 64-bit Apple silicon or Intel Macs running macOS Monterey or Ventura and on 64-bit Intel computers running Debian-based Linux operating systems.

Check out hardware recommendations.

A signing device (also called hardware wallet) is a piece of air-gapped hardware that securely stores private keys and is used to sign cryptographic transactions.

COLDCARD, Ledger and Trezor devices are all signing devices.

An air-gapped computer is a computer that is completely and permanently isolated from all other computers (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is disabled among other hardening methods).

For sensitive use cases, using Superbacked on air-gapped computer is not enough.

Check out hardware recommendations.

The printer we recommend is the Brother WL-L2370DW given it supports AirPrint and CUPS custom paper sizes (Custom.4x6in).

The paper we recommend is blank 4x6in Oxford index cards (using acid-free paper is recommended).

The thermal laminator we recommend is the Scotch TL901X with Scotch TP5900-100 5 mil 4x6in lamination pouches.

Superbacked uses Electron’s desktopCapturer module to allow users to switch from camera to screen capture (using gear icon) to scan QR codes displayed on other apps or websites.

This optional feature is very useful to backup two-factor authentication TOTP secrets displayed as QR codes.

Audio is never captured even though permission prompt mentions audio.

Superbacked is the result of 2 years of research and development (most of which has been contributed to public domain through privacy guides and YouTube episodes) and 6 months of full-time product and software development.

Product and software development is very expensive and, given app solves a niche problem, it is very likely that sales will never cover expenses.

Licenses are also perpetual (one-time payment vs subscription) and include version updates.

In a nutshell, you are not the product.