North Korean Hacking Group Linked to $100M Harmony Bridge Hack

• MistTrack – a crypto tracking and compliance platform – has released updates on the investigation of the Harmony bridge hack that saw $100 million stolen last June.
• The investigation revealed that the notorious North Korean hacking organization, The Lazarus Group, is likely behind the theft.
• The funds were transferred to exchanges including Huobi, Binance, and OKX in an attempt to cover their on-chain tracks.

On Monday, the crypto tracking and compliance platform MistTrack released updates on the investigation of the Harmony bridge hack, which saw $100 million stolen last June. The investigation revealed that the notorious North Korean hacking organization, The Lazarus Group, is likely behind the theft.

The attack took place back in June, when Harmony’s bridge – a cross-chain protocol used to transfer tokens between different blockchains – was compromised. The breach resulted in the loss of $100 million worth of tokens.

In the wake of the attack, MistTrack launched an investigation to uncover the culprits behind the hack and trace the stolen funds. The team followed the funds through multiple exchanges and blockchains, attempting to uncover any information that could lead to the hackers.

The investigation revealed that the funds were transferred to various exchanges, including Huobi, Binance, and OKX, in an attempt to cover their on-chain tracks. However, the team was still able to trace the funds back to the Lazarus Group.

The Lazarus Group is a North Korean cybercrime syndicate that has been responsible for a number of high-profile hacks, including the WannaCry attack in 2017 and the Sony Pictures hack in 2014. They are well-known for their sophisticated tactics and their ability to evade detection.

The investigation also revealed that some of the funds were transferred to a DeFi protocol, further complicating the situation. The team was able to trace the funds back to the protocol, but was unable to determine the exact destination of the funds.

The team at MistTrack is now working with law enforcement and other security experts to investigate the hack further and hopefully recover some of the stolen funds. They have also released a detailed report on the findings of their investigation, which can be found on their website.

The Harmony bridge hack is yet another reminder of the importance of security measures when dealing with digital assets. Exchanges and other crypto services should always be vigilant and take necessary steps to protect their users from malicious actors.

Coinbase Listing of Kava Opens Up DeFi to Millions of Users!

• Coinbase has listed Kava, which combines the speed and interoperability of Cosmos with the developer power of Ethereum.
• Coinbase will launch a Learning Rewards Campaign to educate users about Kava and how it is leading the world to Web3.
• Kava’s native integration with Coinbase unlocks DeFi usage for Coinbase users.

Today, Coinbase, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency exchange, announced the listing of Kava, a decentralized layer-1 blockchain that combines the speed and interoperability of Cosmos with the developer power of Ethereum. This listing marks a major milestone in the world of decentralized finance (DeFi) as it unlocks the potential of Kava to be used by Coinbase users.

Kava has spent the last year building a deep integration with Coinbase that optimizes the process for Cosmos SDK chains to integrate with Coinbase, helping to drive new liquidity to the Cosmos ecosystem. Kava’s native integration with Coinbase provides users with access to DeFi usage, staking, and easy listing of Kava ecosystem projects.

Coinbase is also launching a Learning Rewards Campaign to educate its user base about how Kava is leading the world to Web3. This campaign will provide users with the opportunity to earn rewards in KAVA by completing educational tasks. Through educational tasks such as watching videos, participating in quizzes, and completing surveys, users will be eligible for rewards up to $10,000 in KAVA.

Kava is the first Cosmos SDK chain to be listed on Coinbase, and this listing marks a major milestone for the Cosmos network. Kava’s interoperability between Ethereum and Cosmos means that users can now benefit from the best of both worlds: high scalability, low fees, and fast execution times. This will open up new opportunities for developers, traders, and users to take advantage of the interoperability of the two networks.

Kava’s listing and Learning Rewards Campaign on Coinbase will open up the potential of DeFi to even more people. By providing access to Kava’s features, Coinbase users will be able to benefit from staking, liquidity mining, and other DeFi features that are currently unavailable on other exchanges.

Coinbase’s listing of Kava is a major step towards unlocking the potential of Web3. With Kava’s interoperability between Ethereum and Cosmos, users can now benefit from the best of both networks and take advantage of the many new opportunities that will come with Kava’s listing on Coinbase. This is a major milestone for the world of DeFi and will open up even more potential for developers, traders, and users.

Bitcoin Breaks Long-Term Downtrend, Hits Two-Month High of $18,287

• Bitcoin recently hit an intraday and two-month high of $18,287 during the Thursday morning Asian trading session.
• BTC has gained 10% over the past fortnight and is up 4.2% over the last 24 hours.
• Bitcoin has advanced for eight straight days, the longest such streak since July, according to Bloomberg.

Cryptocurrency markets are on the move as Bitcoin has topped $18,000 for the first time since early November. The asset reached an intraday and two-month high of $18,287 during the Thursday morning Asian trading session, representing a 10% gain over the past fortnight and a 4.2% increase over the last 24 hours. This marks the longest such streak since July, according to Bloomberg.

The streak is likely due to the market healing from the after-effects of the FTX collapse and the contagions that followed. Frank Cappelleri, the founder of CappThesis, commented that if Bitcoin’s long-term downtrend is to be broken any time soon, the asset needs to leverage this streak in a similar manner.

The previous two weeks have been relatively positive for cryptocurrencies in general. Ethereum rose to a new 2021 high of $1,683, according to CoinMarketCap, and the cryptocurrency’s total market capitalization is now at over $190 billion, pushing the total market cap of all cryptocurrencies to over $732 billion.

Still, the market remains volatile and could continue to be so in the near future. The market’s progress could be hindered by the recently announced ban on cash transactions over $10,000 in the United States, which could affect how cryptocurrencies are viewed and used by the public.

Despite this, the long-term outlook for cryptocurrency remains positive. If Bitcoin continues to break its long-term downtrend, the asset could continue to gain further traction, pushing the cryptocurrency market further into the mainstream.

SEC Investigates Zipmex for Alleged Crypto Rules Violations

• Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating Zipmex for allegedly violating certain cryptocurrency rules.
• The SEC will inspect whether the platform breached domestic rules when offering digital asset services and products.
• The investigation will focus on Zipmex’s ZipUP and ZipUP+ programs, which allowed users to earn returns from cryptocurrency trading.

The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently launched an investigation into Zipmex, a cryptocurrency platform. According to reports, the investigation is being carried out to determine whether the platform has violated certain local cryptocurrency rules.

The SEC is looking into whether Zipmex abode by local rules when providing products and services to customers. The regulator will particularly be looking into the ZipUP and ZipUP+ programs offered by the platform, which allowed users to earn returns from cryptocurrency trading.

The investigation comes at a time when Zipmex is already facing financial difficulties due to the recent downturn in the cryptocurrency markets. The platform has already seen a significant drop in its trading volumes, leading to a decrease in its profits.

The investigation by the Thai SEC is also likely to be welcomed by investors, who are looking to ensure that the platform is complying with all local laws and regulations when it comes to cryptocurrency trading.

The SEC’s investigation into Zipmex is part of a wider effort by the regulator to ensure that cryptocurrency platforms in the country are following the necessary rules and regulations. The regulator has already taken action against several other platforms for allegedly failing to comply with local laws and regulations.

It remains to be seen how the SEC’s investigation into Zipmex will pan out, but it is clear that the regulator is taking a serious approach to ensuring that cryptocurrency platforms in the country are following the necessary rules and regulations. This should provide investors with greater confidence in the platform, as well as in the wider cryptocurrency industry in the country.