Security of online Electrum wallet after deleting wallet file

Question

I just created an Electrum wallet using my computer which is connected to the Internet. Suppose I send my bitcoin from an online exchange to that wallet, then delete the wallet file. Are there any risks that my bitcoin will be stolen if the computer is hacked?

Suppose I've stored the seed phrase on paper or using some metal engraving device. And after deleting the wallet file, I've also used some disk utility to truly wipe it from my hard drive. At this point, unless my computer had already been hacked before I deleted the wallet file, everything is safe, right? Obviously, the drawback is usability, in that now I'd need to restore the wallet using the seed phrase (rather than wallet file + password). But suppose I don't plan on performing any transactions in the near future. Is this solution safe for hodling?

Answer 1

Are there any risks that my bitcoin will be stolen if the computer is hacked?

Yes.

1. Uninstalling software or deleting files will not remove actual data in disk blocks that have been deallocated. Mundane file recovery software may be able to recover those contents.

2. Any computer connected to the Internet may have already been compromised by a hacker without the user being aware. Any access to a wallet in the past makes unsafe all future deposits to addresses controlled by the original seed-phrase.

Remember, wallets don't contain money. They contain a secret number that controls the spending of amounts of money that are kept track of in a public transaction journal that every wallet has a copy of (or indirect access to a copy of).

after deleting the wallet file, I've also used some disk utility to truly wipe it from my hard drive.

Overwiting all unallocated space once with zeroes would normally suffice to protect against item 1 above.

Prudent people have disk backups. You need to consider them also.