Opportunistic cybercriminals are capitalizing on the death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant earlier this week by setting booby-traps for those searching for mementos of the star. According to a tweet by Microsoft Security Intelligence on Jan. 31, hackers are hiding malicious html code containing a cryptojacking script in desktop wallpaper of the NBA all-time great. Cryptojacking is a practice whereby cybercriminals hijack processing power from other computers to mine cryptocurrencies remotely. Following the tragic helicopter crash which claimed the lives of Byrant, his 13-year old daughter, and seven other occupants,…
Month: January 2020
Third-Party Trackers Are Pulling Your Data Off Ring’s Android App
Ring, the home security company owned by Amazon, promises to watch the world around you and keep your property safe. But the doorbell app is also surveilling its users, sending personally identifiable information out to third party vendors, according to a new report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the San Francisco civil liberties nonprofit. Bill Budington, the senior staff technologist who wrote the report, tested the Ring for Android version 3.21.1 app, finding that it was sharing data such as IP addresses, full names, email address, information about whether…
Third-Party Trackers Are Pulling Your Data Off Ring’s Android App
Ring, the home security company owned by Amazon, promises to watch the world around you and keep your property safe. But the doorbell app is also surveilling its users, sending personally identifiable information out to third party vendors, according to a new report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the San Francisco civil liberties nonprofit. Bill Budington, the senior staff technologist who wrote the report, tested the Ring for Android version 3.21.1 app, finding that it was sharing data such as IP addresses, full names, email address, information about whether…
Ledger Wallet Co-Opts Controversial Pro-Brexit Slogan for Cryptocurrencies
As the United Kingdom exits the European Union, a new ad campaign by French crypto hardware wallet firm Ledger is reviving one of the most divisive pro-Brexit slogans, “Take Back Control,” to ambiguous effect. An email shared with Cointelegraph on Jan. 30 revealed Ledger’s mock-up of a planned billboard for an installation in London’s Canary Wharf, one of the capital’s prime financial districts. Ledger’s plans for a digital billboard in London’s Canary Wharf. Shared with Cointelegraph via email The billboard reads ”Let’s Take Back Control For Real” — a modified…
Japan Braces For Launch Of Digital Yen Amid Rapidly Changing Technology
An official of the central bank of Japan announced Thursday that it must brace itself for the issuance of virtual currencies, considering the fast-evolving world of global payments. Not much media coverage has been given on Japan’s digital currency until now. It all started when at a recent finance seminar Masayoshi Amamiya, Bank of Japan deputy governor, disclosed that the country must be prepared to introduce a Central Bank Digital Currency if the need arises. Amamiya said that the pace at which technical innovation evolves is very fast. Depending on how…
USA vs. Virgil Griffith: What We Know (and Don’t) in the Bombshell Crypto Sanctions Case
Prosecutors appear to have a strong case against Virgil Griffith, the ethereum developer charged with conspiring to aid North Korea, legal experts say. For one thing, the mere act of giving a presentation in Pyongyang might have violated the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) sanctions, depending on what he said there, according to lawyers interviewed by CoinDesk. So could attempting to transfer money between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and another nation, as Griffith allegedly did. It probably won’t help his case if the…
USA vs. Virgil Griffith: What We Know (and Don’t) in the Bombshell Crypto Sanctions Case
Prosecutors appear to have a strong case against Virgil Griffith, the ethereum developer charged with conspiring to aid North Korea, legal experts say. For one thing, the mere act of giving a presentation in Pyongyang might have violated the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) sanctions, depending on what he said there, according to lawyers interviewed by CoinDesk. So could attempting to transfer money between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and another nation, as Griffith allegedly did. It probably won’t help his case if the…
XRP is a Scam, Claims Bitcoin Bull Ben Askren
As cryptocurrencies have grown, and people started to invest (and earn) bigger amounts of money, of course, that the regulators saw their chance to take something for themselves. By saying ‘something’ – it is usually meant of tax. One of the biggest regulatory arguments in the cryptocurrency space is concerning the legal status of digital assets. The regulators always want to describe every digital asset as a security or a commodity because then, they could tax it. However, XRP is one of the cryptocurrencies that is still in an odd…
Litecoin Price Gains 22% as Chart ‘Cup and Handle’ Targets $100
On Jan. 30 Litecoin (LTC) lit up the charts in both it’s USD and Bitcoin (BTC) pars by rallying more than 20% to secure a spot as the highest daily gainer amongst the top-10 cryptos ranked by market capitalization. Crypto market daily price chart. Source: Coin360 Investors will recall that in 2019, Litecoin front-ran the Ether (ETH) and Bitcoin rally by pumping more than 350% from January to June. Thus, the altcoin’s most recent price action is sure to stir up some strong feelings amongst traders who may interpret the…
Tesla Stock Outperforms Bitcoin as It Gains 10% after Earnings Report
Tesla stock is beating Bitcoin – and when we say “beating” we mean it. Bitcoin investors are surely not happy with this fact that Tesla is outperforming Bitcoin (except if they didn’t invest in Tesla as well). If we look at the exact figures starting from January 1, the Bitcoin price rose around 30% while Tesla went 38% up. New Record – Again Tesla stock wasn’t like this all the time. Just for the reminder, in November, when the famous Cybertruck was revealed (and smashed, but hey every PR is…