Blockchain

Argentina Government Suffers $4 Million Ransomware Attack

On August 27, 2020, Argentina’s Official Immigration Agency and the National Migration Office learned of a cyber-attack on their systems. The Netwalker ransomware group demanded $4 million. As part of the government response, these agencies closed border crossings for hours. The attack came via a virus that left ransom notes on agency computers. The program […]

The post Argentina Government Suffers $4 Million Ransomware Attack appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Published

9 months ago

September 8, 2020

Republished by Plato

On August 27, 2020, Argentina’s Official Immigration Agency and the National Migration Office learned of a cyber-attack on their systems.

The Netwalker ransomware group demanded $4 million. As part of the government response, these agencies closed border crossings for hours.

The attack came via a virus that left ransom notes on agency computers. The program attached itself to Microsoft Windows and Office files and then hid in network folders.

Those responsible for the attack first demanded $2 million dollars. When the immigration agency refused to pay, they upped their ask to $4 million, payable in bitcoin.

The Argentine Ministry of Public Finance described how several tech support calls alerted them to the crime:

At approximately 7 am on the appointed day (August 27) , the Directorate of Technology and Communications (part of the General Directorate of Information Systems and Technology) received numerous calls from various control posts requesting technical support.

In order to halt further infection, officials shut down computer networks. This would give them time to resolve the problem. However, it also ceased border crossings at migration checkpoints. Immigration officials waited four hours until the servers came back online.

Government sources stated that they,

will not negotiate with hackers and are not overly concerned about recovering data.

Presumably, Netwalker will not receive any ransom. Noble as it may be, it also puts user data at risk. Historically, ransomware groups have published stolen data when refused payment.

Since 2018, ransomware attacks have been increasing worldwide.

The Ministry of Public Finance first uncovered the attacks | Source: Ministry of Finance of Argentina

Outside Argentina: Netwalker and Ransomware

These days, it’s common to find cyber-attacks on major businesses and government entities. Hackers have even hit hospitals with extortion. The Netwalker gang is already a well-known ransomware group. It’s estimated to have made more than $25 million from hijacking computers in 2020.

In recent months, other Latin-American countries have been hit by large cyber-attacks. The State Bank of Chile found itself in a similar situation this week. However, in that case, the hackers used Sodinokibi ransomware, which rendered thousands of bank branches across the nation inoperative.

Elsewhere, Moises Broggi hospital in Catalonia, Spain, suffered a similar attack last weekend. A group of hackers demanded cryptocurrency in return for stolen user data. The attack interfered with patients’ treatment and may have led to negative health effects.

Interestingly, several groups of malicious hackers have pledged not to carry out digital robberies on hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, there’s no guarantee that unscrupulous cybercriminals will take this opportunity to lay off.

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Source: https://beincrypto.com/argentina-government-suffers-4-million-ransomware-attack/

Blockchain

Coin Metrics Report Details Surges in ETH, Doge Trading

Published

10 mins ago

June 13, 2021

Republished by Plato

Digital currency research firm Coin Metrics has released a new report claiming that bitcoin is beginning to lag when compared with the likes of competing altcoins such as Ethereum and Dogecoin.

Coin Metrics: Altcoins Are Taking Over

While bitcoin is still the world’s number one digital currency by market cap (it is currently trading for about $35,000 per unit), the asset has experienced some serious dips over the past month, while by contrast, Dogecoin and Ethereum have exhibited gains and are regularly moving up the digital ladder.

Coin Metrics garnered much of the information for its report by looking at data from Binance, arguably the largest and most popular crypto exchange on the planet in terms of daily trading volume. Additional statistics were gathered from exchanges such as Coinbase and FTX. Coin Metrics points out that thus far, 2021 has been the year for “smaller altcoins,” suggesting that a great many of them have surged heavily between the months of January and early May. From there, however, a serious crypto crash has taken precedence, with Coin Metrics unable to pinpoint what, exactly, might have been the cause.

For the most part, numerous altcoin pairs are offered on Binance, which explains why the company’s trading volume for many of the world’s smaller assets likely overtook that of bitcoin. The report says:

ETH volume surpassed BTC volume on Coinbase by a wider margin than on Binance. Coinbase did not offer Dogecoin trading in May (although they introduced it in early June), so it did not have a Doge rush similar with Binance, but it did have a relatively high amount of volume for some other altcoins, led by MATIC, ADA and Ethereum Classic (ETC)… Continuing the trend, ETH volume edged out BTC on FTX, although not by much, but comparatively, the top altcoins made up a lower percentage of total volume on FTX than on Binance and Coinbase.

Some of the world’s smaller exchanges – such as Huobi – also saw Ethereum and Dogecoin trading surge to levels beyond what people were doing with bitcoin. The report continues to say:

Similar with Binance, DOGE volume surged on Huobi, taking the spot as the third most traded currency by volume.

Bitcoin Hasn’t Been Fully Cut Out Yet

The only place – according to the document – where bitcoin trading appears to remain dominant at the time of writing is the CME in Chicago, Illinois. The company delves in bitcoin futures trading and has recently opened the door to ETH futures, though this is still in its early stages. Coin Metrics writes:

The markets continued to move mostly sideways over the last week. Bitcoin and Ethereum usage both stayed relatively flat, with daily active addresses dropping 2.5 percent and growing by 3.3 percent, respectively. Ethereum daily transaction fees dropped by over 35 percent week over week as gas prices continued to fall, and bitcoin transaction fees followed a similar pattern, dropping by 40.5 percent.

Tags: bitcoin, Coin Metrics, dogecoin, Ethereum Coinsmart. Beste Bitcoin-Börse in Europa
Source: https://www.livebitcoinnews.com/coin-metrics-report-details-surge-in-eth-doge-trading/

Blockchain

Bitcoin Taproot upgrade finally achieves activation lock-in!

Published

50 mins ago

June 13, 2021

Republished by Plato

The much-anticipated Bitcoin Taproot upgrade passed the Speedy Trial, which was a signaling period which gauged support for the upgrade from bitcoin’s mining sector. Since SegWit, Taproot has been touted as the next significant upgrade for Bitcoin.

Data from Taproot.watch, a webpage created by Bitcoin developer Hampus Sjöberg, released an interesting yet hilarious video to announce the completion of the lock-in stage.

WE HAVE LOCK IN! 🟩 #Bitcoin #Taproot

Video by: @TheGuySwann!https://t.co/rCUp5VNCBX pic.twitter.com/YFLMTenWW0

— Hampus Sjöberg 🥕🟩 (@hampus_s) June 12, 2021

On the official page, it read:

“This period has reached 1815 Taproot signaling blocks, which are required for lock-in.”

Different mining pools tweeted their support for the upgrade on their respective platforms with Slush Pool being the first to do so.

TAPROOT LOCKED IN AT BLOCK 687285 BY SLUSHPOOL 🟩 pic.twitter.com/FFDdibtmGt

— pourteaux (@pourteaux) June 12, 2021

AntPool also supported the upgrade.

What’s next?

Bitcoin core developer Pieter Wuille further elaborated on the path leading to the full activation step for Taproot in a series of tweets. He stated:

“As of block 687284, Taproot signalling has reached 1815 blocks this period, guaranteeing that absent very deep reorgs, it is guaranteed to lock in. Following that, it will activate at block 709632, probably around mid-November 2021.”

He also addressed that ‘there is a lot of work left of course’, which included:

a) PSBT extensions to communicate Taproot keys/scripts/signatures,

b) MuSig2 standardization so the software can cooperate in signing,

c) Output descriptors,

Why is it so important?

Fred Thiel, CEO of Marathon Digital Holdings stated:

“With this upgrade, you’ll see Bitcoin to be the settlement network. Funds are transferred from one institution to another, say one bank to another.”

He added,

“The update would lower the data size of smart contracts, in turn lowering transaction costs. Taproot is also expected to enhance smart contract functionality and efficiency.”

Jeremy Rubin, a Bitcoin Core contributor and founder of Judica projected a similar optimistic narrative,

“With taproot, you get optimization of Bitcoin, much different from how people know Bitcoin today- little too inefficient or reveal too much information about what you’re trying to do. Taproot helps to be private and efficient.”

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Coinsmart. Beste Bitcoin-Börse in Europa
Source: https://ambcrypto.com/bitcoin-taproot-upgrade-finally-achieves-activation-lock-in

Blockchain

Next-Gen Decentralized NFT Platform, NEFTiPEDIA Announces Launch of its ICO In 3 Days

Published

2 hours ago

June 13, 2021

Republished by Plato

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NEFTiPEDIA, a next-generation decentralized NFT platform that operates in a way that contributes to the elevation of digital artists, creators, and investors has announced the launch of its ICO which is set to happen in 3 days.

NEFTiPEDIA has designed a commission-free platform to enable its artists to maximize income, following its aim to help them increase revenue via NFTs.

Following NEFTiPEDIA’s plans to storm the marketplace while launching its ICO, it aims to serve the marketplace with different categories of products including cosmetics, vehicles and property.

“….we believe NEFTiPEDiA will become a community-run marketplace and the industry will make our project as a kind and remarkable one in the world,” the announcement reads.

The development will see the platform provide a decentralized marketplace for Artists, where they can sell and validate their NFT links to fans and interested buyers.

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NEFTiPEDIA Offers Exciting Prizes to Users

The team behind the project have allotted a total of 250,000,000 $NFT tokens for its users to enjoy in the upcoming ICO.

To further celebrate the intended development, the platform has proposed a referral scheme where winners can enjoy amazing and exciting prices.

Users who wish to participate in the program are required to sign up for the platform’s ICO panel and get a referral code.

The code can as well be shared with friends, giving users the opportunity to win exciting prizes.

A minimum of 5 referrals is required for participants to be considered for winning.

“Only those referrals ended in purchase will be added to the count. After the completion of ICO in 30 days, winners will be announced. Notably, winners will bear all the applicable tax.” The team further elaborated on the conditions for winning.

Coinsmart. Beste Bitcoin-Börse in Europa
Source: https://zycrypto.com/next-gen-decentralized-nft-platform-neftipedia-announces-launch-of-its-ico-in-3-days/