Category Archives: Cryptocurrency

Source: Butenkow/Adobe

AsNorth Koreanmilitary activities continue to capture the attention of decision-makers and analysts across the world, around 50% of the countrys secretive missile program could be financed by cyberattacks and cryptocurrency theft, according to Anne Neuberger, the U.S. deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology.

During a recent event hosted by the nonprofit Special Competitive Studies Project, the senior White House official said that there is an ongoing federal government effort to understand how a nation like North Korea is so darn creative in this space, CNN reported.

American intelligence agencies are making intense efforts to track down North Korean operatives, and the U.S. Department of Treasury is working to locate stolen crypto, according to Neuberger.

The official added that President Joe Bidens administration, of which she is a member, is putting a lot of time and thought into the issue.

Speaking at a different public event in July 2022, the deputy national security adviser declared that the North Koreans use cyber to gain, we estimate, up to a third of their funds to fund their missile program.

The latest statement indicates that, since last summer, Pyongyang has managed to significantly expand its capacity to illicitly seize crypto from users across the world.

A spokesperson for Neuberger said on Wednesday the updated figure the official cited earlier this week was accurate.

Last January, Washington announced that crypto industry security vulnerabilities enabled North Koreas hackers to steal more than $1 billion in the past two years. At that time, the claim that Pyongyang has used the stolen crypto to support its missile program was made in an official statement which was reported by South Korea-based media outletsVOA KoreaandMunhwa Ilbo.

The American administration said that poor cybersecurity across the industry had enabled North Koreas government to steal over a billion dollars which were later used to finance the countrys missile program.

Among others, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believes that the Pyongyang-backed hacker group Lazaruswas behind the $100 million Harmony Horizon bridge attackinJune 2022.

In the attacks aftermath, the U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on crypto mixing services including Tornado Cash amid allegations that North Korea uses such services to launder stolen cryptocurrency.

Last year, the South Korean National Intelligence Service declared that Pyongyang-backed hacker groups havestolen some $1.2 billion worth of crypto over the past five years.

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Half of North Korea's Missile Funding Comes from Cybercrimes and ... - Cryptonews

RIDGWAY-Following a year of complaints and protests about a cryptocurrency Bitcoin mine in Ridgway Township on Long Level Road, the Ridgway Township Supervisors have crafted an ordinance to address current and future mining operations. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, residents could view, ask questions, and voice concerns over the new ordinance that the supervisors and their attornies have drafted to address Bitcoin mines in the township. After the public hearing, in the regular meeting, the supervisors approved ordinance number 122, which begins the process of passing the new cryptocurrency zoning law with the first advertisement of the ordinance. A copy of the proposed ordinance is available for public viewing at the Ridgway Township offices during regular business hours. Ironically, the Bitcoin mine that was the source of all the controversy and complaints was moved out of the township and into a neighboring municipality in the past few months. This ordinance protects residents against future mines that may attempt to be constructed in the area. The ordinance follows similar zoning restrictions that have been enacted in Fox Township and St. Marys.

Read more Ridgway Township news in Thursday's Ridgway Record

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Ridgway Township moves ahead with cryptocurrency ordinance ... - Ridgway Record

This article gathers how Data science is used in making cryptocurrency predictions.

Nowadays, there is the widespread use of cryptocurrencies, and their popularity can suddenly increase or drop. It is also challenging to forecast the price of cryptocurrencies. It is a wise decision to select technology for cryptocurrency predictions to thrive in this turbulent industry. To forecast the performance of several cryptocurrencies, some businesses use data science. The causes of the fluctuations in the pricing of these coins can be discovered using data science. Afterward, forecast whether the price will rise or fall in the future. This article gathers how Data science is used in making cryptocurrency predictions, lets explore.

Data science involves a combination of statistical analysis, machine learning, and programming to extract insights from large datasets. By applying data science techniques to cryptocurrency data, analysts can identify patterns and trends that may help predict future price movements.

Here are some ways that data science is used in making cryptocurrency predictions:

SM Blurb: Data science is a crucial tool for forecasting the bitcoin market. Large datasets of historical and current data can be analyzed to find patterns and trends that could predict future price changes.

Hashtags: #DataScienceUsedInMakingCryptocurrencyPredictions#CryptocurrencyPredictions #DataScience #ForecastThePriceOfCryptocurrencies #Cryptocurrency

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How Data Science is Used in Making Cryptocurrency Predictions? - Analytics Insight

Welcome to another edition of Crypto NFT Today! If you enjoy cryptocurrency, NFTs, and riding emotional, and sometimes, sketchy rollercoasters, youve come to the right place. So put on some soothing music and lets go!

Binance, the worlds largest crypto currency exchange by volume, will disable multiple existing deposit

blockchain addresses to upgrade its digital infrastructure.

The announcement on April 18, said Binance, in order to upgrade security and efficiencies, would retire selected deposit addresses and memos on multiple blockchains, affecting Ether (ETH), Tron (TRX, BNB and Steller (XML).

Users of impacted addresses will be notified by email, with the exchange urging impacted users to immediately obtain new addresses and memos. The email will include expiration dates for the old addresses. Once users get new deposit addresses, the old ones will no longer be valid.

Users will be required to log into their Binance accounts and follow the instructions on the notification. The schedule for the migration is set to be complete in June. Binance assured users that no funds will be lost if funds are mistakenly sent to expired addresses.

Payments made to expired addresses will not, however, be immediately credited. Instead, users will have to manually credit any deposits from their old address with a transaction history page.

On April 15, US Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH), announced legislation to fire Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Gary Gensler.

In response to Coinbases legal counsel, the crypto-supporting congressman tweeted his intention to remove Gensler after the SEC said they would revise the definition of an exchange.

To correct a long series of abuses, I am introducing legislation that removes the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and replaces the role with an Executive Director that reports to the Board (where authority resides), Davidson tweeted.

On April 14, Gensler said the proposed redefinition would benefit markets and investors by regulating brokers and modernizing what constitutes an exchange. In January, 2022, similar amendments were proposed, but crypto advocates insisted the SEC was overreaching and could hobble markets.

Pro-crypto SEC commissioner Hester Peirce, affectionately known as Crypto Mom, rebuked the proposed rule amendments, declaring, stagnation, centralization, expatriation, and extinction are the watchwords of the move by Gensler.

On Tuesday, chipmaking titan Intel (INTC) stated it is ceasing production of its Blockscale bitcoin mining chip.

As we prioritize our investments in IDM 2.0, we have end-of-lifed the Intel Blockscale 1000 Series ASIC [application specific integrated circuit] while we continue to support our Blockscale customers, said an Intel spokesperson.

It was about a year ago that Intel announced its entry into bitcoin mining, with the sale of the first chipsets to Argo Blockchain (ARBK), Block (SQ), Grid Infrastructure and Hive Blockchain (HIVE).

However, only Hive confirmed the activation of mining rigs powered by the Blockscale chip. ePIC Blockchain is promoting its bitcoin mining rigs that use the Intel CPUs.

Bitmain and MicroBT chips dominate the bitcoin mining market that Intel meant to disrupt. When asked if they will replace the Blockscale chips with other bitcoin mining chips, a spokesperson said Intel will continue to monitor market opportunities.

Google One just got a lot better at protecting users privacy. The company just announced it will offer a VPN and dark web monitoring, at no additional cost, in its base $1.99 subscription.

The expanded plans will be available in 22 countries and introduced in the next few weeks. In addition to Android and iOS, the new tools will be available on Windows and Mac desktops.

Subscribers will be allowed to share the VPN with up to five others if theyre on the Google One plan. The move is a huge benefit to base-plan users. Previously VPN was limited to Google One $10 a month / 2TB plans.

However, unlike many VPNs, Googles VPN isnt designed to by-pass geographic restrictions. In addition to end to end encryption, it does mask the users IP address from networks and third parties.

The new service will also monitor the dark web for your personal information like, name, address, email, phone numbers, and SSN, which Google said will be handled according to Googles privacy policy and you can delete any info from your profile or stop monitoring at any time.

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Crypto NFT Today: The Latest News in Blockchain, Cryptocurrency ... - Innovation & Tech Today

The US leads on many things, from political partisanship to technological innovation, but if there is one field where the country risks being left behind, its the burgeoning cryptocurreny sector.

Although crypto took a significant reputational hit in 2022 on the back of various crises, from the two-trillion-dollar market dip to FTXs incredible collapse, institutional crypto firms, a heady mix of centralised exchanges, Web3 developers, banks and other innovators, have continued to build.

But it appears that US policymakers and regulators are less than bullish on this little-understood, nascent sector.

Driving the point home is the fact that crypto exchange Coinbase, far and away the largest publicly listed crypto corporation, seems to have a few regrets about making US its global hub.

The US has the potential to be an important market in crypto, but right now, we are not seeing that regulatory clarity needed, Coinbase chief Brian Armstrong told former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne at a fintech conference on Tuesday.

Asked by Osbourne whether hed consider relocating to Britain, Armstrong, in rather laisse faire fashion, said anything is on the table including, you know, relocating or whatever is necessary.

Regulatory clarity will be the thing that will unlock growth in crypto, Armstrong told a CNBC journalist on his UK tour.

That doesnt bode well for the USs maligned regulation-by-enforcement approach, as illustrated by the regulators knee-jerk reactions and off-the-cuff actions against the likes of Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, Gemini and just about every other crypto firm of notable footprint.

The Wells Notice issued by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in March is the perfect case in point.

Wells Notices are typically precursors to regulatory enforcement actions, but to this day Coinbase has not been given any clarity over the nature of the SECs pending enforcement.

Armstrong said over 30 meetings with the SEC in the past year have failed to give any real insight into what the regulator wants from the group.

Why would a company want to work in such a belligerent environment when other major jurisdictions have made significant headway into providing regulatory clarity?

Worse still is the fact that US regulators cant even decide who has jurisdiction; the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have been butting heads over who has the remit. Theres no such issue in the UK, where commodities and securities both come under the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Britain has been actively engaged in the crypto regulation debate under prime minister Rishi Sunak, who has long touted Britains potential as a global crypto hub.

The UK launched a consultation in February on the matter, though as previously discussed in Proactive, there are blind spots when it comes to investor protections and compensation.

The 27-member European Union, meanwhile, is poised to harmonise most aspects of crypto regulation under the bloc-wide Markets in Crypto-Asset (MiCA) bill, due to be voted on this Thursday.

We should be wary of calling these various consultations and bills particularlypro-crypto; they will likely usher in a wave of stringent reporting requirements, securities law mandates and could even force the exchanges into reevaluating how they do business.

But theyre invariably the preferred option compared to the regulation-by-enforcement guessing game.

Post-Brexit, the UK and EU have taken slightly different approaches in their efforts to open up the cryptocurrency market.

Built from the ground up, the EU MiCA bill is tailored specifically to the nascent sector, while the UK is attempting to retrofit existing regulatory mechanisms.

If you ask former UK chancellor and ardent remainer Phillip Hammond, the EU approach is so good that it presents a real risk to financial services innovation in London.

It is a very uncomfortable proposition to think that with the MiCA vote coming up, we could see the European Union offering a trading environment which is more permissive and looks more attractive to institutions and to innovators than the UK does, Hammond said on a recent episode of The Crypto Mile.

Europe often leads the way in these sorts of things. No better example was GDPR, the EU regulatory framework that quickly became the global benchmark on personal data and privacy.

The UK retained the law in its exact form after leaving the bloc, while the California Consumer Privacy Act has fundamentally similar parallels.

More recently, the 2022 Digital Markets Act, which targeted abusive market actions of the gatekeepers of the digital economy (think Meta, Amazon, Google et al) had implications far beyond the EUs borders given the crippling fines Big Tech companies face for breaching the directive.

Then theres the fact that major UK banks including Nationwide Building Society, HSBC and NatWest have implemented, some would say overly harsh, bans on crypto-adjacent using their services.

Perhaps the UK, too, risks being left behind if it doesnt form a cohesive vision among all major stakeholders.

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US cryptocurrency sector risks being left by the wayside - Proactive Investors USA