Technology news-Page 32
Bitcoin without internet: SMS service allows sending BTC with a text
An innovation using the cellular network (GSM) could onboard millions of Bitcoin (BTC) users previously unreachable by the internet-dependent Bitcoin protocol. Built by South African developer Kgothatso Ngako, the new SMS-based service is named Machankura, a slang South African word for money. KG, as he’s known to his friends, spoke to Cointelegraph from Pretoria, South Africa, about his fascination with Bitcoin and the hope he has that sending it like a text will bring BTC to millions of Africans. Machankura, the #Bitcoin for feature phones service in Africa, is slowly growing. https://t.co/TZngXXVhu0 — Derek Ross ⚡5️⃣ (@derekmross) August 8, 2022 …
Adoption / Aug. 10, 2022
What is a trading journal? And how to use one
Monitoring price changes using charts is one way to stay updated on the market trends. However, technical or fundamental analyses and tracking other market metrics are not the only means of becoming a successful trader. For example, a disciplined approach that includes maintaining a trading journal would protect you from making emotional decisions concerning your financial investments. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of a trading journal and how to create and use it. What is a trading journal? A trading journal records your trades and their outcomes and gives a summary of your trading experience. However, it …
Adoption / Aug. 10, 2022
BREAKING: Curve Finance team warns users to avoid using site until further notice
On Aug 9, automated market maker Curve Finance took to Twitter to warn users of an ongoing exploit on its site. The team behind the protocol noted that the issue, which appears to be an attack from a malicious actor, is affecting the service’s nameserver and frontend. Don't use https://t.co/vOeMYOTq0l site - nameserver is compromised. Investigation is ongoing: likely the NS itself has a problem — Curve Finance (@CurveFinance) August 9, 2022 Curve stated via Twitter that its exchange — which is a separate product — appeared to be unaffected by the attack, as it uses a different DNS provider. …
Decentralization / Aug. 9, 2022
Circle plans to only support Ethereum PoS chain after merge is complete
On Tuesday, Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, pledged its full support for the transition of Ethereum to a proof-of-stake, or PoS, blockchain after the much-anticipated Merge upgrade. The firm views The Merge as an important milestone in the scaling of the Ethereum ecosystem, writing: "USDC has become a core building block for Ethereum DeFi innovation. It has facilitated the adoption of L2 solutions and helped broaden the set of use cases that today rely on Ethereum's vast suite of capabilities. We understand our responsibility for the Ethereum ecosystem and businesses, developers, and end users that depend on USDC, …
Technology / Aug. 9, 2022
'IBC is a serious alternative for secure cross-chain communication,' says Sunny Aggarwal of Osmosis
On August 2, the Nomad token bridge became yet another victim of cross-chain hacking after the protocol suffered a $190 million exploit. Joining a list of casualties alongside Axie Infinity’s Ronin Bridge and Solana’s Wormhole, many industry experts have cast doubt on the future of cross-chain technologies. However, not all cross-chain toolkits have thus far been exploited. Regarding this matter, Cointelegraph spoke with Osmosis’ co-founder Sunny Aggarwal. Osmosis is one of the most popular decentralized exchanges, or DEXs, on the Cosmos hub with $120 million in total value locked. Here’s what Aggarwal had to say regarding Cosmos’ namesake inter-blockchain communications …
Technology / Aug. 9, 2022
Blockchain and NFTs are changing the publishing industry
Web3 has become the most sought-after investment sector of 2022, as use cases for nonfungible tokens (NFTs), the Metaverse and other blockchain applications come to fruition. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that different segments of the publishing industry have begun to use Web3 technologies to transform traditional models. For example, the textbook publishing giant Pearson recently announced plans to use NFTs to track digital textbook sales to capture revenue lost on the secondary market. Time magazine, which was founded 99 years ago, has also been using NFTs to create new revenue streams, along with a sense of community …
Decentralization / Aug. 9, 2022
Trend Micro calls out vulnerabilities in metaverse security development
In a new report published by American-Japanese cybersecurity company Trend Micro, the firm says that the metaverse possesses increasing vulnerabilities that could materialize within the next three to five years. As told by Trend Micro, the top threats to the realm, mainly from a regulatory standpoint, include NFT security concerns, the development of a "Darkverse" similar to the dark web, financial fraud, privacy concerns, physical threats, AR threats, social engineering, and traditional IT attacks. With regards to NFTs, Trend Micro specifically wrote: "NFT ownership is verified using blockchains, which are susceptible to blockchain hijacking attacks. NFTs that rely on smaller …
Technology / Aug. 8, 2022
Circle freezes blacklisted Tornado Cash smart contract addresses
According to crypto data aggregator Dune Analytics, on Monday, Circle, the issuer of the USD Coin stablecoin (USDC), froze over 75,000 USDC worth of funds linked to the 44 Tornado Cash addresses sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control's (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list. Tornado Cash is a decentralized application, or dApp, used to obfuscate the trail of previous cryptocurrency transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. All U.S. persons and entities are prohibited from interacting with the virtual currency mixer's USDC and Ethereum smart contract addresses on the SDN list. Penalties for willful noncompliance can …
Technology / Aug. 8, 2022
White hat hackers have returned $32.6M worth of tokens to Nomad bridge
Mere hours after the Nomad token bridge published an Ethereum wallet address last week for the return of funds following a $190 million hack, whitehat hackers have since returned approximately $32.6 million worth of funds. The vast majority of funds consisted of stablecoins USD Coin (USDC), Tether (USDT) and Frax, along with altcoins. According to research published by Paul Hoffman of BestBrokers, the vulnerability of the Nomad protocol was highlighted in Nomad's recent audit by Quantstamp on June 6 and was deemed "Low Risk." As soon as the exploit was discovered, members of the public joined the attack by copy-pasting …
Technology / Aug. 8, 2022
Ethereum Name Service founder reflects as 2 million registration mark nears
The proliferation of the internet brought the world to the fingertips of users, and with it came a rush to register domains on the nascent network. Businesses like Amazon were born on the internet, while many others took their real-life business online by registering a website. Domain names remain an integral part of the internet, acting as the flagpole of the biggest brands, companies, institutions and individuals. But, the advent of blockchain technology and Web3 has ushered in a new paradigm for domain name hosting. That is where things got interesting. Savvy tech sleuths realized that there was tangible value …
Technology / Aug. 8, 2022
What is Chainlink VRF and how does it work?
Blockchain technology has spawned many applications over the past few years, the most popular being cryptocurrencies. It has also facilitated the creation of many decentralized, secure and transparent marketplaces in the digital economy. Offering far more trust since all transactions are immutably recorded on the blockchain, this technology has been well supplemented by the smart contract feature popularized by Ethereum. Decentralized applications (DApps) based on blockchains like Ethereum are disrupting traditional businesses such as retail banking and are even introducing use cases never deemed possible. Expanding the capability of smart contracts with oracles However, for the Ethereum blockchain to support …
Technology / Aug. 7, 2022
The creator economy: How we arrived there, and why we need its Web3 upgrade
Does the term “creator economy” make you think of some idealistic environment where creativity, authenticity and passion are key values? Where true Michelangelos and da Vincis drive progress through their talents without struggling for food and proving themselves all their lives to get a chance to be recognized posthumously? If so, I’m with you. Though creativity has existed as long as humanity, we started to discuss it as the new economic paradigm not so long ago. What’s more, now we even talk about it in the Web3 dimension. To better understand what it is, first, let’s walk through the backstory …
Adoption / July 16, 2022