Colleagues, the global
cryptosphere is rigorously debating the security of the Siacoin Distributed Storage Protocol
(aka the Siacoin Blockchain). More security translates into higher trust and
integrity of the platform … right? The answer depends on which segment of the
crypto ecosystem you ask. The new security code would fork Siacoin and in turn
disabling mining products offered by Bitmain
and Innosilicon. At
press time we are waiting for Nvidia
and AMD
to weigh-in on this matter. Both companies have seen demand for their mining ASICs slow during
H1 2018. So what is the end goal? Some would say driving increased capacity
around the world to create a data storage marketplace that is more reliable and
lower cost than traditional cloud storage providers. Our view is that this inevitable
debate represents just one more growing pain as cryptocurrencies and their
underlying Blockchains mature. The issue will get resolved and yes there will
be winners and losers. More to come. Share your thoughts today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency
Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)
Our mission is to provide Training and Certification programs to enable Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and FinTech traders and investors worldwide to achieve their career goals.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Are cryptocurrencies illegal in Islamic nations? They are banned in Saudi Arabia
Colleagues, here at the Cryptocurrency Academy
we are not predisposed to playing politics. Yet, in the kingdom of Saudi
Arabia we see the collision of cryptocurrencies, religion and government leading
to the prohibition of crypto activity “within” the countries boarders. The Crown Prince Mohammad bin
Salman has
declared them as a fraud as well as a potential breach of Sharia law. The key question becomes how
pervasive is the prohibition of cryptocurrencies across the Islamic world?
Islamic nations are not all created equal and some governments are strictly
conservative while others are more open to so-called Western trends. Qatar, the
UAE, Indonesia and Malaysia are much more progressive in their thinking and
business practices. Iran,
for purely financial reasons, is launching its own government-back
cryptocurrency as a means of evading US economic trade sanctions. Bottom line:
The Cryptocurrency
Academy views Saudi Arabia as the outlier when it comes to banning
cryptocurrencies while other Islamic nations are racing to embrace them with
the goal of giving their economies a viable position in the global financial
system. Let us know your thoughts today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency
Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)
Monday, August 20, 2018
Mining Malware at Fault a Cryptocurrency Theft of Some $87B in China
Colleagues, as we have previously reported
mining malware has far outpaced the growth of ransomware over the past year
when it comes to cryptocurrency theft. The most recent example is the theft in
China valued at $87B of cryptocurrency by mining malware at the hands of three
cyber criminals. Although details are limited, we understand this malware crime
to be launched by Chinese nationals against Chinese cryptocurrency investors.
To date we have seen many mining malware crimes initiated from within China
targeting cryptocurrency investors located abroad. McAfee Labs’
Threats Report for June 2018 identified more
than 2.9 million samples of crypto-mining malware in Q1 2018 alone versus 400k
attacks in Q4 2017 Q4 with JavaScript being the tool of choice when targeting
web browsers. Bottom line: Both individual as well as corporate crypto
investors need to be proactive in preventing crypto theft. Individuals needs to
ensure the security on their computers and smartphones is as robust and
up-to-date as possible, while institutions (corporations and telecom carriers)
need to focus on router security. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)
Thursday, August 16, 2018
How critical in SIM Swap Fraud theft to cryptocurrency investors?
Colleagues, when members of the cryptocurrency
ecosystem assess security threats SIM Swap Fraud likely ranks quite low on the
priority list. Nevertheless, for cryptocurrency investors who use
software-based crypto wallets the impact of SIM
Swap Fraud can be
significant. Case I point is the $224m
law suit filed against AT&T by crypto investor Michael Terpin. Such fraud
is a form of identity theft in which thieves convince untrained or unsuspecting
telecom carrier and smartphone vendor support staff of the need to upgrade a
SIM card. In turn the thieves gain access to most all of the phones apps and
security information. The US
Federal Trade Commission has been aware of this scheme for at least two
years, however, there is little evidence that phone manufacturers and carriers
have implemented protocols (e.g. human factors prevention methods) to reduce
such crime. SIM Swap Fraud takes advantage of the rise of cryptocurrency
software wallets and identify theft schemes. Cryptocurrency investors need to assess
the risk-reward level of software vs. hardware vs. paper wallets along with
their vulnerability to ID theft. Bottom line: SIM Swap Fraud is one more
weakness is the broader crypto ecosystem which traders and investors need to
mitigate. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
What impact will Axoni’s AxCore distributed ledger have on Blockchain auditing and assurance?
Colleagues, the holy grail of Blockchain-based
distributed ledgers is likely to be auditability and assurance for domestic and
trans-border financial transactions. Auditability and assurance in the
Blockchain world are synonyms for “transparency” … the elusive element that has
been a critical barrier to adoption for cryptocurrencies. Enter AxCore, the new auditable distributed ledger
technology from Axoni which has raised some $55m
venture capital in total from
the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo and
other firms with a vested stake in fintech. While still in its infancy AxCore’s
auditable
distributed ledger technology is a potential breakthrough which could
propel Blockcain in general and leading cryptocurrencies in specific from early
adopter to mass market adoption. A recent report from AICPA entitled “Audit
& Assurance Alert — Blockchain Technology and Its Potential Impact on the
Audit and Assurance Profession” could be a forerunner to such a technology paradigm shift
with major implications for the broader cryptosphere and fintech ecosystem. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Crypto Money Laundering, Fraud and Mining Malware Drive Increase in FinCEN SARs
Colleagues, over the past year Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) – a branch of the US Treasury - has
reported a significant increase in Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). Money
laundering, fraud and mining malware complaints by financial institutions have
all contributed to a rise in SARs to over 1500
per month. It is no
wonder that the rise in SARs is directly correlated with in growth in
cryptocurrency market capitalization. And in turn, cybercrime – which are at
the core of SARs – also correlates the number and trading volume of
cryptocurrencies. FinCEN offers an online SAR Stats reporting tool in their web site. Bottom line:
The Cryptocurrency Academy and Cyber
Security Defender propose the
formation of cybercrime protection alliance between the US Treasury, financial
institutions, crypto exchanges and security vendors with the goal of reducing cybercrime
related to the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Share your comments
today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)
Monday, August 13, 2018
How will Bitcoin’s emerging crypto monopoly impact global cryptocurrency markets?
Colleagues, despite an aggregate decline in
total cryptocurrency market cap since early CY2018, Bitcoin’s percent of total market value has reached
staggering 50% threshold. Data also reveal that the top 5 cryptocurrencies –
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ripple – control almost 60% of
the global crypto market. View the data from CoinMarketCap tracking stats. The Cryptocurrency Academy and the Cyber Security Defender draw two key conclusions from these
numbers. First, is the definitive market vale concentration – which is nearing
monopoly status – around Bitcoin. Thus, the extended crypto ecosystem needs to
serve customers by developing tools and applications which are purpose-built
for Bitcoin. Second, is the rapid bi-furcation of the global cryptocurrency
market between the “Big 5” and the second-tier cryptocurrencies which serve
niche geographic- and application-specific markets. We believe that bad actors
– such as Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, ISIS, and AOAP - will be the
primary users of this cryptocurrency underclass of as they seek to evade
economic sanctions and conduct nefarious financial transactions with
little-to-no transparency. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency
Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)
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