18 Crisis Situations That Test Your Self-Custody
High-stress situations based on real events where crypto holders lost everything. Each scenario simulates the exact conditions that expose security weaknesses. Your setup needs to work when seconds count and failure means total loss.
Each scenario is designed to find the breaking point in your self-custody setup. These are not theoretical exercises - they simulate real conditions where crypto holders have lost millions. Click any scenario to begin.
4:23 AM. Dam failure. Flash flood warning. You have 15 minutes to grab essentials and evacuate on foot. Your home and security infrastructure will be underwater. How do you save your crypto?
2:47 AM. Armed intruders break down your door. They know you have crypto and they've done their research. They have weapons, time, and detailed knowledge of your setup. Compliance isn't optional.
Political unrest erupts. You have 24 hours to flee the country with only what you can carry. Border agents are seizing crypto hardware and searching devices. How do you cross with your wealth intact?
EMP attack or cyber warfare disables all electronic devices. Your phone, computer, and hardware wallets are dead. Only analog access methods remain. Can you recover your digital wealth?
Hospital trauma. Retrograde amnesia. You can't remember passwords, seed phrases, or security procedures. Your family needs the crypto for medical bills. Can you reconstruct your own system?
6:13 AM. Federal agents with search warrants. They're seizing devices, documents, and looking for crypto evidence. Eight-person forensics team. What survives government-level investigation?
Bangkok airport. Luggage lost with all your crypto hardware. Business partner needs 2.5 BTC payment in 6 hours or lose major contract. Foreign WiFi, dying phone battery. How do you access funds?
3:17 AM. Major exchange halts withdrawals. "Liquidity issues." 40% of your portfolio trapped. Markets crashing. Other exchanges experiencing delays. How do you contain the damage?
Simulation: You've died. Your family searches your office for crypto access. No technical knowledge. Can they follow your inheritance plan? Or does your security die with you?
Sophisticated attackers target you specifically. Coordinated attempts across multiple services. They know your setup. SIM swaps, malware, social engineering. Active defense required.
Storm hits. Everything goes overboard. Phone, laptop, hardware wallet - all at the bottom of the lake. You survive but all physical access tools are gone. Remote small town. Recovery begins now.
Full identity compromise. SSN, credit, personal data - all stolen. Attackers calling services claiming to be you. Crypto exchanges targeted. How secure is your identity firewall?
3:42 AM. Major DeFi exploit. Funds draining from protocols. 20x gas fees. Network congestion. Minutes before your assets are compromised. Can your security work at emergency speed?
Business partner vanishes after proposing suspicious multisig transaction to unknown address. 2-of-3 setup. Legitimate vendor payment due in 36 hours. Has their key been compromised?
Storage unit cleanup reveals forgotten crypto from 2017. Old laptop, USB drives, paper wallet. 3.5 BTC now worth a fortune. Obsolete software. Illegible notes. Can you bridge past and present?
Federal marshal: "Your identity ends in 12 hours. New name, location, life. No traceable connections." All your crypto tied to your old identity. How do you transfer wealth across identities?
9:17 PM. "We have your daughter." Photo proves it. 15 BTC demanded in 3 hours. No police or consequences escalate. They know your holdings. Technical security versus human leverage.
"Hardware wallet no longer supported." End-of-life. Software incompatible. New signature schemes. Your trusted devices are paperweights. Safe migration to modern tech required.