In the first half of 2018, cyber criminals have stolen approximately $1.1 billion worth of digital currency, CNBC reported. To make these thefts possible, some criminals are turning to tools on the dark web: Cybersecurity company Carbon Black said there are around 12,000 marketplaces related to cryptotheft — and malware, which can come as low as $1.04, is bundled with customer service at times.
“It’s surprising just how easy it is without any tech skill to commit cybercrimes like ransomware,” Rick McElroy, Carbon Black’s security strategist, told CNBC. “It’s not always these large nefarious groups, it’s in anybody’s hands.”
The cybercrime unit of a police department in South Korea may bring charges against a cryptocurrency exchange due to its margin trading efforts, CoinDesk reported.
In a statement to CoinDesk, a representative from crypto exchange Coinone said, “At this time, we are focused on cooperating with the ongoing investigation, and will continue to do so as the case is in the process of moving over to the Prosecution Service from the Police Agency.”
In other news, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon made a measured remark about bitcoin in a CNBC segment on Thursday (June 7), CoinDesk reported. Though Dimon had previously called bitcoin a “fraud,” he took a different tact in his latest remark: “I don’t [want to] be the bitcoin spokesman. You know, just beware.”
In addition, Dennis Rodman may be in talks with the Canadian company behind PotCoin to back a trip to attend the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, CoinDesk reported. PotCoin spokesperson Shawn Perez branded the effort as a “peace mission.”
“The PotCoin team, as a community, has been incredibly supportive of Rodman’s peace mission from the beginning,” Perez told The Washington Post. “We’re thrilled to see how the political climate has improved between North Korea and the U.S. since he became involved.”
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