Bitcoin Core New Version: Soon to Include SegWit (Cryptovest.com)
In the next few days, the Bitcoin Core version 0.16.0 is set to launch. The new code will make the SegWit style transactions available for all users. At the moment, nothing is promised on the qualities of the network, or the fees. But SegWit transactions will move from being a voluntary feature available only for some services, to being included in the core version. The version was scheduled for October 2017, but the milestone is still 98% complete, and may launch soon. No official due date was given on GitHub. At the moment, only a pre-release build is available for testing.
Bitcoin Price Soars as US Threatens Cryptocurrency Laws – Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple Also Up as Crypto-Comeback Continues (Metro.co.uk)
The price of Bitcoin is still on the up today having shot up in value by almost half over the past week. One Bitcoin is now worth about $11,500, but seven days ago it was valued at just over $8,000. Litecoin has also increased in price by more than 50% in the last week to reach a new price of more than $240, with Ethereum recording a smaller increase to hit $950. Ripple enjoyed a smaller rise in price and is now sitting at $1.14. The continued crypto-bounceback comes as US lawmakers consider new rules or laws to govern the notoriously volatile digital money markets.
Pixabay/Public Domain
Venezuela’s Own Oil-backed Cryptocurrency is Available for Presale Today (TheVerge.com)
Venezuela launched the presale of its own cryptocurrency, the petro, today. There are currently 82 million tokens available, which the government plans to follow with an initial coin offering (ICO) launch in a month. It’s the world’s first sovereign cryptocurrency, built on the Ethereum blockchain and intended in part to save the country from wild inflation. The bolivar has reached quadruple-figure inflation recently, and one bolivar is currently worth 0.00004 USD.
Tesla’s Cloud Hacked, Used to Mine Cryptocurrency (Gizmodo.com)
Hackers infiltrated Tesla’s cloud environment and stole computer resources to mine for cryptocurrency, according to the security firm RedLock. According to a report released on Tuesday detailing cloud security threats, RedLock’s Cloud Security Intelligence team—yes, its CSI team—notified Tesla of the intrusion and the vulnerability was addressed. The electric vehicle company was reportedly running one of hundreds of open-source systems the CSI team found accessible online without password protection. The exposure allowed hackers to access Tesla’s Amazon cloud environment, RedLock said.
Cyber Attackers are Cashing in on Cryptocurrency Mining – But Here’s Why They’re Avoiding Bitcoin (ZDNet.com)
Cryptocurrency mining malware has emerged as a key methof of criminal hackers making money – so why aren’t they targeting the most valuable blockchain-based currency of them all? A quick glance at some of the key trends in cyber security during the first months of 2018 and its clear that cryptocurrency mining has become a new target for cyber criminals. While ransomware remains a popular method for some criminals to generate income, the cyptocurrency craze has caught the imagination of cyber attackers, with regular reports of cryptocurrency mining malware regularly surfacing. Everything from smartphones, to PCs and servers have been infiltrated by hackers, who exploit their processing power to secretly mine cryptocurrency; some schemes have been known to generate millions.
Announcing mCoin: The First Inclusive Cryptocurrency Accessible Outside the Domain of the Internet (CNBCAfrica.com)
Introducing mCoin (www.ONEm.com/mcoin), the first cryptocurrency accessible on any mobile. mCoin is a unique first of a kind inclusive cryptocurrency, that makes it possible for the 3 billion people around the world who don’t have access to the Internet to take advantage of new kinds of services tied to blockchain technology. mCoin is powered by ONEm’s (www.ONEm.com) Global and scalable Platform, which has the ability to reach billions of people around the world even through traditional mobile without the Internet.
Litecoin is Surging After ‘Litecoin Cash’ Forks (Business Insider)
Litecoin is up more than 9% Tuesday morning after the cryptocurrency’s first “hard fork” produced litecoin cash over the weekend. The split officially happened at litecoin block 1371111, processed at approximately 11 a.m. ET Sunday, at which time litecoin holders had the option to receive 10 of the new cryptocurrency for every 1 litecoin they already held. Since the fork, Litecoin has gained 12%, while the offshoot – which is not associated with the original litecoin in any way – has more than tripled, and was trading at $7.40 at the time of writing. Litecoin creator Charlie Lee has previously warned that any litecoin offshoots could be potential scams. “Any forks that you hear about is [sic] a scam trying to confuse you to think it’s related to litecoin,” he tweeted. “Don’t fall of it and definitely don’t enter your private keys or seed into their website or client.”
Dogecoin Can Help to Solve Ethereum Scaling Problems/Ethereum News Today (Smartereum.com)
Ethereum using Dogecoin to solve scaling problems: Dogecoin which was considered to be a joke cryptocurrency is actually now coming to the rescue of Ethereum. It is a known fact that Ethereum is facing a lot of scaling issues. Dogecoin is helping the Ethereum network test various different scaling methods. Ethereum testing Dogecoin: Dogecoin was sent to Testnet on February 5th. Ever since then, it has been an asset on blockchain. With the help of this transaction, interoperability can be achieved. Truebit has also been released with this change.
When will Western Union Complete its Ripple Tests? (Finder.com.au)
It might depend on Ripple. xRapid and xCurrent are very different animals. A lot of big names have moved beyond their testing stages and started using Ripple systems for live transactions recently, including LianLian International and Saudi Arabia’s central bank. But Western Union might be the biggest name of all, and so far its use of Ripple remains in the testing phase rather than live use. This is probably because Ripple’s xRapid and xCurrent systems are very different animals. To date, most of Ripple’s partners that have gone live with the system are using xCurrent, while Western Union is reportedly looking at xRapid instead.
Why Ripple (XRP) is the Most Resilient Altcoin of 2018 (OracleTimes.com)
Ripple (XRP) – The dog that keeps on fighting. The cryptocurrency market has seen its share of rises and falls in the last few weeks. From soaring highs to a major crash one month ago where cryptocurrencies lost $200 billion across the board. The crash was caused by fears that South Korea could ban altcoin trading. While major altcoins plummeted by as much as 45%, one cryptocurrency held its ground. Ripple trades by the symbol XRP and can be regarded as one of the most resilient altcoins today. During the massive crash, Ripple only dropped in value by 9% to $0.91.
Steven Seagal Goes All in on Pyramid Cryptocurrency ‘Bitcoiin’ as ‘Worldwide Ambassador’ (RawStory.com)
Far-right actor Steven Seagal is promoting a sketchy cryptocurrency called Bitcoiin 2Gen (with two “i”s). Gizmodo noticed Seagal tweet out a promotion for the company as it undergoes Initial Coin Offering (ICO) crowdsales. Seagal doesn’t clarify if he’s being paid by the company or has been given any of the currency for the tweet, but he’s signed on as the “worldwide ambassador.” The company describes itself as the place where people who missed out on Bitcoin can invest with “10x lower transaction costs.” Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission is cautioning investors against throwing their money into a potentially unlawful ICO. In November they specifically cited “celebrity-backed” ICOs.
XinFin Launches Enterprise-Grade Blockchain Platform (Smartereum.com)
XinFin is working on a hybrid blockchain with a focus on making security more robust. According to XinFin CTO Karan Bhardwaj, the transparency of the blockchain technology can also be used negatively to compromise the security of transactions. The hybrid blockchain would be known as XDC blockchain and would be highly useful for enterprise users as well. The blockchain would have two models – one that is public and another private. With the value of Bitcoin increasing by the day, companies have been paying a lot more attention to the technology behind Bitcoin which is the blockchain. Many of the investors actually consider Bitcoin as a lucrative investment even now.
