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Brazil hackers accidentally attack NASA as payback for NSA surveillance

“Hackers have hit back in retaliation for US cyber-spying on Brazil but mistook the US space agency NASA for the National Security Agency (NSA), a news website reported here Tuesday. ‘Some activists decided to protest this US practice but it seems that they picked the wrong target,’ a specialized blog of the Brazilian news portal Uol said. ‘They hacked NASA’s web page and left the message: Stop spying on us,’ it said. The hackers’ message also called on the United States not to attack Syria. A NASA spokesman confirmed that a Brazilian hacker group last week posted a political message on a number of NASA websites.” Continue reading →

What Do the Latest NSA Leaks Mean for Bitcoin?

“Could the intelligence community have a secret exploit for Bitcoin? It’s rather obvious that Bitcoin presents a very strong financial incentive to break its cryptography, since such a vulnerability could allow an attacker to claim large amounts of virtual currency for themselves. But given the decentralized nature of the currency, it may also be a target for intelligence officials looking for ways to track its use. Clearly, Bitcoin is on the government’s radar. Knowing how much effort the NSA, amongst others, has placed on cracking encryption, has it tackled Bitcoin too? First, we need to look at how Bitcoin works.” Continue reading →

Most Secure Bitcoin Wallet Armory Raises $600k Led by Trace Mayer

“Insecure Bitcoin wallets and unscrupulous providers have previously resulted in the losses of significant funds for Bitcoin users. In the two full years Armory has been in use, Armory has had no reports of any lost or stolen Bitcoins among users who have used Armory’s printed paper backup feature. New features will include support for hardware wallets and multi-signature transactions. This will open the door for enterprise level Bitcoin security by requiring that at least two or more people or devices (depending on corporate policies) approve every transaction. The next version will include functionality to create fragmented backups that can be stored in multiple locations for increased physical security.” Continue reading →

Bitcoin payment processor Bitpay says it now has 10,000 clients

“According to Atlanta-based Bitpay, more than 10,000 merchants around the world are now using its processing services to accept payment in the virtual currency, with Bitcoin proving especially popular with companies that sell consumer electronics, IT services and precious metals. Bitpay, which is backed by venture capitalists tied to PayPal, touts Bitcoin as a way for merchants to accept online payment at lower cost and risk than credit cards. The company, which has so far processed $34 million in Bitcoin payments in 2013, charges the merchants a 1 percent service fee to handle the transactions.” Continue reading →

Aussies start paying for beers in Bitcoin

“The Old Fitzroy will become the first pub in Australia that will allow customers to buy their beers in Bitcoin. The pub in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, will start accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment on September 29, with Bitcoin Sydney on hand to help new-timers to the crypto-currency. The pub, which has been around since at least 1907, will use QR codes to handle transactions. With Bitcoin wallets able to be accessed via smartphones, customers simply scan the QR code and authorise the transaction in order to pay. Beers should cost customers around 0.05 Bitcoins, around the equivalent of AU$7 at the current value of the currency.” Continue reading →

Winklevoss twins say Bitcoin could become a country’s currency

“Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, currently making headlines with plans to launch a Bitcoin fund, said on Tuesday that they could see the digital currency becoming a country’s official money. ‘The next step for Bitcoin is potentially becoming the currency of a country,’ Tyler Winklevoss said. The twin brothers, famous for their history with Facebook Inc, were speaking at the 9th annual Value Investing Congress in New York. Speaking after filing plans to launch the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, an exchange traded fund that would allow investors to trade the digital currency like stocks, the brothers laid out a primer on Bitcoin and spoke about what might be next for the currency.” Continue reading →

Bitcoin gaining market-based legitimacy as XBT

“Punctual trams run quietly along the street out front. It looks like any other office building in Zürich. But inside the nondescript building of SIX Interbank Clearing, a small unit of professionals maintains the list of the world’s currency codes. Last week in that very same building, I had the honor of presenting the bitcoin cryptocurrency to a gathered audience of various bank officials at an e-commerce conference. And I mentioned that the individual, or committee, that endorses and finalizes XBT as the ISO currency code for bitcoin will earn their spot in history next to Satoshi Nakamoto.” Continue reading →

Pot And Pregnancy: It’s Harmless, So Why Are Moms Still Prosecuted?

“Weighing decades of research, it’s fairly safe to say that marijuana during pregnancy has very little to no effect on the developing fetus. Unfortunately, child welfare laws in many states do not agree. Some states equate smoking marijuana while pregnant — whether to alleviate nausea, vomiting, stress or depression — with felony child neglect or abuse. Given that marijuana is the most widely used drug by women of child-bearing age, and the potential for women to use marijuana without knowing they’re pregnant, this is a women’s rights issue. Why should a woman surrender autonomy over her body, her children and her approach to motherhood to civil authorities, whether she uses cannabis or not?” Continue reading →