Bitcoin

US accuses couple of laundering $4.5bn in Bitcoin tied to currency exchange hack

A husband-and-wife team of alleged money launderers was arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday morning, it added.

It was the Justice Department's biggest financial seizure, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said, adding in a statement that it shows cryptocurrency is "not a safe haven for criminals."

Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife Heather Morgan, 31, both New Yorkers, were scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court Tuesday at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Bitcoin prices fall to lowest in months after US Fed remarks

The crypto-currency dropped in value from $47,000 (£34,700) earlier this week to less than $42,000 (£31,000) per digital coin.

It follows minutes from a meeting of the Federal Reserve, which suggested it may raise interest rates.

Political events in Kazakhstan have also raised concerns about the network's capacity.

Because of its global and decentralised nature, attributing a rise or fall in the price of Bitcoin to a single cause is difficult. But many commentators have pointed to the release of the Federal Reserve's December meeting notes as one factor.

Indian PM Modi's Twitter hacked with bitcoin tweet

The tweet was swiftly deleted and his office said the account had been very briefly compromised.

It is the second time Mr Modi's Twitter account has been hacked.

He's a prolific tweeter and has more than 70 million followers - the most of any world leader.

The deleted tweet from his main @narendramodi handle said the Indian government had officially bought 500 bitcoin and was "and distributing them to all residents of the country".

Last year, his account was hacked and a tweet sent out urging people to donate to a fake Covid relief fund.

Gang behind huge cyber-attack demands $70m in Bitcoin

 The REvil group claims its malware, which initially targeted US IT firm Kaseya, has hit one million "systems".

This number has not been verified and the exact total of victims is unknown.

However, it does include 500 Swedish Coop supermarkets and 11 schools in New Zealand.

Two Dutch IT firms have also been hit, according to local media reports.

On Friday, cyber-security firm Huntress Labs estimated about 200 firms had been affected.

The "supply chain" attack initially targeted Kaseya, before spreading through corporate networks that use its software.

Bitcoin tops £5,000 in value

While it is a historic moment of sorts, Bitcoin is usually compared to the dollar.

The virtual currency peaked at $6,649.33 (£5,015) at about 16:34 GMT on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

The total value of Bitcoin in circulation is currently $110bn (£83bn) and the cryptocurrency has risen more than seven-fold against the dollar over the past year.

The reason for the latest jump in value was in part driven by an announcement by US-based derivatives marketplace operator CME Group about a plan to launch a Bitcoin futures product before the end of the year.

10 interesting facts about Bitcoin that you must know

By now, many people have heard of bitcoin and it’s gaining acceptance. So, in that line, here are some interesting bitcoin facts that you must know. Give them a read and share it with your friends and family:

10 Most Interesting Bitcoin Facts

1. Bitcoin creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is still a mystery figure

Tags: 

Warning — Bitcoin users could be targeted by state-sponsored hackers

A leading Bitcoin information site is warning users that an upcoming version of the Blockchain consolidation software and Bitcoin wallets could most likely be targeted by "state-sponsored attackers."

Recently, one of the world's most popular cryptocurrency exchanges, Bitfinex, suffered a major hack that resulted in a loss of around $72 Million worth of Bitcoins.

Tags: 

Bitcoin price drops after $72 million in Bitcoin was stolen

Hong Kong-based Bitcoin exchange 'Bitfinex' has posted a note on their website announcing the shutdown of its operation after discovering a security breach that allowed an attacker to steal some user funds.

While the company did not mention a total amount lost in the breach, one of their employees — Bitfinex community director Zane Tackett — confirmed on Reddit that the total amount stolen was 119,756 bitcoins — worth up to $72 Million in cash.

Tags: