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Kraken Loses Nearly $3 Million to Researchers After Exploit

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Cryptocurrency trading platform Kraken has reported an exploit less than a fortnight ago that saw it lose almost $3 million in a bug-related attack.

The incident highlights the insecurities and vulnerabilities that continue to infest the industry.

Kraken Lost $3 Million in a Bug Attack

Kraken revealed a bug attack on June 9, which saw the bad actor make away with nearly $3 million. Based on the report shared by Kraken Chief Security Officer Nick Percoco, the exchange received a bug bounty program alert.

“On June 9 2024, we received a Bug Bounty program alert from a security researcher. No specifics were initially disclosed, but their email claimed to find an “extremely critical” bug that allowed them to artificially inflate their balance on our platform,” noted Percoco in a post on Wednesday.

The CSO noted that a further probe revealed an isolated bug that gave the bad actor unmerited privileges. Specifically, they could initiate a deposit on Kraken Exchange and receive funds in their account even though they had not fully completed the deposit.

Read more: Kraken Review 2024: Security and Features

A forensic analysis revealed a vulnerability in a recent UX change on Kraken’s platform. This flaw allowed a malicious attacker to “print assets” in their account for a period of time. Importantly, no client assets were compromised, and the issue has been fixed. However, a subsequent probe discovered that three accounts had already exploited the bug within a few days of each other.

“After patching the risk, we thoroughly investigated the situation and quickly discovered that 3 accounts had leveraged this flaw within a few days of each other. As we dug deeper, we noticed that one account was KYC’d to an individual who claimed to be a security researcher,” Percoco said.

A security researcher discovered a bug in Kraken’s funding system and credited their account with $4 in cryptocurrency. This amount was enough to demonstrate the flaw and file a bug bounty report, which would have earned a significant reward under Kraken’s program.

Instead, the researcher shared the bug with two colleagues, who exploited it to generate much larger sums fraudulently. This collusion led to a loss of nearly $3 million, taken from Kraken’s treasuries rather than client assets.

Read more: Top 5 Flaws in Crypto Security and How To Avoid Them

The incident culminated in a case of extortion after the crypto trading platform tried to recover the funds from the researchers. Kraken requested a full account of the researchers’ activities, including the proof of concept used to create the on-chain activity and arrangements to return the withdrawn funds. 

“These security researchers refused. Instead, they demanded a call with their business development team and have not agreed to return any funds until we provide a speculated $ amount that this bug could have caused if they had not disclosed it. This is not white-hat hacking, it is extortion!” Percoco resented.

Kraken has therefore resorted to treating the incident as a criminal case, committing to coordinating with law enforcement. The research company remains undisclosed.

Disclaimer

In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.



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US Job Market Sees Growth in June as Crypto Market Slumps

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The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that employers added 206,000 jobs in June. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.1%, above the estimated 4.0%, while average hourly earnings remained at 0.3% monthly.

Although this suggests that the US job market continues to experience healthy growth, there has been a muted response in crypto markets.

New Jobs Created Beats Analysts Estimate

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US economy added 206,000 jobs in June. While this represented a 6% decline from the 218,000 jobs added in May, it exceeded analysts’ forecasts of around 190,000 new positions.

US Nonfarm Payrolls | Source: TradingEconomics

During that month, unemployment rose slightly to 4.1%, a 2% hike from the projected 4.0%. Steadying at 4%,  June’s unemployment rate suggested that the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labor force remained stable. 

Further, average hourly earnings increased by 0.3% in June, matching forecasts. This reflects steady, albeit slow, wage growth for US workers.

Crypto Markets Fail to React

While the report suggests the US job market continues to experience positive momentum, the cryptocurrency market has failed to react. Still declining as of this writing, the global cryptocurrency market capitalization has dropped by 6% in the past 24 hours.

Global Cryptocurrency Market Capitalization.
Global Cryptocurrency Market Capitalization. Source: CoinGecko

The value of the leading crypto asset, Bitcoin (BTC), has plummeted by 3% during that period. At press time, BTC trades at $55,249.

Its price movements, assessed on an hourly chart, confirm the decline in trading activity despite the positive outlook offered by the Nonfarm Payrolls report. 

As of this writing, the coin’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) is 40.76, resting below the 50-neutral zone. This indicator measures the asset’s overbought and oversold market conditions. At 42.49, BTC’s RSI shows that selling pressure currently dwarfs buying activity.

If this trend continues, the coin’s price may plummet further to exchange hands at $54,553.

Read more: Bitcoin Price Prediction 2024/2025/2030

Bitcoin Analysis. Source: TradingView

However, if sentiment shifts from bearish to bullish, the coin’s price may rally to $55,427. 

Disclaimer

In line with the Trust Project guidelines, this price analysis article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. BeInCrypto is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Always conduct your own research and consult with a professional before making any financial decisions. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.



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BNB Drops Below $500, Extended Bearish Trend On The Horizon?

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BNB has recently fallen below the critical $500 support mark, signaling the continuation of a bearish trend. This decline reflects increased selling pressure and growing bearish sentiment within the cryptocurrency market. 

As BNB slips under this significant threshold, analysts and traders are closely watching for further downward movement, potentially targeting lower support levels. The breach of the $500 mark is a key indicator of ongoing market weakness, suggesting that BNB may face continued challenges in the near term.

With the help of technical indicators to provide comprehensive insights into potential future movements, key support levels to watch, and strategies for investors and traders to navigate the ongoing downturn, this article explores the bearish sentiment surrounding BNB’s price

At the time of writing, BNB’s price was down by over 10%, trading at about $471, with a market valuation of more than $69 billion and a trading volume of more than $2 billion. In the last 24 hours, the market capitalization of BNB has dropped by 10.88%, while trading volume has increased by 37.43%.

Technical Indicators Highlight Sustained Bearish Market Conditions

The price of BNB on the 4-hour chart is actively bearish trading below the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA). As of the time of writing, the price has made a huge drop below the $500 support mark which has triggered more bearishness for the crypto asset.

BNB
Source: BNBUSDT on Tradingview.com

With the formation of the 4-hour Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), the price of BNB is set to face further decline as the MACD histograms are trending below the zero line with strong momentum. Also, the MACD line and signal line have sharply dropped and are trending below the zero line with a good spread.

On the 1-day chart, it can be observed that BNB is trading below the 100-day SMA and is attempting to drop the third bearish candlestick in a row with strong momentum. This development suggests that the price is still actively bearish and may continue to decline.

BNB
Source: BNBUSDT on Tradingview.com

Lastly, the 1-day MACD signals a potential further decline in the price of BNB since the MACD histograms are trending below the zero line with strong momentum. Both the MACD line and the MACD signal line are also observed to be trending below zero after a cross below it.

What To Watch Next For BNB

Current analysis reveals that the price of BNB could be heading toward the $357 support level. If BNB’s price reaches the $357 support level and breaks below, it may continue to drop to test the $202 support level and potentially move on to challenge other lower levels if it breaches the $202 level.

However, should the crypto asset encounter a rejection at the $357 support level, it will begin to move upward toward the $500 level once again. If it moves above this level, it may continue to climb to test the $635 resistance level and potentially move on to test other higher levels if it breaches the $635 resistance level.

BNB
BNB trading at $468 on the 1D chart | Source: BNBUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com



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Crypto Whales Boost Holdings of These 3 Altcoins

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The first week of July has been a difficult one for the market. But amid the growing sell-offs, crypto whales loaded their wallets with some altcoins that some may term undervalued.

Whales are large investors, and their influence on price cannot be underestimated. Therefore, market participants may need to keep an eye on Dogecoin (DOGE), Optimism (OP), and Pepe (PEPE), as they are among the altcoins crypto whales bought this week.

Dogecoin (DOGE) Large Holders Overlook The Decline

Like other cryptocurrencies, the price of DOGE tumbled. Specifically, the value has dropped by 23.76% in the last seven days. 

However, this did not stop crypto whales from buying more of the coin. BeInCrypto observes this after evaluating the Large Holders Inflow shown by IntoTheBlock.

This inflow shows strong buying activity by market participants who hold between 0.1% to 1% of the cryptocurrency.  On Tuesday, July 2, the inflow was 61.88 million DOGE. 

But one day later, the inflow reached 516.08 million, suggesting that whales were buying the dip. Currently, the figure has decreased to 215.90 million. 

Dogecoin whales purchase more coins
Dogecoin Large Holders Inflow. Source: IntoTheBlock

At an average price of $0.11, crypto whales bought $23.74 million worth of Dogecoin in the first week of July. This is a 175.44% increase from the holdings in the last week of June.

Optimism (OP) Whales Ignore the Unlocks, Bullish About the ETF

Second on this list is OP, the token of the layer-two blockchain built on Ethereum.  This week, OP’s price has fallen by 27.82%. Apart from the broader market decline, OP’s decline can be linked to the series of token unlocks between July 1 and 5.

While the unlocks put selling pressure on the price, crypto whales decided to scoop the token at discount prices. 

According to Santiment, whales hodling between 1 million to 10 million OP added to their balance in the first week of this month. As a result, this cohort now holds 11.27% of the total OP  supply.

Read More: What Is Optimism?

OP whales increase holdings
Optimism Balance of Addresses. Source: Santiment

The decision seems to be largely due to the upcoming Ethereum ETF approval. For most market participants, the official trading of the products may raise ETH prices.

Since ETH shares a strong correlation with OP, whales deem it fit to buy the token lower before the potential rally begins. 

Whales Put Pepe (PEPE) At the Top of the Chain

A look at PEPE’s Large Holder Netflow shows a staggering 2237.18% increase in the last seven days. This means the crypto whales buying PEPE outpaced those selling it by the abovementioned ratio.

Despite intensifying their purchase, the accumulation has had little to no effect on PEPE’s price. At press time, PEPE trades at $0.0000078— the lowest price it has hit since May 4.

If these large investors continue to buy the token as the price dips, stability may eventually appear. 

Read More: Pepe (PEPE) Price Prediction 2024/2025/2030

PEPE crypto whales are buying
Pepe Large Holders Netflow. Source: IntoTheBlock

However, considering the current market condition, whale accumulation alone may not be enough to prevent prices from further declining. This is because Bitcoin (BTC) seems to be the crypto dragging the market back

Should BTC fail to stop its correction, DOGE, OP, and PEPE may continue to face downward pressure. However, a rebound for the number one cryptocurrency may prevent another nosedive.

Disclaimer

In line with the Trust Project guidelines, this price analysis article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. BeInCrypto is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Always conduct your own research and consult with a professional before making any financial decisions. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.



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