A store of value is an asset expected to preserve purchasing power over time. In practice, that means the asset should hold its worth well enough that you can save it today and still rely on it later. In cyber security, this idea matters because attackers and defenders both care about how value survives transfer, theft, and recovery. Criminals often prefer assets that can be moved quickly and converted with less friction, while legitimate teams may favor reserve assets that remain stable during incident response or long investigations.
The concept appears in real attacks when ransomware operators, fraud crews, or stealers try to turn compromised funds into something harder to devalue or seize. It also appears in defense when organizations assess treasury exposure, choose custody models, or track suspicious transfers before funds are laundered. A true store of value is not just scarce; it must also be resilient to volatility, policy risk, and operational disruption, all of which can erase purchasing power before recovery is possible.