Here’s what happened this week in Bitcoin in 99 seconds.
A vulnerability in the Bitcoin software was revealed this week but quickly patched in a later version. Although the bug is difficult and costly to exploit, a malicious miner could use it to potentially cause a blockchain split. If you’re running Bitcoin Core, updating to the latest version is strongly recommended.
Ripple’s price was stronger in the week on news that the xRapid protocol is nearing completion and the announcement of Ripple’s new remittance partnership with America’s PNC Bank.
Bitcoin mining manufacturer Bitfury announced a new line of ASICs known as “Clarke.” Powered by 14 nanometer chips, Clarke will reach a hashrate up to 120 gigahash per second at a claimed energy efficiency of 55 joules per terahash.
Bitmain announced its own next-generation ASIC chip, BM1391, for mining cryptocurrencies using the SHA256 algorithm. The 7 nanometer chip is optimized for maximum energy efficiency consuming as low as 42J/Tera hash.
Japan’s Zaif exchange was hacked for nearly 6,000 bitcoins, currently worth nearly $40 million, plus large amounts of BCH and Monacoin. Total losses are estimated at $60 million. The hack occurred despite tight new exchange regulations in Japan, following a half billion Dollar hack in January.
And finally, the European policing agency, Europol, announced on Thursday that its research found zero terror attacks across Europe linked to Bitcoin.
That’s what happened this week in Bitcoin. See you next week.
