cryptocurrencies
North Korean hacking activity ceases after regulators implement KYC – Report
According to a new press report published by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), North Korean hackers have stolen more than 800 billion Korean won ($620 million) worth of cryptocurrencies from decentralized finance, or DeFi, platforms this year. The agency also revealed it blocked a daily average of 1.18 million attacks perpetrated by national and international hacking organizations in November. However, a NIS spokesperson revealed via local news outlet Kyunghyang Shinmun that all of the $620 million stolen by North Korean hackers through DeFi exploits occurred overseas, adding: “In Korea, virtual asset transactions have been switched to real-name transactions and security has been strengthened, so there is no damage.” Many funds have been lost ...
Crypto on-chain crime drama sees the good guys finally win
The stories about people getting their private keys hacked or stolen are nothing new, with a number losing their life savings because of these thefts. However, in quite an anti-climax scene, a crypto user managed to save their crypto holdings despite losing their private keys. Harpie, an on-chain security firm, revealed an instance of on-chain crime drama where the good guys eventually won. One of the users in their Discord group reportedly raised concerns about the suspected theft of their private keys. When the firm looked into said customer’s wallet, someone was indeed trying to transfer funds from the victim’s accounts. How did we do this? About a month ago, this user protected their tokens with Harpie. By approving and protecting their tokens with Harpie, this user gave us permis...
Bitcoin miner Greenidge signs $74M debt restructuring agreement with NYDIG
According to a Dec. 20 filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Bitcoin (BTC) miner Greenidge has reached an agreement with its creditor, fintech firm NYDIG, to restructure approximately $74 million worth of debt. The deal, in the form of a non-binding term sheet, would result in a major change to Greenidge’s current business strategy, essentially transforming Greenidge from self-mining to hosting NYDIG’s mining rigs. Under the agreement, NYDIG would purchase miners with approximately 2.8 exahashes per second (EH/s) of mining capacity to be hosted by Greenidge, which would facilitate NYDIG’s rights to a mining site within three months following the completion of debt restructuring and hosting agreements. In exchange for consideration amounting to the purchased...
Police body cam leaks suspect’s seed phrase during vehicle inspection
While self-custody is considered the ultimate way to secure one’s funds, many fail to acknowledge the risks associated with physically storing seed phrases. A search conducted by the State Police agency for Nevada ended up making a suspect’s seed phrase public after being picked up by the body cam. A viral video making rounds on Twitter showed two police officers searching a suspect’s car and coming across pieces of paper. It turns out, the suspect was a strong believer in self-custody as unfolding the pieces of paper revealed the suspect’s seed phrase, which was hand-written — a popular method to prevent online compromises. Nevada State Police body cam records suspect’s seed phrase. Source: Twitter As the incident got recorded by one of the officer’s body camera, the suspect’s seed ...
What is the relationship between blockchain and Web3?
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain are the building blocks of Web3. However, the decentralized web also relies on technologies like AR, VR, IoT and others unrelated to blockchain or digital currencies. The third generation of the internet, known as Web3, is based on blockchain technology. However, technologies like machine learning, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and others enable decentralized apps (DApps) to analyze information in a sophisticated human-like manner in a Web3 environment. For instance, virtual reality headsets will create an exceptional shopping experience, allowing customers to interact with the products before making a purchase. However, these technologies are not based on cryptocu...
Grayscale CEO highlights 20% GBTC share buyback option if ETF conversion fails
The proposed offer would require both SEC relief and shareholders’ approval. According to an end-of-year letter to investors published on Dec. 10, Grayscale Investments’ CEO Michael Sonnenshein said that the firm may consider “a tender offer for a portion of the outstanding shares of GBTC [Grayscale Bitcoin Trust]” if the latter’s exchange-traded fund conversion process is ultimately unsuccessful. Sonnenshein stated that “such tender offer would be for no more than 20% of the outstanding shares of GBTC” and would require both regulatory “relief” from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as well as shareholder approval to approve such offer. Grayscale and its subsidiary over-the-counter traded fund GBTC is currently embroiled in a...
Industry execs confident in DeFi adoption despite security flaws: Finance Redefined
Welcome to Finance Redefined, your weekly dose of essential decentralized finance (DeFi) insights — a newsletter crafted to bring you significant developments over the last week. Industry experts are confident in DeFi and believe the sector would continue to see adoption despite its security flaws, primarily due to the mammoth failure of centralized exchanges. Despite the continued growth, however, the decentralized exchanges have lost $30 million on liquidity provider incentives. Popular hardware crypto wallet Ledger introduced a new DeFi tracking feature that pairs with its hardware wallets to monitor performance analytics of over 1,000 protocols. The Lodestar Finance protocol that was exploited for over $5 million on Dec. 10 had a Mango Markets connection, wherein the exploiter copied t...
US Financial Stability Oversight Council urges congressional action on crypto
Officials with the United States Financial Stability Oversight Council, or FSOC, have recommended U.S. lawmakers pass legislation aimed at addressing regulatory gaps for crypto-related activities. In its annual report released on Dec. 16, the FSOC recommended members of Congress pass legislation granting “explicit rulemaking authority for federal financial regulators over the spot market for crypto-assets,” noting that tokens previously identified as securities would be exempt. The council also noted the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework — specifically addressing stablecoins and visibility and supervision of crypto firms — in the United States. The FSOC cited the recent downfall of crypto exchange FTX as part of its background information in recommending actions on digital asset...
Corporate America has finally taken notice of Web3 — US trademark lawyer
This year saw an influx of trademark applications filed by various companies looking to get in on the Web3 action. By November, a total of 4,999 trademark applications had been filed in the United States for cryptocurrencies and digital-related goods and services — according to United States Patent and Trademark Office-licensed trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis. Kondoudis believes the future of the Web3 ecosystem looks “bright” and “mainstream adoption is inevitable.” To learn more about the impact of Web3 trademark applications filed on the future of the Web3 ecosystem, Cointelegraph interviewed Kondoudis. Cointelegraph has covered a wide range of trademark application stories in 2022, ranging from luxury brands such as Hermès to car brands like Ford, all making a bid for ...
Only for foreign trade: Bank of Russia stands against free crypto investment
Russia’s central bank is ready to consider allowing cryptocurrency use within the country, but only as part of a legal experiment, said governor Elvira Nabiullina. “It’s possible to consider transactions through an authorized organization in the country as part of an experimental legal regime, but that would require a relevant law,” Nabiullina stated during a Bank of Russia press conference on Dec. 16. The Bank of Russia’s primary objection to crypto has always been that it cannot be used as a payment instrument, Nabiullina emphasized. She added that the central bank is also concerned about investor protection because the crypto market is highly volatile. While Russia formally does not prohibit its people from investing in crypto, the Bank of Russia believes that the mass adoption of crypt...
Project alleges unreturned listing deposit as Binance announces delistings
On Dec. 15, cryptocurrency exchange Binance announced that four tokens — Mithril (MITH), Tribe (TRIBE), Augur (REP) and Bitcoin Standard Hashrate Token (BTCST) — would be delisted from the exchange effective Dec. 22 due to not meeting the “high level of standard we expect.” Immediately after the announcement, decentralized social media protocol Mithril, whose token had a market capitalization of less than $10 million at the time of publication, posted the following statement on Twitter: “Today, Binance has announced that it will delist MITH. As part of the MITH listing, Binance required a 200,000 BNB deposit, which was never returned. On behalf of the Mithril community, we ask @cz_binance to return this deposit so that Mithril may continue to operate.” At the time of the initial ...
Fonbnk’s Michael Kimani sorts out facts on crypto adoption in Africa
The African continent has been tipped as an important market for crypto adoption due to its young population, lousy economic management by governments and lack of efficient financial infrastructure to connect the continent internally and globally. Adoption is becoming so widespread that celebrities do not want to get left out, with several big names in the entertainment and media space working with crypto brands. In the first episode of Cointelegraph’s new podcast Hashing It Out, hosted by Cointelegraph social media specialist Elisha Owusu Akyaw, Fonbnk co-founder Michael Kimani answers questions about what crypto adoption really looks like in the face of rising hype about the continent in the media and reports. One of the continent’s “OGs,” Kimani began working with one of the first...
