Category: AI

BlockchainanalyticsfirmArkhamIntelligencehasconfirmedthatahackerallegedlybreachedU.S.governmentwallets.Hedrainednearly$20millionincryptoassetsandhasreturnedmostofthestolenfunds. Thestolenmoney,whichwasfromtheBitfinexhackof2016,wasreportedtohavebeenretrievedwithinadayoftheattack.AccordingtoArkhamIntelligence,around$19.3millionor88%ofthefundswerereturnedtotheoriginalgovernment-controlledwallet.Thisraisedaconcernoverthereasonsforsuchquickaction. DetailsoftheBreachandRecovery On24thOctober,ArkhamIntelligencenotedtheactivitiesofthecryptowalletsthatareconnectedwiththeUnitedStatesgovernment.Theyrevealeda$20milliontransfertotheaddressesofthemixerservice. TheseaddressescontainedfundsobtainedfromcybercriminalsincludingIlyaLichtensteinandHeatherMorganintheBitfinexhack. Source:X Asperon-chaindata,thehackermovedalargenumberofETH,USDC,andUSDCfromthegovernment’swalletatfirst.However,ArkhamhasestablishedthatthehackersentmostfundsbacktotheU.S.governmentwalletwiththeaddressstartingfrom“0xc9E”byOctober25. Altogether,thecryptohackercashedoutabout2,412ETH,7,200USDC,and$13.2millioninaUSDC.AccordingtoblockchainanalystZachXBT,themajorityofthefundswererecovered.Around$700,000werestillmissingastheseweresentthroughinstantexchangesmakingitdifficulttotrackthem. QuestionsRaisedonU.S.GovernmentWalletSecurity ThebreachhasraisedconcernsregardingthesecurityprotocolsofwalletsmanagedbytheU.S.government.Althoughthegovernmentquicklyregainedmostofthestolenfunds,thecryptohackleftmanyon-chainanalystsquestioningthesafeguardsinplaceforcryptoassets. Notably,on-chaindetectiveErgoBTCpointedoutpossibleinconsistenciesinthewallet’ssecuritystructure.Hesuggestedthatvulnerabilitiescouldexistinthewaytheseassetsarestoredandmanaged. Thespeedoftherecoveryaddsanotherlayerofmystery.Thehackerreturnedmostofthefundsvoluntarilyandalmostimmediately.Analystsandthepublicalikehavespeculatedaboutthehacker’smotives. SomesuggestthatfearofU.S.lawenforcementorasenseofethicalresponsibilitymayhaveplayedarole.Theexactdetailsofthebreachremainundisclosed,andtheidentityofthecryptohackerisstillunknown. NewMeasuresandTransfertoaSecureWallet Followingthereturnoffunds,theU.S.governmenttookswiftactiontosecuretheBitfinexwalletassetsinanewwalletaddress. ArkhamIntelligenceconfirmedthattheassetsweretransferredtoanewwalletundertheaddress“0x0CaB63E3e978D1f66c19C480c206b01fB62F1243”inanattempttopreventfurtherunauthorizedaccess. Thismoveunderscorestheneedforheightenedsecuritymeasuresinmanagingseizeddigitalassets.Moreso,ashigh-profilecasesofcrypto-relatedhackscontinuetoemerge. Securityexpertshavecalledforimprovedcustodialpracticesforgovernment-controlleddigitalassets.Theypointoutthattraditionalassetmanagementstrategiesmaynotbesufficientforsecuringcryptoholdings. Source:CertiK Withcyberthreatsgrowingandsophisticatedhackingtechniquesontherise,stateagenciesmanagingcryptomustprioritizeadvancedsecuritysolutions,especiallyinlightofincidentsliketheSEC’ssocialmediabreachearlierthisyear. TheBitfinexwalletbreachisjustoneofmanycryptoexploitsreportedin2024.AccordingtosecurityfirmCertiK,cryptolossesduetohacksandfraudincreasedby9.5%inthethirdquarteralone,totalingover$750million. thecoinrepublic.com

SecretNetworkhasrecentlyannouncedanewpartnershipwithAurora.AsperSecretNetwork,thecollaborationincludestheintegrationofitsConfidentialComputingLayerwiththenext-generationblockchainAurorawhichoperatesontheNEARProtocol,offeringconfidentialcomputingsupport,documentation,andtooling.Theplatformdisclosedthisdevelopmentonitsofficialsocialmediaaccount. ICYMI:Secret\'sConfidentialComputingLayerisnowintegratedwith@auroraisnear,bringingconfidentialcomputingtools,documentation,andsupporttotheEthereum-compatibleecosystemon@NEARProtocol👇https://t.co/KsYEBbByoQ —SecretNetwork(@SecretNetwork)October25,2024 SecretNetwork’sNewPartnershipOffersCompleteSupporttoAurorabyIntegratingConfidentialComputingLayer Inadditiontoitssocialmediaannouncement,SecretNetworkalsosharedacomprehensiveblogposttoprovidethedetails.TheplatformmentionedthatitintendstoprovidefullsupporttoAurorathroughtheintegrationoftheConfidentialComputingLayer.ThiswillofferexclusivecapabilitiesforAuroraandNEARecosystem-basedapplications. ThenewbenefitsofthisinitiativetakeintoaccountprivatevotingconcerningDAOs.Theyincludeprotectedrandomnumbercreationforgames,andaccesstoprivatedatathroughnon-fungibletokens.Additionally,sealed-bidNFTauctionsalongwithencryptedstoragefordiverseapplicationsarealsoincludedamongthelatestfeatures.SecretNetworkaddedthattheintegrationpermitsthemtoleadtowardexcitingnewusecasesdealingwithWeb3. AuroraoperatesasanEthereumVirtualMachinethatprovidesdeveloperswithaturn-keysolution.Itenablesthemtoruntheirapplicationsonafuture-safe,scalable,high-throughputEthereum-compatibleforum.Itimposeslowtransfercostsontheconsumers.IntheAuroraenvironment,thereareseveralthingssuchastheAuroraEngine,theAuroraBridge,andahigh-performanceEVM.Inthisway,itfacilitatestrustlesstransactionsof$ETHalongwithERC-20coinsbetweenAuroraandEthereum. UsersCanUseCross-ContractCallstoInteractwithNEAR-BasedContracts AccordingtoSecretNetwork,userscanalsointeractwithNEAR-basedcontractsthroughcross-contractcalls.Withthismethod,theycandevelopaNEARapp,enablinginteractionwithSecretNetwork.ThisletsthemuseconfidentialcomputingwhileleveragingAuroraintheformofamessagingbridge. blockchainreporter.net

PolymarketCEOShayneCoplanhasaddressedrecentallegationsthattheplatform’sUSelectionpredictionmarketsarebeingmanipulated. ThisclarificationfollowedareportfromTheNewYorkTimes,whichhighlightedhowPolymarket’soddscurrentlyfavorDonaldTrump—astarkcontrasttotraditionalpollingdata. PolymarketEmphasizesPeer-to-PeerTransparencyAmidPoliticalBettingSurge InanOctober25statement,CoplanemphasizedPolymarket’sneutralstance.Heexplainedthatclaimsofbiasoftenreflectmarketreactionsratherthananyactualfavoritismwithintheplatform. “Wegettoldwe’reDemoperativesandMAGA,dependingontheday.Unfortunatelythestoryismuchlessjuicy,we’rejustmarketnerdswhothinkpredictionmarketsprovidethepublicwithamuchneededalternativedatasource,”Coplanstated. CoplanreiteratedthatPolymarketwasnotcreatedwithpoliticalmotives.Heemphasizedthattheplatform’spurposeistohelppeopleunderstandreal-worldeventsthroughopenmarkets.HeaddedthatitspopularitystemsfromitsaccuratepredictionthatBidenwouldexittherace—acallthatsetPolymarketapart. HealsocounteredclaimsaboutinvestorPeterThiel’sinfluenceoverPolymarket.CoplanclarifiedthatFoundersFund,aventurecapitalfirmassociatedwithThiel,isonlyoneofPolymarket’smorethan50investorsandholdsaminoritystakewithnodirectcontrol. “FoundersFund,oneofthemostactiveVCfunds(Airbnb,Stripe,etc.),andoneofour50+investors,hasaminoritystakeinthecompanywithnoboardseat/control–andthepartnerwhodidthePolymarketdealisn’tevenThiel.HispoliticshavenobearingonhowPolymarketworks,operates,orwhatthepricesare–endofstory,”Coplanstated. CoplanhighlightedPolymarket’speer-to-peerstructureasanedgeoveritstraditionalrivals.Accordingtohim,theplatform’stransparentapproachallowsuserstoauditdatadirectly,contrastingthisopennesswithtraditionalfinancialinstitutions. “ThebeautyofPolymarketisit’sallpeer-to-peerandtransparent.Evenmoretransparentthantraditionalfinance,whereallthedataisobfuscatedandonlyvisibletotheoperator,”Headded. WithincreasedattentionontheupcomingUSelection,Polymarkethasbecomeaprominentplatformforpoliticalbetting.Theplatform’s2024electionmarketvolumehasreached$2.4billion,reflectingheighteneduserinterest,andithasattractedintegrationfrommajorplatformslikeBloomberg. USPresidentialElectionWinner.Source:Polymarket However,scrutinyhasalsointensified,especiallyaspoliticalbettinghassurged,withcertainaccountsplacingsubstantialbetsfavoringTrump.AccordingtoBeInCrypto,Polymarket’sleaderboardshowsthatauser,“Fredi9999,”hasbetover$18milliononRepublicanoutcomes. Asofpresstime,PolymarketdatashowedTrumpwitha63.7%probabilityofvictory,whileKamalaHarrishelda36.3%chance. beincrypto.com

ThedecentralizedoraclenetworkChainlink(LINK)isonceagainthetop-rankedERC-20projectintermsofrecentdevelopmentactivity,accordingtothecryptoanalyticsplatformSantiment. SantimentnotesonthesocialmediaplatformXthatChainlinkregistered649.03notableGitHubeventsinthepast30days,nearlydoublethenumberofthesecond-rankedproject,Ethereum(ETH),whichclocked342.2. ThedecentralizedoracleprojectalsotoppedthelistinJune,JulyandSeptember. Theweb3projectStatus(SNT)rankedthirdinthepast30days,registering270.57events.Statusaimstoofferusersasecuremessagingapp,cryptowalletandweb3browserviaanopen-source,peer-to-peerprotocolandend-to-endencryption. Source:Santiment/X AnERC-20projectisastandardthatdevelopersusetoissuetokensontheEthereumblockchainandvirtualmachine. Santimentnotesthatitdoesn’tcountroutineupdatesandutilizesa“bettermethodology”tocollectdataforGitHubeventsbasedona“backtestedprocess.” Theanalyticsfirmhaspreviouslysaidthatheavydevelopmentactivitycenteredaroundacryptoprojectindicatesdevelopersbelieveintheprotocol.Developmentactivityalsosuggeststhattheprojectislesslikelytobeanexitscam. LINKistradingat$11.11attimeofwriting.The18th-rankedcryptoassetbymarketcapisdownmorethan6%inthepast24hours. GeneratedImage:Midjourney dailyhodl.com

DogecoinCo-FounderBillyMarkus,knownbyhisonlinealias“ShibetoshiNakamoto,”recentlyexpressedhisopiniononsocialmedia,criticizingtheBidenadministration’sapproachtowardDonaldTrumpandElonMusk.Inhisstatements,MarkusdescribedtheactionsoftheU.S.DepartmentofJustice(DOJ)aspoliticallymotivated,suggestingthattheyresembletacticsoftenassociatedwithauthoritarianregimes.

TaiwanSemiconductorsManufacturingCompany(TSMC)reportedlyhaltedchipshipmentstoXiamenSophgo,aChinesesemiconductorfirmlinkedwithBitmainco-founderandchairmanMicreeZhan,amidanongoingUSinvestigationintopossiblesanctionsviolationsrelatedtoHuawei.

BRICSfoundingmembersRussiaandChinaarereportedlylookingtobuilddeepereconomicrelations. Atthe16thBRICSsummit,RussianPresidentVladimirPutinandChineseleaderXiJinpingengagedintalkstobolstertradepartnershipsinanefforttocreatea“fairworldorder,”reportstheSouthChinaMorningPost. AccordingtoPutin,thealliancebetweenthetwoeconomicpowerhousescouldserveasagroundinginfluenceamidvolatileconditionsontheworldstage. “Russian-Chinesecooperationinglobalaffairsisoneofthemainstabilizingfactorsontheworldstage.Weintendtofurtherincreasecoordinationatallmultilateralplatformsinordertoensureglobalsecurityandafairworldorder…Wearesuccessfullyimplementingjointprojectsinenergy,industry,hightechnology,transport,agricultureandmanyotherareas.” ThenewscomesasTreasurySecretaryJanetYellensaystheUSispoisedtoannounceanewwaveofsanctionsagainstentitiessupportingRussia’smilitaryefforts. Yellensaysherofficeisalso“workingtirelessly”tousefrozenRussianassetstoaidUkraine. “WecontinuecrackingdownonRussiansanctionsevasion,andassoonasnextweekwewillunveilstrongnewsanctionstargetingthosefacilitatingtheKremlin’swarmachine,includingintermediariesincountriesthataresupplyingRussiawithcriticalinputsforitsmilitary.WehavealsobeenworkingtirelesslytounlocktheeconomicvalueoftheRussiansovereignassetsimmobilizedinourjurisdictionstosupportUkraine.” BRICS,originallymadeupofBrazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfrica,isaneconomicblocdesignedtoofferanalternativetotheUS-ledworldorder.Thisyear,theintergovernmentalorganizationformallyaddedEgypt,Ethiopia,Iran,SaudiArabiaandtheUnitedArabEmiratesaftertheWestweaponizedthedollarandimposedsanctionsagainstRussiaforinvadingUkraine. In2022,G7nationsfroze$300billionworthofRussiansovereignassetsinresponsetothecountry’sinvasionofUkraine.Theleagueofcountriesisnowreportedlyplanningtoleveragethefundstobacka$50billionloantoUkraine. GeneratedImage:Midjourney dailyhodl.com

OnOctober26,Bitcoin’shashratesoaredtoanewpeakof741EH/s.Justaweekearlier,onOctober19,ithoveredaround676EH/s,reflectingagainofover65EH/sinthattime.Additionally,thislatestpeakrepresentsasurgeofmorethan16%overthepastmonth,climbingfrom638EH/sonSeptember26. Bitcoinhashratepeaks,growingbyover9.6%injustoneweek AccordingtoHashrateIndexdata,BTC’scomputingpowerhitanewhighof741EH/sonOctober26.Thisnewhighrepresentsa9.6%spikeinaweekanda16.6%surgeinamonth,addingover103EH/sfromSeptember26. Source:HashrateIndex Furthermore,YChartsdataindicatesthatBitcoin’shashratevaluewasat727.66milliononOctober25,risingfrom699.12millionthepreviousdayandupfrom455.08millionayearearlier. SomehaveattributedtheriseinBTC’shashratetotheuseofmoreadvancedminingequipmentandfundingadvantages,evenasthetopU.S.-listedBitcoinminerscontrolnearly30%oftheglobalnetworkhashrate. ResearchanalystSamWouterspredictedthatBitcoinmightbeenteringitsZettahasherainMarch2023,whenthehashratefirstroseto400EH/s.Atthetime,heestimatedthatifthehashratemaintaineditsgrowthrate,theleadingcryptowouldreachaZettahashbytheendof2025.Currently,thehashratelevelsalignperfectlywithhisprojections. Bitcoinminingdifficultyisstillontherise AccordingtoCoinwarzdata,thecurrentBTCminingdifficultystandsat95.67trillionatblock867,462,markinganalmost4%jumpinjustaweekanda17%spikeinthreemonths.Moreover,theBTCnetworkisclosetoitssubsequentdifficultyadjustment,whichisestimatedinjustninedayswhenthedifficultyisexpectedtoriseto98.8trillion. However,evenwithBitcoinmining’sescalatingdifficulty,BTCminersarestillgeneratingmillionsofdollarsfromminingactivity.AsofOctober25,Bitcoinminersearnedover$34million,thoughthisrepresentsaslightfallfromOctober20’s$38.38million. Currently,theleadingcryptoistradingat$67,240continuinganimpressivesix-weekpricerally,witha0.89%jumpinthelast24hours. cryptopolitan.com

AnunidentifiedwhalehasbeenholdingETHfortenmonthsandthensellsallthecoins.Thisinvestorhadbeenholdingover8800ETH,andinOctober2024,hesoldallthetokenstomakeaprofitof$3M. Thiswhalefinallygaveupafterholding$ETHforover10monthsandsolditall! Hewithdrew8,800$ETH($19.82M)from#OKXonJan6andstakedit. OnOct17andOct25,hedepositedall8,982$ETH($22.93M)to#OKX,making~$3M. IfhesoldatahighpriceinMarch,theprofit…pic.twitter.com/sCOgOGEnlv —Lookonchain(@lookonchain)October25,2024 Whale’sStrategicMoves Initially,thewhaletransferred8,800ETH,whichwasvaluedatapproximately19.82millionUSD,fromthecryptoexchangeOKXonJan6th,2024.Ratherthansellingit,theobtainedEthereumwasstakedinasimilarfashionasothertokens,whichfollowedtheupwardtrendofDeFistaking,wherestakerscanreceivepassiveincomewithoutsacrificingthetokens. InOctober2024,thewhalebegansellingitscoins.Accordingtotheon-chaindata,theinvestorhaspulledallthe8,982Ethereumforavalueofapproximately$22.93millionbacktotheOKXplatformonthe17thand25thofOctober.Thissequenceoftransfers,whichoccurredovereightconsecutivedays,indicatedthatthewhalehadliquidatedtheirentireEthereumposition.Thelatesttransactionidentifiedisadepositof1,819ETHand7,163ETH,respectively,ontheidentifieddates. TimingtheMarketforMaximumGains Ithasnotbeenayear,andindeed,theEthereummarkethasexperiencedquiteavolatility.Ethereumreacheditshighestvalue,goingforover$4,000inMarch2024beforecrashingtoslightlyabove$2,500inlateOctober.Thewhale,nonetheless,managedhisexitsinawaythatwasstillprofitableduringthetimestheywereexecuted. IfthewhalehadsoldallEthereuminMarchwhenpriceswereattheirhighest,thegainscouldhavebeenmuchhigherandcouldhavesurpassed$16million.Nevertheless,sellinginOctoberimpliesthattheinvestormostprobablysoughtasafeexitfollowingthemarkettrendinthisparticularyear. ImpactontheEthereumMarket Suchmassivevolumesofsalesandbuysmayleadtogreatmovementsinthecryptocurrencymarket.Moreover,duetoEthereum’shigherorderliquidityfactor,theeffectsofWhaleselling8,982ETHwerenotimmediatelyreflectedintheEthereumprice.AsofOctober25,2024,Ethereumwaspricedat$2,527/coin,whichhasrisenagainslightlytoanincreaseof0.3%inthelast24hours. Thisparticularwhalehasdecidedtocuttheirlossesandselloffassetsthey’vebeenholdinginEthereumfornearlyayear,showinghowvolatilelong-termcryptocurrencyinvestingcanbe. blockchainreporter.net

AUS-basedcryptopaymentsfirmsaystensofthousandsofusersareexposedafterahackergainedaccesstoanemployee’slaptop. Thefiat-to-cryptopaymentproviderTransaksaysthesecurityincidenthasaffected92,554ofitsusers. AccordingtoTransak,theattackerobtainedunauthorizedaccessthrougha“sophisticatedphishingattack.” Withtheemployee’scredentials,theattackerwasabletologintoathird-partyKYC(knowyourcustomer)vendorthatTransakusesforcustomerdocumentscanningandverificationservices. Oncecompromised,theattackerwasabletoaccessthepersonalinformationofsomeuserswhohadgonethroughtheKYCprocess. Thehackerwasultimatelyabletoaccesscustomers’names,dateofbirth,IDdocumentslikepassportsanddriver’slicensesandselfiephotosandvideos. Althoughsensitiveidentificationdocumentswereexposed,Transaksaysitdoesnotbelieveprivatefinancialinformationhasbeenaccessed. “Afterourthoroughchecks,wecanconfidentlyconfirmthatnofinanciallysensitiveinformation,includingemailaddresses,phonenumbers,passwords,creditcarddetails,SocialSecurityNumbers,oranyotherfinancialdata,wascompromisedinanyway.Ourfinancialsystems’securitymeasuresremainrobust,andwecontinuetoprotectallcriticaldata,ensuringthehighestlevelofprivacyandsecurityforourusers. Transakoperatesasafullynon-custodialplatform,meaningthatuserfunds—whetherfiatorcryptocurrency—areneverheldbyusandthereforeremaincompletelysecureandunaffectedbyanysuchattack.Usersretainfullcontrolovertheirassetsatalltimes,ensuringthatnofundsareeveratrisk.” Transaksaystheaffectedusersamountto1.14%ofitscustomerbase. GeneratedImage:Midjourney dailyhodl.com