November 15, 2024 at 08:04PM Larry Dean Harmon, 41, was sentenced to three years in prison for operating the Grams dark-web search engine and the Helix cryptocurrency laundering service, which handled over 354,000 bitcoins. He pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy, and faces significant financial penalties, including a $60 million fine. ### Meeting Takeaways … Read more
October 18, 2024 at 08:39AM An Alabama man, Eric Council Jr, faces five years in prison for allegedly manipulating Bitcoin prices by hacking the SEC’s social media account. A false post about Bitcoin ETF approval caused Bitcoin’s price to spike, followed by a significant drop after the SEC retracted it. He is charged with conspiracy … Read more
October 18, 2024 at 05:54AM An Alabama man has been arrested for his involvement in hacking the SEC’s X account, an incident that resulted in a significant increase in Bitcoin’s price. **Meeting Notes Takeaways:** 1. An individual from Alabama has been arrested. 2. The arrest is related to the hacking of the SEC’s X account … Read more
September 19, 2024 at 08:36AM Hackers demand $6 million in bitcoin from Seattle-Tacoma airport for stolen documents, but the airport refuses to pay. The FBI is investigating while the airport works to recover from the ransomware attack. Data was encrypted, affecting operations. The hacker group Rhysida is linked to the attack, and similar breaches have … Read more
July 17, 2024 at 01:25PM Australian Craig Wright falsely claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin and demanded rights to the cryptocurrency’s whitepaper. However, the High Court of England and Wales found that he repeatedly lied and forged evidence. The judge ruled against him, ordering Wright to publicly acknowledge his deceit and potentially face prosecution … Read more
April 25, 2024 at 01:23PM Two men, alleged co-founders of cryptocurrency firm Samourai Wallet, face serious charges over facilitating money laundering of over $100 million. They are accused of running an unlicensed money-transmitting business and enabling transactions outside of regulatory rules. The US arrested Rodriguez, while Hill was apprehended in Portugal and is awaiting extradition. … Read more
April 16, 2024 at 02:27PM FBI arrested Edmond Chakhmakhchyan on federal charges for attempting to market and sell malware, providing unauthorized control over a victim’s device. Pleading not guilty, he’s due to stand trial on June 4. Chakhmakhchyan had struck a deal with the malware’s creator to advertise the Hive remote access Trojan (RAT) and … Read more
February 23, 2024 at 01:16PM The LockBit ransomware gang collected over $125 million in ransom payments through more than 500 active cryptocurrency addresses between July 2022 and February 2024. Approximately 2,200 Bitcoin remain unspent, equating to more than $110 million. The group’s impact is estimated to be in the multi-billions, prompting global law enforcement efforts. … Read more
January 23, 2024 at 06:54AM Hackers used SIM swapping to take over the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Twitter account, announcing the approval of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund. After the post caused a spike in bitcoin price, the agency clarified that the account had been compromised. The hackers gained unauthorized access through a telecom carrier … Read more
December 20, 2023 at 09:41AM German and US authorities, with support from other countries, have shut down Kingdom Market, a dark web platform for illegal activities. The platform allowed users to buy and sell drugs, cybercrime tools, and forged documents using cryptocurrencies. This operation led to the arrest of an administrator and has caused disruption … Read more