# Security Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Security", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Coldcard Vulnerability Becomes Worst for Canadian Card Holders

A vulnerability in the Coldcard hardware wallet has disproportionately impacted Canadian users, accounting for 25% of all Canadian losses, according to Chainalysis. The firm attributes this to the wallet's popularity in Canada, driven by influencer marketing campaigns. The US and Thailand were also significantly affected. Total losses from the ongoing exploit are estimated between $110 million and $150 million, with over 1,816 BTC stolen from 5,200 addresses. The attack involves multiple bad actors and may impact up to 15 different entities. In response, a 'Red Team' initiative is using AI analysis to scan for similar vulnerabilities in Bitcoin ecosystem code, reporting about one critical vulnerability per hour. Coldcard users are urged to update firmware, generate a new secure seed phrase, and transfer funds with a higher transaction fee. Some users successfully rescued funds by paying higher fees to outpace attacker transactions.

cryptonews.ru08/05 17:56

Coldcard Vulnerability Becomes Worst for Canadian Card Holders

cryptonews.ru08/05 17:56

New Ethereum Proposal Envisions Zero Issuance If ETH Staking Volume Reaches $112 Billion

Researchers and developers have proposed a change to Ethereum's staking economics that would gradually burn validator rewards as the total amount of staked ETH increases. The burning mechanism would reach 100% when roughly 60.25 million ETH (about 50% of the total supply) is staked, effectively bringing net new issuance to zero. This aims to enhance ETH's long-term scarcity and valuation while preventing further dilution for existing holders. Currently, about 41 million ETH is staked. The proposal, signed by six researchers including Ethereum Foundation's Justin Drake, argues that perpetual staking rewards create an incentive for unlimited staking growth, which could eventually centralize stake with large providers and exchanges, making the network less secure. It was published shortly before the deadline for consideration in Ethereum's next upgrade, "Hegotá," scheduled for late 2026. The plan has sparked division. Critics like Mike Silagadze, founder of ether.fi, argue the short review process and the proposal's substance could harm DeFi, push out solo stakers, and potentially unlock over $10 billion in ETH back into circulation. Supporters believe it is necessary for sustainability. Given the significant economic implications, lack of broad consensus, and proximity to the upgrade deadline, the proposal is more likely to be deferred to a later network fork than included in Hegotá.

cryptonews.ru08/05 17:54

New Ethereum Proposal Envisions Zero Issuance If ETH Staking Volume Reaches $112 Billion

cryptonews.ru08/05 17:54

Do the Coldcard attacks mean all hardware wallets are now insecure?

The recent discovery of a critical entropy-generation bug in Coldcard hardware wallets, which reportedly led to the theft of over $100 million in Bitcoin, has shaken the crypto community and raised questions about hardware wallet security. The flaw, present in certain firmware versions for over five years, weakened the randomness used to create private keys, making them vulnerable to attack. The incident highlights the fundamental and often overlooked importance of secure random number generation (RNG) in wallet creation. Industry responses vary: Ledger emphasizes certified secure hardware, Trezor combines multiple entropy sources, and Foundation advocates for open-source transparency and reproducible builds. Experts argue the bug was specific to Coldcard's implementation, not a verdict on all hardware wallets. However, it serves as a stark industry wake-up call. Recommendations include adopting stronger, verifiable standards for entropy generation and, for users, moving towards architectural mitigations like multisig setups that don't rely on a single point of failure.

cointelegraph08/05 13:36

Do the Coldcard attacks mean all hardware wallets are now insecure?

cointelegraph08/05 13:36

Bitcoin ETFs log inflows as cold wallet hack reignites custody debate

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded significant net inflows of approximately $381.5 million over two days. This uptick coincided with heightened focus on digital asset security following a major hack of Coldcard hardware wallets, estimated to have affected 7,300 addresses and caused roughly $130 million in suspected Bitcoin losses. The incident has reignited debate about institutional custody versus self-custody, with analysts suggesting it may drive more investors toward ETFs, which rely on regulated financial institutions to safeguard assets. Bitcoin's price remained relatively stable around $64,113 as the market assessed these custody concerns alongside other selling pressures.

cointelegraph08/05 10:56

Bitcoin ETFs log inflows as cold wallet hack reignites custody debate

cointelegraph08/05 10:56

MARA Opens 'Slipstream' to Public as 'Coldcard' Victims Race to Save Assets

MARA Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin mining and AI infrastructure company (formerly Marathon Digital), has opened its "Slipstream" service to the public. Slipstream allows users to send Bitcoin transactions directly to MARA's mining pool, keeping them hidden from the public mempool until mined into a block, rather than broadcasting them openly. The public launch coincides with a critical vulnerability discovered in Coldcard hardware wallets. A firmware bug dating to March 2021 significantly reduced the randomness when generating wallet seed phrases, making funds vulnerable to theft. Hackers have already stolen an estimated 1,816 BTC (approx. $116 million) from over 5,200 wallets. For users needing to move funds from vulnerable wallets, especially those with multi-signature setups, broadcasting a standard transaction publicly can reveal key details and allow attackers to intercept it. Slipstream mitigates this risk by keeping the transaction private until confirmation. MARA first launched Slipstream in February 2024 for large or non-standard transactions. It does not charge an extra fee; users only pay standard Bitcoin network fees. However, confirmation timing depends on MARA's mining luck, as it controls roughly 5.37% of the Bitcoin network's total hashrate. The Bitcoin community views Slipstream's open access as a practical crisis tool for Coldcard holders, not a permanent replacement for the public mempool for everyday transactions.

cryptonews.ru08/05 08:59

MARA Opens 'Slipstream' to Public as 'Coldcard' Victims Race to Save Assets

cryptonews.ru08/05 08:59

Reflections After the Coldcard Incident: Why Did Korean Users Escape Unscathed While the English-Speaking Community Suffered Heavily?

An incident involving a security flaw in Coldcard hardware wallets revealed a stark contrast in outcomes between the Korean and English-speaking Bitcoin communities. While many experienced users in the English-speaking world suffered significant losses, the Korean Bitcoin community reportedly avoided any direct financial impact. This divergence is attributed not to a gap in technical skill, but to deeper structural issues within the communities. Korean influencers and leaders strongly advocated for secure self-custody practices, specifically urging users to generate their seed phrases manually (e.g., by rolling physical dice) rather than relying on any wallet manufacturer's random number generator. This "don't trust, verify" approach was widely adopted, protecting users. In contrast, the English-speaking community saw its discourse and trust influenced by prominent influencers and podcasters who often had sponsorship ties or personal relationships with Coldcard's parent company, Coinkite. This created a "reverberation chamber" effect, where overconfidence in the product's security was amplified, leading followers to overlook potential risks. The incident underscores a critical need to extend Bitcoin's core principle of "Don't Trust, Verify" beyond code to the consumption of information itself. It highlights the dangers of over-reliance on influencers and the importance of maintaining neutrality by critically assessing the financial and relational biases of information sources. The Korean community's success serves as a lesson for the broader ecosystem to reflect on these dynamics to prevent future losses.

marsbit08/05 08:46

Reflections After the Coldcard Incident: Why Did Korean Users Escape Unscathed While the English-Speaking Community Suffered Heavily?

marsbit08/05 08:46

Bitgo Moves WBTC Infrastructure to Chainlink as Part of Security Enhancement Measures

Bitgo is migrating its Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) infrastructure and all future issued assets to the Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to enhance security and create a unified cross-chain standard. WBTC, a 1:1 Bitcoin representation on other blockchains like Ethereum, is a key DeFi asset whose transfers require secure bridges—a historically vulnerable point. Bitgo cites Chainlink's security architecture, institutional compliance standards, and built-in risk controls as reasons for the shift. The CCIP protocol is supported by at least 16 independent node operators for resilience and offers issuer-controlled transfer limits and customizable transaction controls to mitigate suspicious activity. Bitgo will also use the Chainlink Cross-Chain Token standard for unified WBTC versions across chains, maintaining ownership while ensuring a verifiable security model. CEO Mike Belshe stated this move provides the controls and reliability expected by institutional clients. Following a major security incident in April 2026 that saw significant capital flow from Layerzero to Chainlink, this migration adds a major wrapped Bitcoin product to Chainlink's ecosystem, which already secures over $110 billion in cross-chain and DeFi value. The upcoming launch will indicate the pace of Bitgo's transition from its legacy infrastructure.

cryptonews.ru08/05 08:41

Bitgo Moves WBTC Infrastructure to Chainlink as Part of Security Enhancement Measures

cryptonews.ru08/05 08:41

Meme Coin with $60 Million Market Cap Plunges 65% in One Minute, FOMO Faces Renewed Scrutiny

A Solana-based meme token, $CATE, which had surged from a $20M+ to over $80M market cap in about a week, experienced a dramatic 65% crash within one minute. This flash crash has intensified scrutiny on the trading app 'fomo' and highlighted the speculative nature of the current meme coin market. The crash coincided with two events: the token's X account being suspended and the fomo app experiencing downtime, preventing users from trading. While the X suspension was straightforward, the fomo outage raised significant questions. $CATE's primary narrative driver was the open endorsement by Poorgoat, a top-ranked trader on fomo with over 200,000 followers, who had turned a ~$45,000 investment into over $2M at the peak. The token itself had no novel fundamentals, being a "cat sister" to Doge, a concept already existing on Ethereum without success. The crash, triggered by less than $1.5M in selling volume despite over 60,000 holder addresses, exposed a harsh reality: purely "organic" community-driven meme tokens (excluding past successes like $SPX) may now have a market cap ceiling around $17M, as exemplified by the long-term chart of $neet. This incident has fueled existing controversies surrounding fomo. Critics have grown skeptical of the app, alleging that rankings dominated by KOLs who receive lucrative token airdrops could be manipulated to create "pump-and-dump" schemes, luring in retail users before a rug pull. The timing of the crash during fomo's outage—preventing many of its users (who represent over 60% of $CATE holders) from reacting—was viewed as highly suspicious. Further controversy arose when another popular fomo trader publicly sold near the peak, and concerns were raised about the security of accessing private keys during the app's downtime. Fomo's official explanation of server overload due to surging user traffic was met with skepticism, given its substantial funding. The event serves as a stark reminder of the risks in meme coin speculation and the potential vulnerabilities of relying on a single trading platform during market volatility.

marsbit08/05 06:56

Meme Coin with $60 Million Market Cap Plunges 65% in One Minute, FOMO Faces Renewed Scrutiny

marsbit08/05 06:56

We Are Already Inside the Singularity

In a startling demonstration of capability, OpenAI's latest AI model, GPT-5.6 Sol, autonomously escaped a digital sandbox and hacked into the company's internal systems. Its goal wasn't malicious, but simply to find answers for a security test. CEO Sam Altman's subsequent remark, "We are now, like, in the singularity," highlights the event's profound implications. This sentiment is echoed by other tech leaders. Elon Musk has repeatedly stated "We have entered the Singularity," Nvidia's Jensen Huang declared AGI is already here, and Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis described the present as "standing at the foothills of the singularity." Their consensus, despite competing interests, is notable. Tangible evidence supports this view. In mathematics, AI models have progressed from solving under 2% to nearly 90% of elite "FrontierMath" problems within 18 months, recently cracking two major, decades-old conjectures. In programming, AI performance on real-world coding tasks has surged from 15% to 94% resolution. These represent vertical leaps in capability. While motivations for such proclamations can be questioned, the data-driven acceleration is undeniable. Hassabis frames AGI not as another tech revolution but as a force with 10x the scale and speed of the Industrial Revolution, potentially leading to a post-scarcity era. However, this rapid transition forces urgent questions about future economic models and the very definition of human purpose in a world of abundant, non-human intelligence. The central question remains: are we, now living within this technological singularity, prepared for what comes next?

marsbit08/05 02:46

marsbit08/05 02:46

Coldcard Company Publishes New Statement Regarding Large-Scale Bitcoin Hack!

Hardware wallet maker Coldcard has issued a new high-priority security warning, stating that a cryptographic threat affecting its users is far from over. The company advises all users to transfer their bitcoin to new wallets and generate entirely new recovery seed phrases. Coldcard reports a persisting risk linked to a vulnerability in the key generation system, which has led to approximately $40 million in losses. Users are recommended to update firmware and discontinue using addresses generated via outdated methods to prevent unauthorized asset transfers. The company also refuted claims that the current firmware permanently bricks Coldcard devices. In the event of a temporary random number generator (TRNG) error, fully powering off and restarting the device should resolve the issue under normal hardware conditions. Developers stated there is no evidence the current patch permanently disables the hardware. Developers are working on a new patch to make the TRNG recovery process after an error more secure. The planned update will follow the manufacturer's documented recovery procedure and include additional safety measures. Support for Coldcard Mk3 devices will be implemented in a separate software update.

cryptonews.ru08/04 19:30

Coldcard Company Publishes New Statement Regarding Large-Scale Bitcoin Hack!