Market Update
At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is sitting at $14,298, representing a loss of 3.26% in the last 24 hours. More than $1.8B worth of BTC were exchanged in the BTC/USD market representing a 41% share of daily volume, followed by the BTC/JPY pair that represents a 32% share.
See live charts here: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/
The Ethereum price has risen by 12.71% over the past 24 hours and is currently sitting at $1,361, with over $1.3BM worth of Ether exchanged in the past 24 hours on the ETH/USD pair which has a 32% market share of the daily trading volume.
See live charts here: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ethereum/
Newly Detected Malware Mines Monero, Sends It To North Korean University
Cybersecurity solutions developer, Alienvault, revealed in a report that its labs recently analyzed an application compiled on Christmas Eve 2017 – an installer for software that mines Monero. While such malware is common these days, what’s new here is that the researchers say they found that the mined cryptocurrency is sent to Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, North Korea. The report reads:
“Cryptocurrencies could provide a financial lifeline to a country hit hard by sanctions. Therefore it’s not surprising that universities in North Korea have shown a clear interest in cryptocurrencies. Recently the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology invited foreign experts to lecture on cryptocurrencies. The Installer we’ve analyzed above may be the most recent product of their endeavours.”
Venezuela’s Oil-Backed Cryptocurrency Declared Illegal
The Venezuelan parliament has declared the oil-backed cryptocurrency created by President Nicolas Maduro illegal and in violation of the country’s Constitution. Maduro’s decree to create the national cryptocurrency, the petro, has been declared null and void. El Universal reported and quoted Deputy Carlos Valero announcing:
"This Assembly tells the world that the cryptocurrency the government wants to issue is illegal, and this parliament will come out in front to prevent public opinion from falling into that trap."
Kodak Sees Stock Price Soar Following Unveiling of KodakCoin
Kodak, a company that seemed dead and gone with the advent of digital photography, just saw a surge today as it announced the creation of its own cryptocurrency. The so-called KodakCoin will be the token that powers the company’s new KodakOne platform. KodakOne will allow photographers to register their images, license them and search the web for unauthorized usage. CEO Jeff Clarke explained:
“For many in the tech industry, ‘Blockchain' and 'cryptocurrency' are hot buzzwords, but for photographers who've long struggled to assert control over their work and how it's used, these buzzwords are the keys to solving what felt like an unsolvable problem.Kodak has always sought to democratize photography and make licensing fair to artists. These technologies give the photography community an innovative and easy way to do just that."