Swell 2018 Kicks Off Today

The world’s leading experts on policy, payments and technology are already converging in San Francisco for Swell by Ripple. In less 24 hours, the event kicks off with President Bill Clinton’s keynote and opening remarks from CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Following these visionaries on stage are some of the biggest names in payments and technology including: Ed Metzger from Banco Santander; Tokunboh Ishmael from Alitheia Capital; Honorable Sunil Sabharwal from the IMF; Colin Dinn from Siam Commercial Bank; Prajit Nanu from InstaReM; and R.J. Pittman, former Chief Product Officer of eBay. To watch the…

Bitcoin Ransomware Strikes Port of San Diego

A cybersecurity breach at the Port of San Diego on September 25 described as “serious cybersecurity incident” by Port CEO Randa Conglio was, in fact, a ransomware attack by cybercriminals demanding bitcoin. This was revealed in a report on September 28, 2018, in the Times of San Diego quoting Conglio. Effect of Ransomware Attack Speaking to the media, Conglio confirmed that the attackers demanded an undisclosed amount of bitcoin in return for providing instructions to reverse the effects of the malware on the port’s computer systems. According to her, the…

Amateur Cryptojackers and Apple Macs Emerge as Two Mining Malware Trends for 2018

2017 was a big year for cryptojacking. It increased by 8,500 percent, according to figures published by Symantec in March. And it would seem that 2018 has so far been an even bigger year for mining malware, as the Cyber Threat Alliance September report revealed that, beginning on Jan. 1, cryptojacking still had room to increase by a further 500 percent. However, beneath this simple outline of growth, there is a bigger, more complicated picture. Despite reports from some quarters showing that mining malware detections increased in the first two…

Monero Launches Initiative to Combat Cryptocurrency Mining Malware

Earlier this week, the Monero (XMR) community announced the launch of a new website that aims to educate users on cleaning up crypto-jacking malware and ransomware. Easing Malware Victims’ Confusion and Frustration The ease of mining and privacy of Monero are standout features for the coin. However, the features attract bad actors who use the coin in malware. Justin Ehrenhofer, the director of the Malware Response Workgroup, told CCN that two main factors make XMR attractive to hackers: “Attackers like Monero for two reasons: 1) it is private, so they do…

Crypto Markets See Mix of Red and Green, With Half of Top 100 Coins Slightly Up

Sunday, September 30: crypto markets are seeing a mix of red and green today. A little more than half of the top 100 cryptocurrencies have grown in the 24 hours to press time. The daily trade volume has declined, seeing a relatively sharp drop from around $15 billion yesterday to $13.8 billion at press time. Market visualization from Coin360 Bitcoin (BTC) has been hovering around $6,600 for most of the day, with an intraday low of $6,561 and a high of $6,640. At press time, Bitcoin is trading at $6,632,…

Walmart Embraces Blockchain, Google Does 180 On Crypto-Ad Ban

Coming every Sunday, the Hodler’s Digest will help you to track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions, and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Google Reverses Crypto Ad Ban, Allows Crypto Exchanges In Japan, US To Advertise The U.S. tech giant Google is set to update its ad policy in October, re-allowing registered cryptocurrency exchanges located in the U.S. and Japan to advertise. According to the official…

Bitcoin’s price is on a reversal trend, catalysts to drive it higher in 2018

Throughout 2018, Bitcoin’s price has continued to fluctuate between highs and lows as from $5,500 to $10,000. According to Tom Lee, the coin’s price is currently on a reversal trend which will see it achieve new levels in 2018. Lee attributes this Bull Run to new positive developments and events that will take place this year. Price Analysis Bitcoin’s price dropped 1.31% over the past day at press time. This translates to a price of $6,573, meaning that the coin’s price has slipped somewhat during the last 24 hours, after…

Bitcoin Price Makes Second Straight Monthly Loss in September

Bitcoin (BTC) is reporting losses for a second straight month, but there are hints of a bullish breakout ahead in the fourth quarter. At press time, the leading cryptocurrency is trading at $6,570 – down 6.30 percent from September’s opening price of $7,014. BTC also registered a 10-percent decline in August, according to CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index (BPI). However, despite the back-to-back monthly losses, the cryptocurrency is flashing a 2 percent gain for the third quarter. Further, the quarterly gain could have been much bigger had the US Securities and…

Self-Regulatory Group of Crypto Exchanges Set to Tighten Rules on Online Digital Asset Storage

The self-regulatory Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) plans to stricten its customer asset management measures. The Japan Times outlet reported this news Sunday, September 30, citing “informed sources.” JVCEA is a self-regulatory group of some of the largest licensed exchange operators in Japan, established in April of this year. Now, the organization is reportedly planning to tighten its rules by establishing a limit on the amount of digital currencies that can be managed online by any exchange. According to The Japan Times’ sources, the limit will likely be set…

Tether Dominates 98% of Stablecoins’ Daily Trading Volume: Report

Despite the criticisms of opaqueness and centralization leveled against Tether, the stablecoin which was initially known as RealCoin continues to beat its rivals by wide margins. In a report titled The State of Stablecoins, digital assets tech firm Blockchain Luxembourg SA estimates that approximately 98% of the total daily trading volume of stablecoins is dominated by Tether. On a daily basis this translates to approximately 60% of the daily trading volume of Bitcoin. With regards to market value, Tether comprises approximately 93% of the market cap of all stablecoins. Currently,…