February 11, 2020

CIA Has Had Keys to Global Communication Encryption Since WWII

February 11, 2020 boss

As the crypto and blockchain space investigates seemingly private solutions for payments and messaging, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, has had the backdoor to one of the world’s major encryption systems since World War II. Beginning in WWII, Swiss company Crypto AG operated as a seemingly neutral party that developed encrypted communications solutions for over 120 different countries over much of the past century, The Washington Post revealed in a Feb. 11 exposé. Crypto AG was not what it seemed Behind the scenes of the seemingly Swiss company…

Muneeb Ali Explains Blockstack’s Big Bet on Bitcoin

February 11, 2020 boss

Blockstack is integrating the security and the incentives of bitcoin to its ecosystem. CEO Muneeb Ali explains the changes. Last week, Blockstack announced a new proposal through which node operators would be rewarded in bitcoin. The concept behind Proof of Transfer is that, for the cryptoasset ecosystem to run, electricity should only have to be converted into digital scarcity once. In this interview with @nlw, Blockstack CEO Muneeb Ali explains how, by tying the security of Blockstack’s Stacks blockchain to bitcoin and allowing miners to be rewarded with BTC, Blockstack…

Monero Hacker Group ‘Outlaw’ Is Back and Targeting American Business: Report

February 11, 2020 boss

A group specializing in hijacking victims’ computer power to mine for monero has returned with new tools to attack businesses based in the U.S. and Europe. Japanese cybersecurity firm Trend Micro reported Monday the group, known as Outlaw, had begun infiltrating Linux-based enterprise systems in order to hijack computer power and mine for the privacy coin monero (XMR), a process known as cryptojacking. Trend Micro’s report said Outlaw used a combination of pre-existing tools and new techniques to monitor for programs that could detect its malware. The newly improved malware…

Guess Who Trump Blamed for Today’s Sharp Stock Market Reversal

February 11, 2020 boss

The stock market’s three primary indices all set new intraday records on Tuesday. But a sharp reversal struck as Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified on Capitol Hill. President Trump ripped Powell a new one, blaming him for the stock market sell-off. The U.S. stock market huffed and puffed to new all-time highs on Tuesday, prompting one of those classic Donald Trump tweets in which the president awkwardly admonishes us to spend our money wisely. It’s as if Trump thinks we unlock a new tranche of cash every time the Dow…

Bitcoin’s Pre-Halving Rally Could Extend as Far as $20,000, Claims Top Analyst

February 11, 2020 boss

Last updated:February 19, 2020 Bitcoin’s intense 2020 rally is showing no signs of slowing down, with yesterday’s dip from highs of $10,200 to lows of $9,700 being met with an abundance of buying pressure that has now led its price to rally up to fresh 2020 highs. This momentum, which comes just months before the crypto’s highly anticipated mining rewards halving, which is widely thought to be the source of the cryptocurrency’s recent bullishness. It is important to note that Bitcoin could rally significantly further before it finds enough selling…

Bitcoin’s Pre-Halving Rally Could Extend as Far as $20,000, Claims Top Analyst

February 11, 2020 boss

Options Market Sees More Risk in Ether Than Bitcoin in Coming Months

February 11, 2020 boss

Ether will face more volatility than bitcoin over the next six months, according to how options have been priced in recent weeks. The spread between the six-month, at-the-money implied volatility for ether (ETH) and bitcoin (BTC) has increased to a six-month high of 22 percent, notes crypto-derivatives analytics firm Skew. The recent spike in the ETH-BTC six-month implied volatility spread shows investors are expecting bigger percentage moves in ether (in either direction) than in bitcoin over the next 180 days. Implied six-month volatility spread between ETH and BTCSource: Skew The…

Bitcoin Price Soars as Jerome Powell Confirms Crypto’s Threat To U.S. Dollar

February 11, 2020 boss

The price of bitcoin jumped on Tuesday after Jerome Powell stressed that the Fed is investing a significant amount into digital currency developments. Adding fuel to the fire, Powell also acknowledged how quickly crypto could become a systemic risk to the USD. China’s “Belt and Road” initiative is expected to roll out a digital currency very soon, and the Fed Char was clear that the U.S. was doing its best to keep pace. An otherwise dull testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell got very interesting for bitcoin, as BTC/USD…

From Star Trek to Wikipedia: Crashing Bitcoin SV Fails to Impress

February 11, 2020 boss

The Bitcoin SV network and the infamous Craig Wright have been publicly scrutinized by two well known individuals. Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales criticized BSV technology and said he doesn’t think recorded data from Wikipedia would be beneficial stored on a blockchain like BSV. Moreover, former Star Trek actor William Shatner tweeted about Craig Wright’s claim of being the creator of Bitcoin and told the public Wright’s bonded courier story is a scene right out of the film “Back to the Future.” Also read: Bitcoin, Tesla Stock, Tron: How Warren Buffett Got…

Vermont Turns to Home-Grown Blockchain Company to Track Hemp With Ethereum

February 11, 2020 boss

Vermont regulators will track hemp production on the ethereum mainnet in partnership with cannabis supply chain blockchain startup Trace. The five-year deal, announced Monday by Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM), is a production-ready solution for every level of the hemp trade, said Trace CEO Josh Decatur. Beginning in March, farmers and processors will begin putting all associated crop data into the Trace system, which runs on ethereum. It is one of the first times a state regulatory agency has decided to run with the ethereum mainnet, Decatur…