A Lightning wallet is software that manages Bitcoin Lightning payments and the keys, credentials, or permissions needed to authorize them. Unlike a simple balance viewer, it can create invoices, sign payment requests, and control funds on the Lightning Network.
This matters because a Lightning wallet is a high-value control point: if an attacker reaches it, they may be able to redirect payments, approve transfers, or take over funds. In self-hosted setups, the risk depends heavily on exposure. A wallet running only on a local machine or behind a VPN has a smaller attack surface than one reachable from the public internet. Defenders reduce risk with strong authentication, network filtering, least-privilege access, and careful separation between the wallet and any remote app or API that can request actions.