Cryptocurrency

Recently, the Monero (XMR) network was hit with a unique, first of its kind, Sybil attack. For 10 days straight, the attacker used their army of nodes to throw a wrench in the Monero network. According to the Reddit post giving insight into the attack, the attacker purposefully dropped transactions to ensure that the tx’s were not broadcast to the network, tried to exploit a bug to raise the possibility of the malicious nodes ending up in the peer list of an honest node, and recorded IP addresses in an attempt to match them with certain transactions, among many other dishonest actions. Ultimately, the attack was unsuccessful, and the attacker did not have any effect on Monero’s highly controversial chain-privacy mechanisms. Tracing Monero transactions  To date, only one blockchain analytic firm claims that they are capable of tracing Monero transactions– CipherTrace . Back in 2019, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security contracted with CipherTrace for a total of $3.6 mil...

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One of cryptocurrency’s biggest selling points is that it is mostly beyond the reach of world governments, providing a universal option through which to avoid banks and fiat currencies entirely. This is not entirely true for all forms of crypto, however, and one of the most privacy-focused may have just been opened up to prying eyes. The intelligence firm CipherTrace is claiming that it has developed a tool that can trace Monero cryptocurrency transactions, and that it will be provided exclusively to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Is Monero privacy compromised? While cryptocurrency transactions are often thought of as anonymous and untraceable by laymen, this has never been entirely true. Security researchers have always had at least some ability to follow tracks given that blockchain transactions must be transparent for the system to function. Investigators can trace wallet addresses listed in these transactions, sometimes unmasking the owner when they make a mistake such...

Privacy and anonymity are the primary benefits of cryptocurrency, yet due to the transparent nature of blockchain technology, crypto transactions are not as anonymous as some may think. Rather, Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies are pseudonymous, as each transaction on a blockchain network is transparent, making it possible to trace wallet addresses back to their source. For example, cryptocurrency intelligence company CipherTrace is capable of tracing several hundred cryptocurrency transactions by analyzing wallet addresses, exchange information and smart contracts. John Jefferies, the chief financial analyst at CipherTrace, told Cointelegraph that the firm is currently capable of tracing over 800 cryptocurrencies to support investigations of crimes. This is extremely relevant, as recent findings show that cryptocurrency-related crimes during the first half of this year have already accounted for $1.4 billion worth in thefts, hack and fraud. Monero can now be traced? While B...

Tezos and Monero seemed to be caught in a downtrend from mid-August. However, while Tezos showed signs of continuing bearish momentum at press time, Monero might just have turned a corner by showing signals of bullishness. Dogecoin remains the Internet’s favorite memecoin, but traders and investors seem to have lost their interest in the asset. Dogecoin did not show signs of a major move on a longer time-frame. In the short-term, however, DOGE could reclaim a resistance level shortly. Tezos [XTZ] Source: XTZ/USD on TradingView Tezos has been unable to record a higher high since reaching its ATH on the charts at $4.47. Moreover, Tezos has been unable to even consolidate in the face of selling pressure. This has contributed to XTZ sliding past support after support. The Directional Movement Index underlined a strong bearish trend in the market, with the ADX (yellow) close to 40. Further, the – DMI (pink) was far above +DMI (blue), a sign of bears dominating the XTZ market. ...

According to Weiss Ratings, Monero may soon lose his throne against Zcash (ZEC). Cryptocurrency rating company Weiss Ratings said that privacy-focused cryptocurrency Monero (XMR) may lose its throne against another privacy-focused cryptocurrency. Stating that users who care about privacy have started learning Zcash and interest in cryptocurrency has increased, Weiss Rating stressed that there will be a big change soon. Zcash’s new Heartwood update may have triggered Monero’s loss. Thanks to the Heartwood update, all obstacles for the integration of third parties have been removed and a more solid privacy has been created. Can Pass Zcash Monero The halving event that will take place in Zcash in November can attract investors not only to privacy but also to investment in ZEC. It is known that one of the main features of cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin is privacy. However, thanks to increased tracking mechanisms, many Bitcoin transactions can be easily tracked by directing investors to ...

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, continues to dictate the price movements of most of the altcoin market. However, it would seem that its effect on the rest might just be waning. While Bitcoin did rise briefly before falling over the last few days, many such as Bitcoin Cash, Monero, and Dogecoin seemed to resist, which is why they didn’t fall as sharply as BTC. Bitcoin Cash [BCH] Source: BCH/USD on TradingView The popular Bitcoin fork was one of the quickest to recover from the losses it incurred in the aftermath of the Black Thursday market crash. However, BCH has failed to sustain that momentum since, with the crypto on a notable downtrend from June. However, at the time of writing, BCH seemed to have noted a trend reversal, with BCH climbing on the back of Bitcoin’s own gains and staying there. Priced at $238.35, BCH was noting gains of almost 7% over the last week, a sharp reversal in its price fortunes from the week before. The same was evidenced by the crypto...

Bitcoin has had a slew of crimes related to it in the past few years, that’s the price you pay for using a censorship-resistant universal cryptocurrency. But looking at the facets of what makes a criminal gravitate towards a particular form of payment, one can say that among cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin does not have all the best facets, yet it is the most widely used.  With specialized altcoins each satisfying a niche demand within the financial and technological space, the “general” king coin may not have the best specific features, but on an overall trend, it fares better. Consider the case of sextortion scams, a method of siphoning victims by threatening to leak ‘sensitive’ media, of the sexual variety, if a ransom in Bitcoin is not paid. Since Bitcoin addresses can be deciphered for each transaction, and subsequently traced, on the face of things, it might not be the cryptocurrency of choice, especially with the likes of privacy coins like Monero [XMR] and Zcash [ZEC] making t...

On June 24, security experts from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 warned about a new self-propagating malware that launches cryptojacking and DDoS attacks against Windows systems. The software operates under the name “Lucifer”. According to the study, Lucifer is a hybrid of cryptojacking and DDoS malware that leverages old vulnerabilities on the Windows platform. Vulnerabilities exploited After breaking the security infrastructure, attackers execute commands that release DDoS attacks. This allows them to install XMRig Miner, a well-known Monero (XMR) mining app, to launch cryptojacking attacks. Palo Alto Networks claims that a related Monero wallet has received 0.493527 XMR so far. That converts to approximately $32 as of press time. Preventing this “diabolical” attack The researches behind the study provided some recommendations to avoid Lucifer’s malware: “Applying the updates and patches to the affected software are strongly advised. The vulnerable software includes Rejetto HTT...

5 Things to Consider If You Want to Buy Monero As you plan your Monero investment, these are top considerations to have in mind: Carefully choose your preferred secure payment method What is preferred for one might not be so for another. In some countries, particular payment methods might be costlier, and in others, may be limited or even unavailable. In deciding your preferred secure payment method, you must be able to decide if it is fast and cost-effective enough to have as a viable option. Will you need to set up your own wallet? Digital currencies are configured uniquely, and they require purpose-built storage for safety and easy retrieval. Before you buy Monero, you need to assess if you will have access to a ready-to-use digital wallet. Now, before you run with the thought of how difficult that must be, there are free Monero wallets on trading platforms these days. So, you can make use of platform wallets. But are you buying to trade or hold? Further explanations on wallets...

Monero is one of the most popular privacy coins on the market. Here's how to use it. Key Takeaways Monero (XMR) is the largest privacy coin by market capitalization and users. Unlike Bitcoin, Monero transactions and balances are private by default. As a top-20 coin, Monero is listed on several major cryptocurrency exchanges. Share this article Monero is one of the most popular privacy coins in the crypto market. It’s easy to use XMR to make untraceable transactions—here’s how. Monero is untraceable. Unlike other blockchains, only holders of the cryptocurrency can see their transaction data and balances. Identifying information about other people transacting on the network is also obfuscated. These features ensure that analytics companies cannot track people who use the privacy coin, solving a problem that Bitcoin has fallen victim to in recent years. Buying XMR You can purchase Monero (XMR) on several major cryptocurrency exchanges. Popular exchanges with BTC/XM...

Monero (XMR) is the 16th leading crypto asset with a total market valuation of approx $1.1 billion, and over the last 24 hours, the token has increased more than 4 percent to become one of the best-performing cryptocurrencies out of total 20. XMR/USD is rising in value at $61.15 at the time of publication, bouncing back from the earlier two-day low of $52.48 reached on April 10 following massive sell-offs on the crypto-currency market. Monero closely mirrors progress in Bitcoin (BTC) with a daytime growth of 3.91 percent. BTC/USD grew from an initial price of $8,571 to $8,915 (current price) by 3.91 percent. Monero’s price bounces sharply in anticipation of post-halving market positions as investors concentrate on strengthening the bullish side following the initial frightening fall over the weekend. * Monero closely mirrors progress in Bitcoin (BTC) with daytime growth of 3.91 percent * XMR/USD is rising in value at $61.15 at the time of publication, bouncing back from the earli...

Yuri Molchan John McAfee again contends Bitcoin no longer leads the market, saying that it’s crazy that the value of every crypto coin is tied to Bitcoin’s value, particularly Monero Contents Monero is the ‘best-used’ coin ‘No-one accepts Bitcoin anymore’ Crypto baron John McAfee has taken to Twitter to remind the community of the fact that every altcoin, including those in the top-ten, is correlated with Bitcoin, following it up and down the price scale. McAfee, the former outstanding Bitcoin supporter, who bet his manhood on a $1 mln BTC price, now says that such correlation between the altcoins’ value and Bitcoin’s value is insane. In particular, he regrets that Monero, the most frequently used coin, as per McAfee, is also tied to Bitcoin. Monero is the ‘best-used’ coin The former antivirus mogul McAfee has a new favorite on the crypto market. Previously, it was Docademic (MTC) and Bitcoin. Now, it is the privacy coin Monero (XMR). McAfee states that ...

When Norwegian millionaire Tom Hagen reported that his wife had been kidnapped in October 2018, included was a ransom note demanding $10 million worth of the cryptocurrency Monero. Now, after Hagen’s arrest by local authorities on April 28 on suspicion for the murder of Anne-Elisabeth Hagen, it seems as if the ransom demand could have simply been a way to cover up the crime. The case has gripped the nation and Reuters reported on April 29 that Police Lawyer Aase Kjustad Eriksson told a news conference that, after an 18 month investigation, the police have now had “reason to suspect Tom Hagen of murder or conspiracy for murder”. He has not yet been charged with the crime. However, Police Inspector Tommy Broeske said: "there was no kidnapping, no real negotiating counterpart or real negotiations. There are indications of a will [sic] to sidetrack [the investigation].” Hagen’s lawyer said he denied any involvement. $10M Monero in ransom As one of the richest people in Norway, ...

Monero trades 1% higher on Monday as the majors struggle. The price has now stalled at the 50% Fibonacci level. XMR/USD daily chart Monero is trading around 1% higher on the first trading day of the week. XMR/USD is managing to hold above the psychological 60.00 level. At the moment the price is struggling at the 50% Fibonacci zone which confluences with the red horizontal resistance level. Looking at the RSI now the signal line is holding in the positive zone above the 50 mid-line. If this is to be a turning point then the black diagonal will need to be broken and the market might then find support at the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement zone.  Another bearish signal is the daily ranges they have dropped off dramatically recently as the daily candles are getting smaller and smaller. The volume has also been pretty thin which can be another sign the market is not interested in prices at these elevated levels. Additional levels

Monero, at the time of writing this analysis, was trading at $60.69 after an intraday bearish divergence drawn at $59.6 XMR/USD retains support from 50-day and 200-day MA at the current trading price and $57, respectively Over the past six days, Monero has marked a weekly high and low at $62.44 and $54.13, respectively However, the intraday still holds the hope of moderate recovery Monero exhibits a bearish outlook since yesterday’s trading session except the green candlestick, which spiked the price to a weekly high at $62 with a brief momentum. With a brief hit of intraday momentum, the price trend of XMR/USD breached above the upper 20-day Bollinger Band, while with today’s bearish start, it gradually plummeted below the lower band. Monero Price Analysis XMR/USD Chart By TradingView Just when we precisely look at the intraday price movement of Monero against the US Dollar, we see that the currency has been forming gradual and consecutive higher lows with almost a...

Monero trades over 2% higher on Friday but meets some resistance at the 50% Fib level. The market is still firmly in a bullish trend and might find support at the psychological 60.00 mark. XMR/USD daily chart Monero is still moving higher on Friday and trades up around 2% but the bulls have been halted in their tracks. The 50% Fibonacci retracement zone if often one of the strongest ones and it seems like the price has stalled right at the level. It is an interesting development as yesterday the price moved above the 200 simple moving average and the pair seemed very bullish.  Looking closer at some of the other indicators, the relative strength index indicator still has some space to move higher. The indicator is still firmly above the 50 mid-point in bullish territory and has a very clear upward angle. The volume at the bottom still looks very light and if you zoom in on some of the intraday charts the down candles seem to have more backing. Additional levels

ESET researchers discover, and play a key role in the disruption of, a 35,000-strong botnet spreading in Latin America via infected USB drives ESET researchers recently discovered a previously undocumented botnet that we have named VictoryGate. It has been active since at least May 2019 and, since then, three different variants of the initial module have been identified, in addition to approximately 10 secondary payloads that are downloaded from file hosting websites. The initial module is detected by ESET security products as MSIL/VictoryGate. This botnet is composed mainly of devices in Latin America, specifically Peru, where over 90% of the compromised devices are located. We’ve been actively sinkholing several command and control (C&C) domains, allowing us to monitor this botnet’s activity. The combination of the sinkhole data and our telemetry data allows us to estimate the botnet’s size to be at least 35,000 devices. To control its botnet, VictoryGate used only subdomain...