Having the ability to change your keys is an important part of security on the Hive blockchain. If for any reason you were to lose access to the lower level keys (Posting Key, Active Key) to a bad actor, or if they were simply lost, you would be able to use the Owner Key and/or Master Password to alter the entire set of keys, removing access from any bad actors, or simply re-securing all of the keys again and making sure you are the only one with access.
We do have an alternative process done via Peakd.com and your Owner Key, which you can read about here.
Changing Keys via Wallet.Hive.Blog
To start with, this process will only be useful if you retain access to either the Master Password, or your Owner Key, or both. The Master Password is technically not a key itself, but instead a shortcut to give access to all of the keys, and the Owner Key is technically what is used for changing/updating keys. If you have lost access to these highest level permissions, the only other option will be Account Recovery; this can only be done within 30 days of the most recent key change, so if you're facing this please file a Support Ticket with us immediately.
Please note, by proceeding with this process, ALL of your keys and Master Password will be changed, and none of the previous keys will be usable anymore. You will need to immediately save and back-up your keys, which we will also remind you of at the end of this article.
Step 1: To begin, open https://wallet.hive.blog/@username/permissions, replacing 'username' with your own Hive account username.
Step 2: In the top right corner of the page, you will click the Login button, which will open the Login to Wallet pop-up:
Step 3: Enter your username and your Owner Key (make sure the Keychain and HiveAuth options are unchecked), then click Login:
Step 4: Once logged in, confirm you are still on the /permissions page and that it did not autoload the wallet balances, then navigate to the various options shown below, and click Change Password:
If for some reason it did take you back to the main wallet, simply re-enter:
https://wallet.hive.blog/@username/permissions with your username in the URL again.
Alternatively, you can directly access the Change Password section via: https://wallet.hive.blog/@username/password also with your username added in the URL.
Step 5: This part of the process is the MOST IMPORTANT so please read through this carefully, and follow each of these 4 sub-steps precisely. The image below shows where each of these steps happens so you have a visual reference.
You will need to enter either your Owner Key OR Master Password in the 'Current Password' field. The Key Change method via Peakd can only use your Owner Key, however this method can take the Master Password.
You'll see a button that says Click to Generate Password:
Click that, and it will create and display a 'Generated Password', as seen in the image with the 4 steps below. This is your new Master Password! You MUST save and back this up immediately, as it will be used to give you access to all of your other new keys after this is done.Paste that same newly generated password in the 'Re-Enter Generated Password' field.
Finally, click each of the checkboxes stating that Hive cannot recover lost passwords and that you have secured/saved your new generated password.
AGAIN, MAKE SURE YOU STORED YOUR NEW GENERATED PASSWORD IN A SAFE PLACE BEFORE CONTINUING TO THE NEXT STEP.
Step 6: There are now two options for accessing these new keys. First, you can re-log into Wallet.hive.blog with your username and that new Master Password, then go to the Keys and Permissions tab:
Scroll down and you will see a section for your Private Posting Key, Active Key, Owner Key, and Memo Key. Copy these and store them safely, and treat the Owner Key with the same care and security as the Master Password!
There a few guides that you should checkout below, as they related to keys and key safety/account security:
Hive Keys: General Information
Installing Hive Keychain (Browser Extension)
Installing the Hive Keychain Mobile App