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Vitalik Buterin Discloses His Cryptocurrency Holdings, Corporate Investments, and Other Potential Conflicts of Interest

Vitalik Buterin Discloses His Cryptocurrency Holdings, Corporate Investments, and Other Potential Conflicts of Interest

               

Vitalik Buterin, the founder and figurehead behind Ethereum,

recently disclosed his cryptocurrency holdings, corporate investments, and other compensation in an act of transparency, likely to disclose any potential conflicts of interest he might have.

Vitalik Buterin’s Cryptocurrency Holdings

On Feb. 19th, Vitalik Buterin disclosed his investments and compensation in a Reddit thread titled “AMA [ask me anything] about Ethereum Leadership and Accountability.” He responded with a breakdown of his investments and compensation. First, the majority of Buterin’s assets are, naturally, held in ether. Based on his primary wallet address, he holds at 350,000 ETH worth over $50 million at current prices.

That said, in a previous disclosure on Oct. 10th, 2018, on Twitter he stated “I also have some other addresses, but they’re quite small relatively speaking,” so his Ethereum holdings likely exceed the amount listed above. His non-Ethereum-related holdings are as follows: Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Zcash (ZEC), worth less than 10 percent of his total ETH holdings. His ERC20 and other Ethereum-related holdings are as follows: Kyber Network (KNC), Maker (MKR), OmiseGO (OMG), and Augur (REP), worth less than 10 percent of his ETH holdings.

Vitalik Buterin did not disclose a large number of airdrop tokens (similar to spam mail, these are coins given out to holders of certain cryptocurrencies as a marketing tool). Buterin’s tokens received via airdrop are worth more than $2,000 at current prices. Based on an Etherscan of Buterin’s main wallet, his OmiseGO holdings total $40,000 at current prices. In another wallet that is also likely Buterin’s, there are holdings of $693,000 in Maker, $625,000 in Augur (Reputation), another $25,000 in OmiseGO, $25,000 in Kyber Network, and $11,000 in Trustcoin. The addresses of Buterin’s wallets were not disclosed in the statement, so the real figures may differ.

Corporate Investments and Equity

Buterin also has “significant” corporate shareholdings in two corporations, Clearmatics and StarkWare. Clearmatics is a software and blockchain research and development company, stating that its

mission is to:

“Build peer-to-peer infrastructure for a machine-driven future that is resistant to the monopoly-making tendencies of network effects inherent in today’s client-server architectures.”

Based on information from Crunchbase, Clearmatics was founded by Robert Sams and Vitalik Buterin and raised funding of $13.3 million. Understandably, the company has close ties to the Ethereum Foundation and is a member of the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance.

StarkWare Industries Ltd. is a software company that is attempting to solve the scalability and privacy issues around blockchains, which are “inherent problems,” according to the startup. The company raised $36 million according to Crunchbase. Buterin did not disclose the exact amounts invested, nor is it clear how much equity he holds in either company.

Other Compensation and Potential Conflicts of Interest

Buterin also mentioned that he receives a salary from the Ethereum Foundation. He did not state his current salary, but in 2016 he commented that he was receiving $150,000 per year. That said, this number could have changed since then. Finally, Buterin talked about his “non-financial” interests, including “friends in the ecosystem” represented by the previously mentioned projects and cryptocurrencies as well as ecosystem organizations including L4, Plasma Group, EthGlobal, EDCON, and some professional “cryptography and economics circles.” Overall, Buterin supports greater transparency from other projects and leaders in the Ethereum community,

stating:

“I’d definitely support more people actively involved in protocol decision-making making such statements!”

These comments by Vitalik Buterin iterate his commitment to transparency and his conviction towards building the Ethereum ecosystem. Hopefully, other ICOs and blockchain projects will follow his example.

Article Produced By

Mitchell Moos
Editorial Manager at CryptoSlate

The author of this article is invested and/or has an interest in one or more assets discussed in this post. Mitchell is a software enthusiast and entrepreneur. In addition to writing, he runs a non-profit that teaches people about the blockchain. In his spare time he loves playing chess or hiking.

https://cryptoslate.com/vitalik-buterin-discloses-his-cryptocurrency-holdings-corporate-investments-and-other-potential-conflicts-of-interest/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom to Build Blockchain Identity Platform

SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom to Build Blockchain Identity Platform

             

South Korea's largest wireless carrier, SK Telecom (SKT),

is partnering with the world’s fifth largest telecoms firm, Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, to develop a blockchain-based mobile identification solution. The news was reported in a press release from SKT on Feb. 21. A Memorandum of Understanding between the two firms is to be formalized during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019, which kicks off on Feb. 25 in Barcelona, Spain.

The collaboration will see SKT and Deutsche Telekom’s R&D unit, T-Labs, develop a commercialized, blockchain-powered mobile identity solution that can be used for applications such as access control, dealings and contracts. SKT told local news outlet The Korea Times that it believes blockchain-based digital identification will significantly streamline and secure the process of verifying personal data. Oh Se-hyun, who heads SKT’s blockchain unit,

noted:

"Mobile blockchain identification can be utilized in a variety of areas including logins both online and in offices. Beginning with the latest collaboration, we will further spur the innovation of information and communications technologies."

SKT has outlined that many existing e-commerce and other web-based interactions require users to disclose personal data — such as their date of birth and phone number — whose circulation subsequently escapes their control.

In an encrypted blockchain system, such disclosure would be unnecessary, thereby offering more autonomous and secure management of sensitive information. SKT told reporters that blockchain-powered identification solutions could ultimately replaced government documents, including passports. Set to demonstrate their joint solution during MWC 2019, the Korean and German firms have said they expect travelers from both countries will face less friction confirming their identities by using the new system.

As reported, Deutsche Telekom has recently joined the Linux Foundation’s open source blockchain project Hyperledger, used by many enterprise-focused firms, such as IBM. SKT, for its part, has previously participated in the blockchain economy by backing Korean crypto exchange Upbit, as well as launching a blockchain-based asset management service and blockchain startup support platform in April 2018.

Article Produced By
Marie Huillet

Marie Huillet is an independent filmmaker, with a background in journalism and publishing. Nomadic by nature, she’s lived in five different countries this decade. She’s fascinated by Blockchain technologies’ potential to reshape all aspects of our lives.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/sk-telecom-deutsche-telekom-to-build-blockchain-identity-platform

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Ohio County Auditors to Explore Blockchain-Based Real Estate System

Ohio County Auditors to Explore Blockchain-Based Real Estate System

             

The County Auditors’ Association of Ohio (CAAO)

has announced the formation of a working group to study the use of blockchain for the effective transfer of property deeds. The news was reported on Feb. 21 by Ohio-based blockchain startup SafeChain — the technical advisor for the multi-county initiative.

The association’s collaborative effort will reportedly test the use of blockchain technology to bring efficiency gains to the execution and management of real estate transactions and the transfer of land titles across multiple counties. Their ongoing projects will be reportedly be reviewed by SafeChain member Tony Franco as they work to set goals and establish operating principle for the technology’s prospective use. CAAO, chaired by Warren County Auditor Matt Nolan, comprises thirteen Ohio county auditors, whose role as public officials includes oversight of the financial books and records of all county officers, as well as administering their respective counties’ budgets.

CAAO chair, Matt Nolan, was quoted in the press release as saying:

“We have a committed group […] to enhance technology and improve government operations to the benefit of the taxpayer. CAAO has set an extremely high standard for getting involved in technology projects due to the need to recognize its members’ diverse needs; this makes the formation of this working group particularly noteworthy.”

To press time, members of the CAAO have not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment on the development. As previously reported, the state of Ohio has made a bid to position itself at the fore of blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption, becoming the reported first state to accept Bitcoin (BTC) for tax payments in November 2018. In December, a total of seven Ohio funds pledged to invest over $300 million into blockchain startups through 2021.

Earlier in 2018, Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Ryan Smith convened a group of lawmakers, industry and academic figures to discuss positioning the state as a pro-innovation hub for blockchain. Alongside SafeChain, a gamut of startups are developing blockchain-powered real estate solutions, including the platform RealBlocks, which closed a $3.1 million seed funding round backed by digital assets manager Morgan Creek Digital this January.

Article Produced By
Marie Huillet

Marie Huillet is an independent filmmaker, with a background in journalism and publishing. Nomadic by nature, she’s lived in five different countries this decade. She’s fascinated by Blockchain technologies’ potential to reshape all aspects of our lives.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/ohio-county-auditors-to-explore-blockchain-based-real-estate-system

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Blockchain4Humanity Awards for Social Applications to be Unveiled at Labitconf Conference 2018

Blockchain4Humanity Awards for Social Applications to be Unveiled at Labitconf Conference 2018

               

Blockchain4Humanity, Blockchain4Goodrocks,

Bitcoin ONG Argentina, and RSK are teaming up to create a safe environment for projects to innovate and bring solutions that contribute to a positive change in the world. Social Impact projects restore trust in the Blockchain technology’s potential to significantly change the way we interact with each other and the world around us.

Blockchain4Humanity (B4H) strives for a world where the inequality gap is minimized, where business models bring positive change in people’s lives, and where an inclusive economy flourishes. Unfortunately, looking at the world as it is now, social impact projects are few and sporadic. Last year, the Blockchain4Humanity Awards were born at the renowned South-American Bitcoin Conference: Labitconf. Initially conceptualized by RSK and Bitcoin Argentina, it was decided to support the teams using Blockchain technology to shape a better world. b4H gives them the opportunity to accelerate their ideas and concepts, and bring us closer to this ideal world.

B4H seeks strong teams that can make good use of blockchain for social good, certain that the results could be groundbreaking. For example, the 2017 Blockchain4Humanity Awards unveiled the awesome work of EthicHub platform, which makes lending accessible to thousands of coffee producers while increasing returns to the lender. Modeling high social impact while offering an attractive return to the platform participants, EthicHub is an example of projects that b4H wishes to accelerate and support the mainstream adoption.

The whole b4H family is excited to receive applications and continuous to encourage great projects to come forward for the Blockchain4Humanity Awards, that will be presented by NGO Bitcoin Argentina and RSK in December 2018 at Labitconf Conference in Santiago de Chile.  After last year’s awards were released, the Blockchain4Humanity team, collaborators and partners made 2018 the year of defining and exploring all possibilities to create a decentralized accelerator that propels promising projects. Now with a strong network of partners, and the joining of Temco Labs as sponsors, the awards and the acceleration programs have enough fuel to start for this second edition.

Next wave of promising projects is coming as applications are now open via a simple online form at b4h.world until the 15th of November. Selected projects will be onboarded on the b4H Decentralized Altruistic Community (DAC) on the Giveth platform. The b4H DAC will ensure projects will be coached and mentored on all aspects that lead to the healthy delivery of a product.

Article Produced By
Bob Keith

Chronic crypto nut and freelance writer/editor for longer than I care to remember. Have finally found a home here at Crypto Disrupt.

https://cryptodisrupt.com/blockchain4humanity-awards-for-social-applications-to-be-unveiled-at-labitconf-conference-2018/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

FBI Outline Key Features of Scam ICOs, Warns Investors to Be Vigilant

FBI Outline Key Features of Scam ICOs, Warns Investors to Be Vigilant

                

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

has outlined what it believes to be the consistent threads running through fraudulent initial coin offering (ICO) schemes. The Bureau’s perspective was shared in an interview with Netherlands-based financial news site the Paypers on Feb. 19. According to the FBI, the key strategies of scam offerings include misrepresentations of their directors’ professional experience, an engineered false impression of how much traction the ICO has garnered in the industry, and unrealistic promises of prospective

returns on tokens:

“Like any investment product, rates of return can never be guaranteed and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

The FBI warned investors to conduct due diligence on any scheme and the individuals behind it, and to be on the lookout for entities that appear to be exclusively internet-based, where a physical address or contact is hard or impossible to come by. The Bureau also suggested investors should be aware of which jurisdiction the offering is registered in — if at all — and to which laws and regulations it therefore falls subject to.   

The public can avail itself of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s BrokerCheck system to verify the identities and registration status of entities, the FBI advised. Given that even well-known cryptocurrencies and products may carry heightened risks of volatility due to the nascent stature of the industry, the FBI advised prospective investors to only invest what they can afford to lose.

In regard to legitimate business operators of platforms such as virtual currency exchanges or cryptocurrency ATMs, the FBI noted that both the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and multiple Federal District Courts have deemed such entities as subject to registration requirements. Failure to duly register is thus reportedly deemed to be in violation of federal money transmitting laws.

Looking ahead to the future, the FBI echoed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s stance that a vast swathe of token offerings should be classified as securities and that, given the increasing proliferation of such assets — with many industry members anticipating a security token offering trend — investors should be wary of the heightened risks of fraud. As previously reported, the FBI accounted for the highest number of law enforcement information requests sent to Erik Voorhees’ Switzerland-based cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift last year.

In June 2018, the Bureau revealed it had 130 ongoing crypto-related cases, with dark web drug sales a particular concern. It nonetheless characterized the sector as accounting for merely “a small sliver” of the FBI’s activities overall. Last year, the SEC attempted to educate investors by creating a mock ICO website that lured visitors with a “too good to be true investment opportunity.” The site employed the red flags the agency claimed to have identified in the majority of fraudulent ICOs, and redirected those who attempted to purchase the ersatz tokens to an educationally-oriented page on the SEC’s site.

Article Produced By
Marie Huillet

Marie Huillet is an independent filmmaker, with a background in journalism and publishing. Nomadic by nature, she’s lived in five different countries this decade. She’s fascinated by Blockchain technologies’ potential to reshape all aspects of our lives.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereums-vitalik-buterin-discloses-non-eth-crypto-holdings-and-other-revenue-sources

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Markets Hit Six Week High as Altcoin Rally Adds Another $10 Billion

Markets Hit Six Week High as Altcoin Rally Adds Another $10 Billion

Yesterday’s crypto market rally has continued for a second day adding a further $10 billion to total market capitalization.

The push has driven markets over $134 billion which is the highest they have been since the big dump on January 10, almost six weeks ago. Around ten days ago crypto markets were depressed at $111 billion, since then they have recovered around 20% to current levels. The big question is can this rally turn into a longer term uptrend or is another mega dump imminent.

Ethereum initiated the run yesterday when it pumped 12%, outperforming most of the top altcoins, and Bitcoin itself. Today’s big performer is EOS which has jumped 24% to $3.60 at the time of writing. EOS hit a high of $3.79 a few hours ago which is its best price since late-November’s big market purge. Daily volume has surged to over $2.3 billion pushing EOS market cap to $3.25 billion taking fourth place back from Litecoin. There does not appear to be anything specific driving EOS at the moment aside from fear of missing out (fomo) so a pullback is expected.

Bitcoin Cash has had another solid day’s performance as it gains 13% taking it to $147, chasing down LTC just above it with a climb of 7% to $47.50. Ethereum has also made a further 7% on the day taking its price up to $147 and pushing it over $2 billion clear of XRP in terms of market cap.

Bitcoin is approaching heavy resistance at $4,000 but it is still climbing at the moment with a 5% gain on the day to a high of $3,970 a few hours ago. BTC has since pulled back to $3,920 where it is holding for now.

Other top performers are altcoins which have been hit the hardest in recent weeks namely Cardano, IOTA, Dash, and Ethereum Classic, all climbing 6 to 8 percent on the day. At the moment it is the altcoins which are enjoying the biggest gains over the past 48 hours. Some analysts have predicted the beginning of the “altseason” by looking at total market cap for them without Bitcoin. It has just broken the yearlong trend line and Bitcoin dominance is falling back towards 50%.

At the moment things are looking positive for the majority of altcoins and for once Bitcoin is playing catch-up. It is a pattern repeated countless times though and big brother BTC will have its day sooner or later.

 

Luke Thompson February 19, 2019

 

Markets Hit Six Week High as Altcoin Rally Adds Another $10 Billion

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

IBM Launches Blockchain Platform on Cloud Service in Melbourne

IBM Launches Blockchain Platform on Cloud Service in Melbourne

                

IBM has released its blockchain main net

out of its data center located in Melbourne, Australia. This will purportedly allow their customers to run their applications on the company's cloud, according to an article published on news outlet ZDNet on Feb 11. The IBM platform was built on Hyperledger Fabric. Hyperledger is a project that aims to improve cross-industry blockchain technologies that is hosted by the Linux Foundation.

A Sydney-based IBM data center is reportedly set to open at the end of March, joining the other centers in Tokyo, London, Dallas, São Paulo, and Toronto. The head of blockchain for IBM in Australia and New Zealand, Rupert Colchester, told ZDNet that a second center would make the technology more widely available and provide a redundancy. Additionally, with the establishment of physical infrastructure, customer data will not have to cross borders, and would provide security for regulated applications in government and financial services. Colchester said, “Customers who are deploying blockchain applications have reached a maturity of projects that requires the data to be stored in Australia."

Colchester added that blockchain technology is widely applied and is “pretty much active” across all industries in Australia. He said, “I do very few education sessions nowadays, but there is a lot of discussion whereby clients are trying to understand how best they can apply it to the business problems they have." In September of last year, Australian real estate major Vicinity announced it will trial a blockchain solution for its energy network. Through a partnership with Australian energy tech company Power Ledger, the trial became a part of Vicinity’s $75 million solar energy program in Castle Plaza — a mall located in Adelaide, South Australia.

IBM has been actively expanding its use of blockchain technology. On Jan 31, IBM completed a blockchain-based trial in which it shipped 108,000 mandarin oranges from China to Singapore. The technology purportedly reduced paperwork handling and costs for the shipment, On Feb. 8, IBM announced that a project using blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) to combat drought in the United States state of California is underway. IBM Research and sensor tech provider SweetSense partnered with the University of Colorado Boulder and the non-profit Freshwater Trust to use blockchain and IoT to manage the use of groundwater.

Article Produced By
Miranda Karanfili

Miranda is a journalist based out of New York City. She is a dedicated writer, passionate about storyelling and making voices heard through her writing. She has joined Cointelegraph as a News Editor.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-hovers-near-3-630-as-top-cryptos-see-minor-losses

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

China: New Guidance to Implement Blockchain in Agriculture Finance Sector

China: New Guidance to Implement Blockchain in Agriculture Finance Sector

              China: New Guidance to Implement Blockchain in Agriculture Finance Sector

The Chinese government has issued

the “Guiding Opinions on Rural Service Revitalization of Financial Services,” according to an official announcement on Feb. 11. The new framework is part of a plan to improve the efficiency of financial services for the country’s rural revitalization program.

The guidance will purportedly help promote the application of new technologies in the rural financial sector, such as blockchain, to “improve the identification, monitoring, early warning, and disposal levels of agricultural credit risks.” The Guiding Opinions were jointly issued by the People's Bank of China, the Banking Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Applying blockchain in agriculture finance will purportedly streamline the collection and sharing of of agricultural data. Blockchain-based customer screening is expected to improve the credit evaluation model of agricultural businesses, increasing the number of loans issued while decreasing risk to creditors. The announcement also predicts that new technologies will encourage financial institutions to “develop exclusive loans products and small payment settlement functions for rural e-commerce and to open up a rural e-commerce capital chain.”

China’s foray to apply blockchain in various industries also extends to copyright protection services in their media outlets. In December 2018, the China Financial Media Copyright Protection Alliance — which consists of more than 30 financial media outlets — announced that it will use blockchain technology to develop copyright cooperation in the industry. Overall, China is a world leader in applying blockchain technology to various industries. In 2017, China filed more patents for blockchain applications with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) than any other country. Well over half of the 406 patents filed with the WIPO that year were from China, with 225. China was followed by the United States, at 91, and Australia, with 13.

Article Produced By
Miranda Karanfili

Miranda is a journalist based out of New York City. She is a dedicated writer, passionate about storyelling and making voices heard through her writing. She has joined Cointelegraph as a News Editor.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/china-new-guidance-to-implement-blockchain-in-agriculture-finance-sector

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

ErisX to CFTC: Regulated ETH Futures Would Result in More Robust, Liquid Market

ErisX to CFTC: Regulated ETH Futures Would Result in More Robust, Liquid Market

               

Chicago-based crypto exchange ErisX

has filed a comment letter with the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in response to the agency’s request for feedback on Ethereum (ETH)’s mechanics and market. The letter, submitted on Feb. 15, sets forth the exchange’s belief that “the introduction of a regulated futures contract on Ether would have a positive impact on the growth and maturation of the market.” As reported, ErisX is a reboot of traditional futures market Eris Exchange, and is expected to begin support for spot trading in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum and Litecoin (LTC), as well as futures contracts, in the second half of 2019, pending regulatory’ approval.

The letter argues that “listing and trading Ether futures compliantly on CFTC regulated markets is consistent” with the CFTC’s efforts to foster “open, transparent, competitive, and financially sound derivative trading markets [and] to prohibit fraud, manipulation, and abusive practices in connection with derivatives and other products subject to the [Commodity Exchange Act] CEA.” The CFTC has long determined that Bitcoin is a commodity, given that it aspires to replace sovereign currencies — rather than a security, which would bring it under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s charge. After significant debate, Ether too was cleared of a securities classification in June 2018.

In its letter, ErisX outlines the conceptual distinction between Ethereum and its predecessor, noting that “Ethereum built upon some of the architectural principles of Bitcoin to extend [its] functionality of [a] distributed, (crypto-economically) secured, (blockchain-based) record-keeping system to include new computational capabilities for the execution of arbitrary code.”

In its diagnosis of the current state of the Ethereum market, the exchange affirms its view that a lack of regulatory clarity has prevented regulated enterprises from entering the sector, resulting in a preponderance of “unregulated or lightly regulated ‘exchanges’ [and] ‘brokers’ [emerging] to fill the gap, many of them off-shore.” The associated risks — including price volatility and liquidity fluctuations —

are therefore:

“Not unique to Ether, but [may be exacerbated by] the current fragmented global market structure of trading platforms and ‘exchanges’ with significantly varying degrees of regulatory oversight and operational transparency and integrity.”

ErisX thus contends that standardized, CFTC-regulated ETH products would draw broader participation from institutional actors and commercial users, resulting in “more robust, liquid, and resilient markets,” better risk management and more efficient, accurate price discovery. As reported, ErisX has this month appointed three veterans from Barclays, YouYube and the Chicago Board Options Exchange to fill executive roles, having announced the appointment of ConsenSys’ Joseph Lubin to its board of directors in January.

Article Produced By
Marie Huillet

Marie Huillet is an independent filmmaker, with a background in journalism and publishing. Nomadic by nature, she’s lived in five different countries this decade. She’s fascinated by Blockchain technologies’ potential to reshape all aspects of our lives.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/erisx-to-cftc-regulated-eth-futures-would-result-in-more-robust-liquid-market

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Detected Cryptojacking Prompts Microsoft to Remove Eight Free Apps from Microsoft Store

Detected Cryptojacking Prompts Microsoft to Remove Eight Free Apps from Microsoft Store

            

United States-based software corporation Microsoft

has removed eight Windows 10 applications from its official app store after cybersecurity firm Symantec identified the presence of surreptitious Monero (XMR) coin mining code. The news was reported by Symantec on Feb. 15.

Stealth crypto mining — also know as cryptojacking – works by installing malware that uses a computer’s processing power to mine for cryptocurrencies without the owner’s consent or knowledge. According to Symantec, the firm first detected malicious XMR mining code within eight apps — issued by three developers — on Jan. 17. After Symantec alerted Microsoft, the corporation is reported to have removed all eight products — although an exact date for their delisting is not provided.

The applications — which were marketed as part of the top free app listings on the Microsoft Store — reportedly included “a computer and battery optimization tutorial, internet search, web browsers, and video viewing and download,” and were issued by developers “DigiDream, 1clean and Findoo.” Upon closer investigation, Symantec has proposed that all eight apps have in fact likely been developed by the same person or group, rather than by three distinct entities.  

All the detected samples reportedly run on Windows 10, including Windows 10 S Mode, and were variously published between April and December 2018. They reportedly work by triggering Google Tag Manager in their domain servers to fetch a coin-mining JavaScript library. Once the mining script is activated, the target’s computer CPU cycle is hijacked to mine XMR for the app developers.

Symantec representatives told technology news website ZDNet that this is the first time cryptojacking cases have been found on the Microsoft store. The apps’ stealth success reportedly stems from the fact they run independently from the browser in a standalone (WWAHost.exe process) window. Moreover, they have “no throttling which means [they can use] up 100% of user's CPU time.”

As Synmantec notes, while the suspect apps all provided privacy policies, they unanimously omitted any mention of cryptocurrency mining. The firm’s analysis identified the strain of mining malware enclosed in the apps as being the web browser-based Coinhive XMR mining code. Symantec says it has not been able to determine precise download or installation statistics, but observes that the apps received almost 1,900 ratings — whether or not these accurately reflect real users, or fraudulent bots, is difficult to ascertain.

Aside from Microsoft’s action to delist the apps, the mining JavaScript has also reportedly been removed from Google Tag Manager, following Symantec’s alert. As reported, recent research from cyber security research firm Kaspersky Lab has revealed that cryptojacking overtook ransomware as the biggest cybersecurity threat —  particularly in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

Article Produced By
Marie Huillet

Marie Huillet is an independent filmmaker, with a background in journalism and publishing. Nomadic by nature, she’s lived in five different countries this decade. She’s fascinated by Blockchain technologies’ potential to reshape all aspects of our lives.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/detected-cryptojacking-prompts-microsoft-to-remove-eight-free-apps-from-microsoft-store

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden