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Category Archives: Cryptocurrency

Follow the Crypto

“The cryptocurrency industry has been throwing money into politics unlike ever before, and that’s even after political donations from the industry skyrocketed in the 2022 election cycle. Despite the relatively small size of the industry, it has become one of the biggest spenders in the upcoming elections in the United States. Cryptocurrency companies have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to put towards buying crypto-friendly politicians and ousting those who have spoken up for stricter regulations to protect consumers in an industry that is fraught with hacks, scams, and fraud. Although parts of the industry have tried to portray this as a grassroots effort, the reality is that a very small number of crypto companies, and the billionaire executives and venture capitalists behind them, are spending millions with a singular goal: to obtain favorable crypto policy, no matter the cost. This website shines a much-needed spotlight on this spending, without the veneer of press releases in which these companies and executives still try to claim to be “apolitical” or “non-partisan”. Most of the money in the war chests amassed by cryptocurrency-focused PACs has yet to be deployed, and this project will give you a real-time view into where it’s being spent, by whom, and for whom. Join me in following the crypto…Follow the Crypto is a project by Molly White, an independent technology writer, researcher, and software engineer. She is also the force behind Web3 is Going Just Great, where she documents only some of the many disasters in the cryptocurrency and web3 industries. She writes about crypto and about technology much more broadly in the Citation Needed newsletter.”

Ransomware in the Digital Age: Multidisciplinary Legal Strategies for Minimizing Cryptocurrency Ransom Payments

Via May 2024 issue of LLRX – Ransomware in the Digital Age: Multidisciplinary Legal Strategies for Minimizing Cryptocurrency Ransom Payments: The year 2023 witnessed an unprecedented escalation in ransomware attacks, affecting users from homeowners to critical infrastructure like healthcare, education, and government. With over 5,200 reported incidents—a 74% increase from the previous year—ransomware has not… Continue Reading

New FTC Data Shed Light on Companies Most Frequently Impersonated by Scammers

FTC: “New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that Best Buy/Geek Squad, Amazon, and PayPal are the companies people report scammers impersonate most often. A newly released data spotlight shows that consumers in 2023 submitted about 52,000 reports about scammers impersonating Best Buy or its Geek Squad tech support brand, followed by about 34,000… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 18, 2024

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 18, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading

AI in Finance and Banking, May 15, 2024

Via LLRX – AI in Finance and Banking, May 15, 2024 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, industry white papers, academic papers and speeches on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources,… Continue Reading

What I wish I’d known before my smartphone was snatched

FT.com – unpaywalled: “Phone theft is rising at a rapid pace. And far more lucrative than the value of the handset, organised criminal gangs know that our smartphones have become the gateway to a vast amount of our personal financial information. They will go to incredible lengths to steal phones unlocked, deploying tactics including “shoulder… Continue Reading

Microsoft is changing how you log in to your accounts

Washington Post [unpaywalled]: “As passwords slowly go extinct, Microsoft is introducing another way to log in to your consumer account. The company said Thursday that users logging in to Microsoft 365 workplace software, Copilot, Xbox and Skype can now use “passkeys” rather than traditional passwords or an authenticator app. That means whatever biometric authentication (such… Continue Reading

The Continued Threat to Personal Data: Key Factors Behind the 2023 Increase

The Continued Threat to Personal Data: Key Factors Behind the 2023 Increase. Professor Stuart E. Madnick, Ph.D. December 2023: “Around the world, individuals’ most private, most personal data has become a target for cybercriminals. Attacks and data breaches across the globe continue to increase. Even as organizations work to fight back, cybercriminals are constantly finding… Continue Reading

British Library: Ongoing outage caused by ransomware attack

Bleeping Computer: “The British Library confirmed that a ransomware attack is behind a major outage that is still affecting services across several locations. Over 11 million visitors use the library’s website annually, with more than 16,000 people using its collections daily (onsite and online). Its collection includes over 150 million items archived on 625 kilometers… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 26, 2023

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 26, 2023 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 12, 2023

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 12, 2023 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading