A judge in the UK High Court has declared that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, marking the end of a years-long debate. “The evidence is overwhelming,” said Justice James Mellor, delivering a surprise ruling at the close of the trial. “First, that …
Read More »Binance’s Top Crypto Crime Investigator Is Being Detained in Nigeria
Editor's note: Nigerian authorities have charged Binance and two company executives with tax evasion. See more in the update below. In his years as a US federal agent, Tigran Gambaryan helped to lead landmark investigations that took down cryptocurrency thieves and money launderers, dark-web drug dealers, and even crypto-funded child …
Read More »What’s Behind the Bitcoin Price Surge? Vibes, Mostly
Bitcoin fever has returned. On March 5, the price of the cryptocurrency swelled to a record high—and has continued its upward march. In 2024 it has provided investors with a greater return than almost any other asset. But as enthusiasm for bitcoin spreads anew, so do myths and confusion around …
Read More »For Bitcoin Mines in Texas, the Honeymoon Is Over
Three years ago, bitcoin miners flocked to the state of Texas. The Lone Star State offered cheap power, plentiful supplies of renewable energy, and an accommodating regulatory climate. Some mining companies already operated there, but when China banned crypto mining in May 2021, a mass migration began. Texas was fast …
Read More »Bitcoin Royalty Descends on the Satoshi Nakamoto Trial
Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto, an enigmatic figure about whom almost nothing is known. Fifteen years ago, Satoshi brought the idea of an electronic cash system into being with the help of a small cast of oddballs. This week, some of those early collaborators—now crypto-celebrities in their own right—took …
Read More »The Puzzling Testimony of Craig Wright, Self-Styled Inventor of Bitcoin
The cross-examination of Craig Wright, a computer scientist defending his claims to be the inventor of Bitcoin in court, proceeded fitfully over the course of seven days. In the UK High Court, opposing counsel Jonathan Hough bombarded Wright with examples of what he argued were anomalies that showed Wright had …
Read More »Ransomware Payments Hit a Record $1.1 Billion in 2023
A year ago, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope in the cybersecurity industry's long-running war of attrition against ransomware gangs. Fewer corporate victims of those hackers, it seemed, had paid ransoms in 2022, and cybercriminals were earning less from their ruthless attacks. Perhaps the cocktail of improved security …
Read More »The Trial Over Bitcoin’s True Creator Is in Session
For eight years, Craig Wright has claimed to be the elusive Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. On Monday, in the swelling heat of a UK courtroom, a trial began that will finally settle the question. Wright, flanked by his legal team, appeared relaxed during opening arguments, leaning back in his chair …
Read More »China’s Hackers Keep Targeting US Water and Electricity Supplies
An indictment from the US Department of Justice may have solved the mystery of how disgraced cryptocurrency exchange FTX lost over $400 million in crypto. The indictment, filed last week, alleges that three individuals used a SIM-swapping attack to steal hundreds of millions in virtual currency from an unnamed company. …
Read More »FTX Says It Expects to Repay Customers in Full. Some Are Suing for More
A group of former customers of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX are rebelling against a proposed plan that would return the entirety of the money they lost. In a lawsuit filed this week, the customers argue they are due a whole lot more. The plan laid out by FTX in December …
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