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Qntra - Herald Of The Most Serene Republic |
F-Secure reports that a new piece of ransomware named OphionLocker is being distributed via ad networks. First spotted by Trojan7Malware, OphionLocker encrypts a user's files before demanding a ransom of 1 BTC and directing them to smu743glzfrxsqcl.onion via tor2web.org for further instructions.
Once infected, OphionLocker prompts users with a warning which states: Continue reading
The threat of ransomware as the dominant means by much malware peddlers can extract a quick profit has slowly been growing ever since Bitcoin surpassed the per ounce price of silver in early 2013. Seeing as ransomware has become such a main stream phenomenon that it has reached a New York Post advice column it's high time Qntra has offered some advice on avoiding the pains that ransomware can inflict. Here's a few measures you can take: Continue reading
Ford Motor Company have released the 2015 version of their "Looking Further with Ford" publication which looks at future trends. Put together by Sheryl Connelly of Global Consumer Trends and Futuring at Ford, she cites Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Bitcoin as a trend for 2015 and beyond. Connelly writes: Continue reading
The Kansas City Business Journal is reporting that the judge in the Federal Trade Commission's case is allowing Butterfly Labs to continue business operations under court supervision. From the court order of Judge Brian Wimes:
"Plaintiff fails to show any continuing violation of the alleged misconduct. Plaintiff argues defendants' past conduct suggests they are likely to return to this business model and related representations in the future. But, as previously discussed, the court disagrees."
Butterfly Labs will be required to submit monthly reports to the court outlining progress in shipping products, processing refunds, and improving corporate governance. Other litigation against Butterfly Labs continues including cases in both Missouri and Kansas.
Vice Motherboard is alleging that the account used by the FBI inflitrator into the Silk Road 2.0 was named 'Cirrus', and that the user had notably at one point been a staff member of the original Silk Road. This conclusion was reached through a process of elimination. Vice also reports that some people involved in Darknet markets had suspicions about this user for some time.
Florida Judge Fleur Lobree dismissed Pascal Reed's motion to drop illegal money transfer charges in an case relating to him selling roughly $25,000 worth of Bitcoin to a Secret Service agent in a sting last winter. Reed's lawyer argued that as merely a token of value applying Florida's money transmission laws to individuals as opposed to corporations would set a horrifying precedent:
"The statute was intended for the exchange of money for money, If you extend it to anything of value, then any customer using a credit card to buy something, anyone holding a yard sale and accepting cash, is a money transferer."
According to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle two other people were arrested as a result of this sting targeting "individuals engaged in high volume Bitcoin activity."
If you didn't hear the first time, the CFTC has restated its authority over virtual currencies such as Bitcoin including futures and swap contracts. The claimant of this authority, Chairman of the CFTC Timothy Massad, made such comments when he appeared before the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Massad's claim relies upon the Commodity Exchange Act's broad definition of what a commodity is. Continue reading
As John D Powell took a plea deal and plead guilty to two charges of operating an unlicensed money service business, few court documents are available. The documents that are available depict an articulate man who experienced a run of misfortune prior to his involvement with Bitcoin.
In a letter to Judge Shadid, Mr Powell cites the break down of his marriage and stress of surviving an aortic dissection as explanation for his decision to operate an unlicensed Bitcoin exchange. One could be forgiven for mistaking Powell's letter as one penned by a murderer who is remorseful for his crimes and if as claimed by the State, Powell did process USD $3 million in Bitcoin, it's clear it was a beacon of light for him despite yielding to the court in his apology letter. Continue reading
Ownership of the Australian Bitcoin exchange CoinJelly is alleged to have changed hands and as a result of the purchase, CoinJelly users have been warned that they have 24 hours to remove their coins from the site. Despite the announcement, which was made via email and twitter, no notification of account closures has been made on the CoinJelly website although the sign up process has been disabled. Continue reading
Microsoft Accounts, which includes Xbox Live users, now allow the "redemption" of Bitcoin for a dollar amount credit. This credit may be used as payment for Xbox Live Services and products. Windows Phone users may also use the credit to make purchases in the Windows App Store. Other well known Microsoft products, such as Windows and Office, are not available for purchase using this method. Continue reading