How susceptible are Twitter and Facebook to spreading malicious cryptocurrency botnets?

Colleagues, yesterday Duo Security reported that some 88 million Twitter accounts fell prey to a malicious botnet spreading a fraudulent cryptocurrency giveaway program. Many of us, myself included, saw messages from this botnet and simply paid no attention. Nonetheless, the security issued a paper at the Black Hat 2018 conference entitled “Don’t @ Me – Hunting Twitter Bots at Scale.” The paper describes the “Anatomy of a Twitter Bot” on page 14 of the report. We know that Facebook and Twitter have purportedly taken major steps to reinforce their platform and account security in recent months given pressure from the US Congress and the European Union. Bottom line: How secure are social media platforms against penetration by and in turn spreading malware such as the Twitter botnet? The fact that the about 88 million accounts we effected strongly suggests that social media take a quantum leap in security to ensure their users remain secure. As of this writing Twitter has not publically affirmed this attack. Duo Security plans to publish mitigation tactics for this malware on GitHub in the coming days. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)  

Will the LevelTradingField Derivatives Exchange Offer More Opportunity Than Risk for Cryptocurrency Traders?

Colleagues, crryptocurrencies are commonly viewed as a high risk asset among traders and investors alike. Moreover, crypto exchanges are very susceptible to fraud and cyber security vulnerabilities. To top it offer, derivatives – not unlike options trading – is only for the most sophisticated financial professionals. Enter the new LevelTradingField Derivatives Exchange is based upon the Ethereum Blockchain. Known as CADE this new exchange will cater to elite financial pros who have both extensive crypto and derivatives expertise. The launch of CADE is yet another proof-point in the ever expanding cryptocurrency ecosystem. Bottom line: While CADE may be attractive to less experienced crypto traders, the exchange and crypto traders much be approached with caution and only allow elite financial professionals to participate. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)  

What impact will NASDAQ’s moves to regulate cryptocurrencies have on speeding market adoption?

Colleagues, the Cryptocurrency Academy has previously reported that Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman anticipates that cryptocurrencies will rapidly move out of the shadows and into the mainstream of financial trading and investing on the NASDAQ … and likely other traditional financial exchanges. Nonetheless, she also sees formal regulation of Bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, Litecoin, etc. as a vital prerequisite for crypto trading on the NASDAQ. Therefore it comes as no surprise that Friedman recently met with leaders of several leading crypto ecosystem entities. The nexus of NASDAQ and cryptos is clear: Both want legitimate and sustainable growth that is credible for traders and institutional investors alike. Bottom line: How and when with the US SEC implement a viable securities framework for cryptocurrencies? The Cryptocurrency Academy predicts that the US SEC will offer its proposed regulations for comment by the US cryptosphere within the next 12 months and then rapidly push for Congressional approval in 2020. Share your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/) 

Do Coinbase Commerce and WooCommerce signal a new era of the “Cryptosphere Triple Play"?

Colleagues, the new Coinbase Commerce plug-in will enable Woocommerce platform users to make eCommerce payments via cryptocurrencies. While this model is nothing new it does represent a significant step in the market adoption of cryptocurrencies which seek to cross the chasm from early adopters to the mass market. The broader issue is the integration of three vital elements of the global cryptosphere – the marriage of top currencies, high volume exchanges, eCommerce technology vendors and eCommerce platforms. Bitcoin is the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency. Coinbase is the largest crypto exchange. And Woocommerce is the market share leader among eCommerce software vendors. The open issue is how aggressively commercial B2C and B2B players Amazon, Alibaba will and eBay adopt cryptocurrencies as a method of payment. The Cryptocurrency Academy predicts a potential “crypto triple play” by Amazon, Alibaba and eBay in the coming 12-24 months. First, is the high probability they will accepts crypto payments. Second, Amazon and Baba could likely acquire or launch their own crypto exchanges. And third, we would not be surprised to see Amazon and Baba introduce ICOs. Send us your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/) 

What is the risk-reward trade-off for Ethereum’s migration to the Casper Proof-of-Stake model?

Colleagues, the Ethereum ecosystem is facing a hard fork this October with the implementation of two EIPs currently under consideration – EIP 1240 and EIP 1276.  At stake are the so-called difficulty bomb and the security model used by the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has limited its currency to 21 million tokens, whereas Ethereum lacks consensus regarding the number of coins to be issued. All of the above pose a significant risk-reward junction for the world’s second most valuable cryptocurrency. Decisions will impact the broader ETH ecosystem in a big way. The Cryptocurrency Academy would like to hear from Ethereum developers, traders and ecosystem partners on their preferred approach to resolving these major issues which are legitimate growing pains for the global cryptosphere. Send us your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)  

What level of cyber risk does the Telegram Passport app pose to the cryptocurrency ecosystem?

Colleagues, the Telegram Passport app promised ease of use and security for the cryptocurrency community and other end-users by storing your personal data in its cloud-based app. The company it wants to bring Blockchain-based payments to the Telegram chat app, which is popular among the crypto community and third party developers can access the Passport Integration Guide. Security researchers have identified two weaknesses inherit in this app. First, Telegram uses SHA-512 to hash passwords. And second, it is prone to spearphishing, insider threats or simply a rogue USB stick. Cryptocurrencies and exchanges may be the chief beneficiaries of this authentication model. Telegram says developers can integrate it in their apps and services at no cost. The first company to support Passport is UK-based ePayments. Bottom line: the Crypto Academy questions just how pervasively Passport will be used among the crypto ecosystem. Moreover, Telegram may need to strengthen Passport’s 256 bit security algorithm as soon as a better protocol becomes available. Send us your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)  

Can Trust Wallet Move the Market Share Needle for Crypto Exchange Leader Binance?

Colleagues, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance holds 28% market share according to CryptoCoin Charts. Trust Wallet is built to handles Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrecy based upon market value. Its appeal appears to be based on the fact that it offers users greater security because it does not store private information on its users. Binance also offers its own cryptocurrency – Binance Coin (BNB) – which ranks seventeenth worldwide in market cap as reported by CoinMarketCap. Bottom line: Will this acquisition move the needle for Binance in terms of expanded user base and exchange market share? The Cryptocurrency Academy believes the jury is still out on this matter. The key issues are 1) Will Trust Wallet be expanded to accommodate Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, XRP, EOS and other highly ranked cryptocurrencies? And second, Can Trust Wallet delivery on its promise of increased security for crypto traders? We see this as a very good move on Binance’s part, yet with all acquisitions implementation is the ultimate test. Send us your comments today! Lawrence – Cryptocurrency Academy (https://cryptocurrencyacademy.blogspot.com/)