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The internet loved Fiona Hill blasting sexism in impeachment testimony – INSIDER

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

At a Thursday hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Fiona Hill, a former National Security Council senior director, won an outpouring of support for her powerful testimony slamming sexist double standards.

Hill, one of the nation's leading experts on Russian and Eastern European issues, left the White House earlier this year and testified about the efforts of certain members of the Trump administration to leverage the release of a nearly $400 million military-aid package to Ukraine in exchange for the Ukrainian government announcing investigations that would be favorable to Trump.

In particular, Hill testified that officials including Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, circumvented the interagency processes for conducting diplomacy with Ukraine and got in the way of the NSC's efforts, sidestepping the council and leaving its staff in the dark.

Hill holds multiple degrees in foreign affairs and history from Harvard University and has worked on Russian and Eastern European issues for decades. Sondland is a wealthy hotel executive who had no significant diplomatic experience when he was appointed in 2018 after donating $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee.

Hill recounted that in a July 10 meeting at the White House, she had to intercept Sondland and make clear to him that there should be no discussion of investigations with Ukrainian officials without first going through the proper diplomatic channels.

"I was actually, to be honest, angry with him," Hill said. "And I hate to say it, but often when women show anger it's not fully appreciated it's often pushed onto emotional issues, perhaps, or deflected onto other people."

Hill's measured, confident demeanor before the committee and her powerful testimony of being pushed aside and outflanked by a far less qualified male diplomat resonated with people across the internet. Many tweeted their support for Hill and made her name a trending topic.

Hill and David Holmes, a US diplomat in Ukraine, are sworn in to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday. Andrew Harnik/AP

Later in her testimony, Hill said that she believed the smear campaign and eventual ousting of Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, were also motivated by sexism and that Yovanovitch's gender made her a target for attacks.

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What is Google Authenticator?: How to set up Googles two-step verification software to secure all of your Google apps – Business Insider

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

captionGoogle Authenticator is an extra step you can take to secure your Google apps.sourceShutterstock

As technology has continued to advance, so has the ability of hackers to access our personal accounts and information, potentially putting us at risk of becoming victims of identity fraud or worse. Because of this, internet security has become increasingly important, and many services like Google now take extra steps to help protect consumers private data.

Google Authenticator is an app that uses two-step verification software to keep your information safe by requiring an added layer of identification before allowing anyone to gain access to your accounts. Instead of simply entering a password when logging into Google apps via mobile, Google Authenticator generates a random six-digit code, which youre required to enter in order to log in if you have two-factor verification active.

If youd like to use Google Authenticator to help secure your Google apps, heres how to do it.

1. Download the Google Authenticator app from the Google Play store on your Android device or the App Store on iPhone.

2. While signed into your Google account on your PC or Mac, click on the small icon with your photo in it in the upper right-hand corner of your screen and click Manage your Google account.

3. Click Security from the menu on the left side of your screen, then scroll down to the Signing in to Google header.

4. Click 2-Step Verification to turn the option on. You will then be asked to re-enter your Google account password to proceed.

5. Under Set up alternative second step, click Set Up in the Authenticator app option.

6. Choose whether you have an Android or iPhone, then click Next.

7. Open the Authenticator app on your mobile device and tap Begin setup.

8. Tap Scan barcode, on your phone, then scan the code displayed on your computer screen.

9. After scanning the code, your Authenticator app will automatically begin to display a randomized six-digit code. Click Next on your computer screen, then enter the six-digit code displayed in the Authenticator app on your phone.

10. Click Done to confirm verification.

You will now be set up with Google Authenticator and can use the app to log into your Google account moving forward.

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Cybersecurity perils: What CISOs must bear in mind – Elets

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

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In a world where cyberattacks have become the norm, organisations have no other option but to make cybersecurity a top priority. Cyberattacks can affect the very ability of an organisation to fulfill its mandate.Many cybersecurity leaders and teams voice concern around lack of funding and minimal executive support at all levels of the organisation (including the CISOs). However, this is just a reality and not the root cause. Therefore it is critical to understand and introspect the root causes, which organisations can easily miss out, as a result of which the companys true security risk reduction suffers. While many companies have understood the implications of cyberattacks but they are still lagging behind implementing the security measures.

Here are the top five cybersecurity pitfalls organisations face and what they should do to overcome them:

Today a number of cybersecurity programs are attempting to boil the ocean instead of focusing on whatsmostimportant for the business.Enterprises must know which business process and information are of the utmost importance and make efforts to protect them.

Some organisations which have made attempts to identify the most critical data and assets to protect, though it often tends to leave integrity and availability concerns and focus solely on data theft (confidentiality). Business continuity and IT disaster recovery programs and plans traditionally work to ensure that they are able to react to availability issues from any type of outage.In many cases, these efforts are disjointed and data integrity risks are largely left to be managed by the quality or compliance department.

Chief Information Security Officers(CISOs) can helptheir companies connect deeply with their business. They can understand worst-case scenarios for information theft, manipulation, which is not limiting thinking to IT systems. Once the company plans to focus on the most critical elements of business, they can easily build speed and depth to protect them. For example: If acompany has 1,000 IT systems and 10 different functional areas, comprising 500 business processes, then where does the company start to protect its system?Is everything critical? We have seencompanies fail to answer this question and significantly slow their efforts on a critical control or focus only on one risk dimension (e.g. compliance, or data theft).

One can easily identify the most critical to business elements by just imagining what a CEO would be most concerned about if a cyberattack hit at 3 a.m. The CEO wont be concerned about the technical details but he would rather focus on business riskandoperational impact. When you keep this in mind you would be able to focus on your information security program.

Today, themedia plays a key role in educating people about cybersecurity breaches. At the same time, the media distracts the enterprise. This is mainly due to privacy-driven data breach reporting laws,and media attentiontends to focus more on customer breaches and exposed personal information rather than the pitfalls or reasons for such an event.

This reporting bias doesnt account for all of the internal and external attack types and the companies true risk impact profile. Employees might end up reading media stories on security breaches, they may get into a reactive mindset or start exhibitingconfirmation biasthat may or may not be applicable to the particular situation of your company. This kind of thinking can distract you from your organisations biggest risks.

One cannot control the kind of articles your employees read but thereis a strategy to avoid knee-jerk reactions to specific vulnerability and breach-related news. The company can leverage news media in a way that provides isolated value instead of creating a distraction by getting deeply involved in threat intelligence and sharing with other companies. One can evaluate the inputs from the media so that you can rationalise what you should react too and act upon.

Judging from the social media backlash about the vendor circus at major security conferences and events, there is some recognition and reflection about the cyber tool sprawl. When it comes to technologies like AI, machine learning and blockchain, we are often promised silver bullets and told that these tools would be implemented as soon as possible. This creates a sense that, if these are not deployed, then they would face an imminent failure in protecting the company.

We recently learned about a smaller organisations security leader who was proud to have acquired seven marquee threat detection tools. When we asked him about howhe had the ability to leverage them all effectively, his reply was that he focused on one thing which gave him the most actionable data. He was using only one threat detection tool at a time. The other six were still running and producing logs and alerts, but no one was looking at them.

It is a known fact that the companys strategic architecture practices may not yield full potential at the beginning. But bybringing adeeply experienced, big-picture security architect on board to develop an ecosystem of cybersecurity tools will help it scale appropriately. CISOs need to look past the initial funding for cool tools towards the more comprehensive total cost of ownership (for both internal and external resources), linkages to business scope, ability to drive down risk and plans for appropriate scale.

One should know the basics as these matters the most to any organisation. According to theCenter for Internet Security Critical Security Controls(CIS CSC), there are the top four basic controls, which include inventory and control of hardware, inventory, and control of software, continuous vulnerability management and controlled use of administrative privileges. However, many organisations report ineffective or incomplete efforts in all four of these fundamental efforts. Meanwhile, investments may be focused more on toolsand controlsthat are popular in the market.

The solution is to prioritize some core efforts and basics in order to ensure that your team isnt spread so thin working on shiny new tools that it obstructs progress on critical building blocks.

The CIS CSC provides a robust and periodically updated playbook that includeshardware and software inventory, vulnerability management, controlling admin privileges, secure configuration (hardware/software) and maintenance and monitoring of logs.While they all seem essential for any security program, not many companies have solid progress and maturity towards these.

While connecting the dots betweenprioritizing business riskandsolidifying the basics,companies should leverage business risk to drive privileged access security programs.

Many a time it happens that a company buys a tool but does not implement it fully and then moves on to the next new thing or realises that they dont have the resources to execute, scale up or support after the initial investment money runs out. This does not help in reducing risk in the organisation.

Getting to theappropriatescale with these efforts is the only way to fully achieve the risk reduction efforts that your money, time and effort would have costed you. Scaling is hard but it is where the magic happens with risk reduction. The appropriate scale connects directly back to the business risks where you plan to reduce.

Companies that achieve appropriate scale leverage solid and consistent project management and measurement methodologies. They think proactively about the total cost to achieve the desired risk reduction. They dont run after new tools when they see their peers implementing in their companies. Since many CISOs have a maximum of two years of tenure in the role, they may not be focusing on long-haul solutions at scale.

(Views expressed above are the personal opinion of Rohan Vaidya, Regional Director of Sales India, CyberArk)

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Dwight Schrute tells Bitcoin holders to give their worthless cryptocurrency to a non-profit – The Next Web

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

Rainn Wilson has a message for Bitcoin BTC holders: give your worthless cryptocurrency to the Mona Foundation, a non-profitthat supports worldwide initiatives in education and equality.

The organization opened up its donation channels to accept a raft ofcryptocurrencies earlier this week. It now accepts Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, as well as the USDC stablecoin, via a web app operated by major exchange Coinbase.

Wilson, widely recognized for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute in the US version of The Office, appears in a promotional video to encourage Bitcoin owners, cryptocurrency fanatics, and alternative financing fans to donate.

I hope youll consider giving your worthless cryptocurrency to the Mona Foundation, says Wilson. As you know, Mark Cuban said that cryptocurrency that hed rather have bananas than Bitcoin, so please, give your bananas to the Mona Foundation.

The Mona Foundations website explains that any cryptocurrency donations it receives will be valued at the time of donation at its fair market value, which presumably means that donations will be sold for fiat almost immediately.

In 2017, philanthropic experiment Pineapple Fund donated $1 million worth of Bitcoin to the Mona Foundation.

Hard Fork has reached out to the Mona Foundation to confirm its process for handling donations in cryptocurrency, as well as how it handled the $1 million in BTC from Pineapple Fund. Well update this piece should we receive a reply.

Published November 21, 2019 17:11 UTC

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VinDAX Is the Seventh Cryptocurrency Exchange Hacked This Year: What Should Investors Be Considering? – Lexology

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

On November 5, 2019, Vietnam-based cryptocurrency exchange VinDAX was hacked, losing half a million U.S. dollars worth of funds spread across 23 different cryptocurrencies.[1] The VinDAX hack marks the latest in a series of cryptocurrency exchange hacks and data breaches that have taken place this year, and is part of a larger and growing trend of digital currency heists that have occurred since Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, was introduced in 2008.[2] In July of this year, Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitpoint was also hacked, losing about $32 million in cryptocurrency,[3] and earlier this year, hackers stole $16 million worth of cryptocurrency from New Zealand-based Cryptopia.[4] Losses from cryptocurrency hacks this year alone are reported to have totaled around $1.39 billion worth of assets.[5]

Background

Cryptocurrencies are built on a technology called blockchain a distributed ledger technology in which transactions are recorded across a network of peer-to-peer computers. Since the most well-known cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, together with the underlying blockchain technology, was developed by one or more developers using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto and published in a white paper in 2008,[6] blockchain has been praised for its intrinsic security, as well as qualities that allow cryptocurrency holders to remain largely anonymous. But the same features that have made blockchain an innovative financial technology also make cryptocurrencies an attractive target for theft; once stolen, the nature of blockchain technology makes it extremely difficult to trace the culprits and track down the stolen assets.

Cryptocurrencies generally are based upon a system that uses a public digital key, which is used for identification (similar to a bank account number), and a private digital key (similar to a personal identification number to access that account), which is used for encryption and authentication. The other component of the system is the wallet, which stores cryptocurrencies. Each wallet has a unique address, which is used for sending and receiving funds. A user starts with an address, which in turn generates a private key and a public key using an algorithm; the private key grants the user ownership of the funds at a specified address. When sending funds, the system software identifies the transaction with the private key (without disclosing it), which validates for the benefit of all on the relevant network the authority of the user to transfer the funds from its address (which it does by generating a unique digital signature for every transaction a user undertakes). The public key, which is the public address for the wallet (in effect the address is a representation of the public key) and is intended to be shared, is derived from the private key (that is, the private key generates the public key). At the heart of the cryptography system is the one-way aspect of these components: the public key cannot be derived from the address, and the private key cannot be derived from the public key.

Experts say that one of the safest ways to store cryptocurrency is by using what is known as a hardware wallet.[7] This is an off-line device like a thumb drive, in which a users private keys are stored. These devices often require passwords, backed by sophisticated encryption systems, and multi-factor authentication procedures in order to gain access to the private keys stored on them. (These devices do not store cryptocurrency assets themselves, but rather the private keys associated with the cryptocurrency assets in the blockchain system.) The problem with this system is that it is cumbersome. Accessing funds requires having the hardware wallet on-hand, and then engaging in a lengthy process of opening up the hardware wallet and gaining access to the private keys stored in the wallet. This can make it hard to respond quickly to the highly volatile cryptocurrency marketplace.

The solution to which many resort is keeping their funds on the exchanges they use to buy and sell cryptocurrency (examples include Coinbase, Bittrex and CEX.io). However, since the cryptocurrencies themselves are not actually on the exchanges, what this technically means is that the users are storing their private keys on the exchange. The exchanges therefore act as warehouses of private keys associated with hundreds of millions, and often billions, of dollars in cryptocurrency assets. Not surprisingly given the concentration risk, these exchanges have increasingly become a favorite target for high-value hacks.

Cryptocurrency hacks not only result in significant loss of personal holdings; they also create wild fluctuations in cryptocurrency markets. After a $37 million hack of the Korean exchange Coinrail in 2018, Bitcoin (the first, and most popular cryptocurrency) lost approximately 11% of its market value.[8] A similar drop occurred after hackers stole 120,000 Bitcoins from Hong Kong-based exchange Bitfinex in 2016.[9]

In light of the increasing number of cryptocurrency exchange hacks in recent years, companies that invest in cryptocurrency projects or have significant holdings in cryptocurrencies should keep the following in mind:

What should companies with significant holdings in cryptocurrencies be considering?

Due diligence

Companies considering investing in cryptocurrencies may want to undertake a thorough due diligence analysis of the cybersecurity measures, response protocols, and access controls for their preferred method of storing their private keys, whether that method involves using an exchange, a hardware wallet, or some other method.

Companies may also want to engage outside counsel or retain in-house expertise to advise them as to their legal obligations for how they store their private keys. For example, companies may need to determine whether applicable SEC laws and regulations require the use of a qualified custodian for holding private keys, as well as their obligations for instituting specific controls and response procedures for protecting against the loss of clients assets.

Use offline or hardware wallets

As discussed above, there are few safer ways to secure cryptocurrency assets than using a hardware wallet for maintaining private keys. While these hardware wallets are commercially available, large investors may consider instead engaging computer engineers that can build custom hardware wallets. Similarly, as discussed above, companies may want to consider engaging a reputable, insured, qualified cryptocurrency custodian service for storing private keys.

What should companies that are investing in cryptocurrency businesses be considering?

When investing in a cryptocurrency exchange project, invest heavily in cybersecurity.

Cryptocurrency users have many exchange options, and they tend to be fairly discriminating about which they choose to use based on the exchanges reputations for cybersecurity and history of cyber penetrations. A new cryptocurrency exchange will need to earn a reputation for integrity and cybersecurity in order to attract users (unless, as is sometimes the case, the exchange offers certain desirable cryptocurrencies that are not available on other available exchanges). Nothing will cripple a new cryptocurrency exchange faster than a successful cyber penetration, and the short history of cryptocurrency is rife with now-defunct exchanges that either went bankrupt and/or lost all user confidence after a cyberattack.

If your company is contemplating investing in a cryptocurrency exchange project, robust cybersecurity should be considered. This includes not only technical cybersecurity measures, but also robust cybersecurity policies, compliance and reporting mechanisms, and audit controls. Capable in-house expertise or outside firms can help you develop these procedures, and your company may want to secure this expertise well before your project launches.

When investing in a cryptocurrency blockchain project, develop cyber penetration response policies in advance.

As discussed above, most cryptocurrency hacks do not compromise the blockchain itself, but the exchanges where the transactions occur and the private keys are stored. These hacks can devastate the cryptocurrency market. But a cryptocurrency blockchain or platform can itself be compromised, and when this happens, having the right response procedures in place is critical.

An example of this was seen with Ethereuma blockchain-based smart contract[10] system that used the cryptocurrency Ether to compensate the operators of the computational engine that powers the blockchain system and as a medium for the exchange of value for the performance of smart contracts. In 2016, an organization called the DAO[11] developed a smart contract system built on the Ethereum platform designed to facilitate venture capital fund investment. Hackers exploited a flaw in that smart contract system, resulting in the theft of $50 million worth of Ether. A vote was held within the Ethereum community about how to respond to the hack, with a majority voting to do a hard fork[12] of the Ethereum blockchain. Since the blockchain represents a history of all transactions since its inception, a hard fork is effectively a way to reverse time by erasing the history of the transactions on the blockchain system since the occurrence of the compromising event (hard forks can also be planned events so the rules and protocols governing the blockchain can be updated). This hard fork was extremely controversial within the Ethereum community because it resulted in the reversal of both legitimate and illegitimate transactions, and the value of Ether and confidence in the Ethereum platform temporarily suffered as a result.

One of the reasons the DAO hack was so disruptive to the Ethereum community was because of the debate that ensued within that community over how to respond to it. Thus, companies considering whether to invest in a cryptocurrency project should consider not only how to gird their projects against technical hacks, but also how to develop and disseminate response policies that would give users assurance that the cryptocurrency project would commit to a predictable, controlled course of action in response to various compromising events.

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The cryptocurrency market update: Bitcoin bears have an upper hand – FXStreet

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

The cryptocurrency market has settled down after a sharp sell-off on Thursday. Bitcoin and all major altcoins are nursing losses on a day-to-day basis with ta notable exception of Tezos (XTZ). The coin has gained over 5%, building on the recovery of the week. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization crashed to $208 billion, from $220 billion this time on Thursday; an average daily trading volume is increased to $81 billion. Bitcoin's market share settled at 66.1%.

BTC/USD recovered from Thursday low of $7,393 and settled down in a new range limited by $7,700 on the upside and $7,500 on the downside. At the time of writing, BTC/USD is changing hands at $7,580, down nearly 5% on a day-to-day basis and unchanged since the beginning of the day.

Ethereum, the second-largest digital asset with the current market capitalization of $17.4 billion, has settled above $160.00 after a sharp sell-off towards $156.22 on Thursday evening. The recovery is capped by the middle line of 1-hour Bollinger Band 1-hour currently at $162.50. Once it is out of the way, the upside is likely to gain traction with the next focus onpsychological $170.00 reinforced by SMA50 (Simple Moving Average) and the upper line of 1-hour Bollinger Band. At the time of writing, ETH/USD down 8.5% on a day-to-day basis and unchanged since the beginning of the day.

Ripples XRP returned to $0.2400 on Friday after a short-lived dip to $0.2357. The third-largest digital asset with the current market value of $10.4 billion has lost 3.6% of its value in recent 24 hours, unable to develop a sustainable recovery. The initial barrier is created by $0.2460 (the upper line of 1-hour Bollinger Band) followed by SMA50 1-hour at $0.2470.

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Bitfinex Announces Strategic Collaboration with ODEM to Expand Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Education – PRNewswire

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

Together, they will launch a series of programs and courses aiming at increasing the level of education of both novice and advanced Bitfinex users who are interested in obtaining more knowledge about the technical features of digital tokens. In conjunction with these educational programs, ODEM will launch a full simulation of its education marketplace. Bitfinex will provide the liquidity for ODEM transactions, reflected through ODEM's smart contracts. This way, Bitfinex users purchasing educational programs on the ODEM Marketplace using the same credentials as on Bitfinex will be able to view their ODEM Token transactions on Bitfinex's order book.

"We're excited to be the first to market with completely mirrored fiat-to-crypto trades in our education and employment marketplace," said Richard Maaghul, CEO at ODEM. "Mirroring blockchain transactions allows users to view their payment activity reflected through our smart contracts in real-time and viewable through Etherscan.io. Transactions conducted by ODEM's Token simulation are fueled by liquidity provided by Bitfinex. With their support of the overall decentralized ecosystem and focus on community-driven social impact, Bitfinex was a clear driver for us."

Bitfinex users will be able to obtain access to all educational programs on the ODEM Marketplace directly from the platform's website. With several million users, Bitfinex can leverage these programs to obtain a holistic view of cryptocurrency markets and trends, while also further enhancing users' understanding of how the platform operates.

"Our collaboration with ODEM is a natural extension of our role as the premier trading platform worldwide," said Paolo Ardoino, CTO at Bitfinex. "By educating more individuals on the uses and value of cryptocurrency and the vital role it plays in powering the blockchain economy, we are encouraging greater understanding and adoption of digital currencies. We're confident that through continued, dynamic and relevant education provided by expert educators on ODEM's platform, Bitfinex users will receive an advanced service offering."

In the coming months, as more companies are opening up to cryptocurrency payments, ODEM will expand the ODEM Token payment gateway across the marketplace. ODEM Token payments will be available per-country, based on each country's regulatory environment. ODEM's fiat payment system and token simulation represent an onramp for use of the blockchain-based marketplace, expanding its value to all countries. During the simulation process, tokens will be mirrored on Bitfinex to reflect the fiat activity. New and existing ODEM users who open a Bitfinex account will be able to use the Bitfinex platform to create an Ethereum wallet address to secure their academic credentials and skill badges on the blockchain.

Bitfinex expects its cooperation with ODEM to be a natural extension of its continued support and commitment to creating a vital and thriving cryptocurrency ecosystem where all users are empowered to navigate the market in a safe and effective way.

About ODEMODEM is an on-demand education and employment marketplace that directly connects employers, students and educators to make learning, working and growing professionally more affordable, accessible and efficient. Founded in 2017 by seasoned educational technology veteran, Richard Maaghul, ODEM was built out of his clear vision for how the blockchain could be used to transform today's inefficient education and employment industries. The first of its kind, the ODEM Marketplace has already attracted over 30,000 users representing 166 countries and top organizations with a wide variety of employers from Silicon Valley and Fortune 500s. Learn more at https://odem.io/.

ODEM Media Contact Ashley Chen, Director, Marketingpress@odem.io

About BitfinexAs the world's leading digital asset trading platform, Bitfinex offers state-of-the-art services for digital token traders and global liquidity providers. Founded in 2012, Bitfinex was one of the first sophisticated platforms set up to accommodate the growing interest in digital token trading. Since then, it has gained invaluable experience whilst cementing our spot as the go-to platform for digital token traders and institutions. In addition to a suite of highly advanced and diversified trading features and charting tools, Bitfinex provides access to peer-to-peer financing, an OTC market and margin trading for a wide selection of digital tokens. Bitfinex's strategy focuses on providing unparalleled support, tools, and innovation for experienced traders and liquidity providers around the world.

Bitfinex Media Contact Joe MorganSenior Public Relations Managerpress@bitfinex.com

SOURCE ODEM

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This week in Cryptocurrency – Born2Invest

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

Crypto has had a big week, a number of big names in the finance space have weighed in on the viability of cryptocurrency and there have been a number of big regulatory shifts surrounding ICOs, while Europe is positioning itself to become the global cryptocurrency leader.

If youre in a rush the Born2Invest business news mobile app helps readers digest the crypto news summaries in small digestible chunks, helping them be up to date with the newest information in this field. Our team of experts puts the most important cryptocurrencies news at your fingertips.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said that President Xi Jinpings approval of blockchain would have a positive impact on the global cryptographic industry. According to Tom Lee of Fundstrat, Bitcoin will go through the same stages of development as technology companies from Silicon Valley and the Creator of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, believes that the shift from transaction fees, once block fees stop being issued, will create a number of significant security and verification problems for blockchains that utilize Proof-of-Work (PoW).

Joseph Lubin, founder of the Consensys startup, expressed his hope that the Chinese digital currency will interact with many blockchains, including the ethereum. While Mark Yusko, CEO of the Morgan Creek Foundation, believes that it is time to resume buying Bitcoins now. He stressed that investors should give up Amazon shares and increase capital investments in the first cryptocurrency.

John Macafee made a statement that cryptocurrency companies are not obliged to supervise everything that happens in the cryptographic industry. According to him, the fight against criminals should not fall within the remit of cryptocurrency companies.

The creator of the C++ programming language, Bjrn Straustrup, complained that his brainchild plays a key role in the functioning of Bitcoin. Speaking in Lex Freedmans podcast, Straustrup said that mining uses too much energy and that Bitcoin serves criminals. This opinion appears to be shared by the former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, it makes no sense for central banks to issue their own digital currency.

In contrast Bobby Li, co-founder of the Chinese cryptocurrency exchange BTCC believes Bitcoin will be able to grow in price up to $1 million, and the market capitalization of the first cryptocurrency will reach $8 trillion.

Almost half of the financial experts believe that Bitcoin will become the most efficient asset next year. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the analytical company Chainalysis.

Willy Wu, a well-known analyst, has prepared a chart that clearly shows which assets have the largest volume today. According to his estimation, more than 99% of all cryptographic assets on CoinMarketCap are illiquid.

The Weiss rating agency has published a series of posts on Twitter, where it tried to explain why the Cardano network is better than EOS.

Binance plans to add 180 new fiat currencies to its platform. Binance and HTC intend to release a cryptocurrency smartphone with Binance Chain blockchain support. The Exodus 1 Binance Edition smartphone will allow access to the decentralized Binance DEX exchange through a trusted execution environment called Zion Vault. Also, the Binance page in the Chinese social network Weibo has been blocked due to violation of the law.

Bittrex decided to return the frozen cryptocurrency funds to customers in jurisdictions where its services were banned. Bithumb Global has announced the release of a native token for the Bithumb Chain blockchain exchange. Bitfinex plans to expand its product range with options on cryptocurrency and digital staple coin secured with gold.

Several ICO-projects, which raised together about $40 million in 2017, failed to fulfill their obligations under the agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies agreed to return the money to investors or provide greater transparency in exchange for lower fines, but failed to comply with these requirements within the specified time frame.

The French central bank is looking for a blockchain analyst and engineer to deal with digital currencies and the application of blockchain to banking services.

The European Union will become a leader in the crypto sphere if it will develop a unified approach to regulating relations in the industry, as it is stated in the study of the Association of Financial Markets of Europe. The authors of the report emphasize that European countries need to speed up the work on creating a single legal framework, as the U.S. and China also want to become leaders in this area.

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(Featured image byAndr Franois McKenzieviaUnsplash)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Born2Invest, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words believe, project, estimate, become, plan, will, and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in coinspot, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.

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PayPal CEO Holds Bitcoin and Only Bitcoin – Cointelegraph

November 22, 2019 | Author: admin

Dan Schulman, CEO of payment processor PayPal, revealed during an interview that he does indeed own Bitcoin (BTC).

On Nov. 20, Fortune reported that PayPal CEO Dan Schulman stopped by its offices where he discussed a variety of topics, including the reason for PayPals withdrawal from the Libra Association and whether he is the proud owner of any cryptocurrencies.

Schulman explained that PayPal withdrew from Libra because the company decided to put its attention elsewhere. According to the CEO it was a question of where do we want to put our attention, and what do we want to do today to advance our mission? He added:

You know, we think if we focus on our own roadmap, wed be able to advance financial inclusion faster than if we put all these resources against Libra.

Schulman added that Libra will start going down a road that his company remains very interested in looking at, and once Libra starts to figure things out, well take another look at where they are.

At the beginning of October, a PayPal spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the company had officially left the association, adding that they remain supportive of Libras aspirations and continue to look forward to dialogue on ways to work together in the future.

PayPals CFO John Rainey said in May that the firm has teams that are working on blockchain and cryptocurrency, and that they wish to participate in that technology in whatever form it takes in the future.

In the Fortune interview, Schulman was reluctant to share any significant details as to what exactly PayPal is working on in the sphere, although he was quick to point out that it is not necessarily competitive with Libra, adding:

We think theres a lot of promise to blockchain technology. Its intriguing to us, but it really needs to do something that the traditional rails cant do. Most people think that blockchain is about efficiency, but the system today is pretty efficient.

Regarding cryptocurrencies, the CEO said that it is still very volatile, and that they do not have much demand for it by merchants because merchants operate on very small margins. He said:

Until it becomes less volatile, it wont be a currency that is widely accepted by merchants on the web not the dark web, but the web.

As to whether he owns any cryptocurrencies himself, Schulmans answer was short and straightforward:

Yes, Bitcoin. [...] Only.

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PayPal CEO Holds Bitcoin and Only Bitcoin - Cointelegraph

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How To Face An Anxiety Provoking Situation Like A Champion – Forbes

November 21, 2019 | Author: admin

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Whether you signed up to take the bar exam or you are about to deliver a do-or-die presentation, your mindset determines whether you rise to the occasion or crumble under the pressure in an anxiety provoking situation.

Anxiety feels uncomfortable. So your natural defense might be to avoid these types of situations altogether.

Your mind and your body might try to convince you that you cant handle the stress. But giving into that fear is the only way youre certain to fail.

Champions know how to rise to the occasion during an anxiety provoking situation. They perform their best when their is much at stake.

Heres how to stay mentally strong when youre faced with an anxiety provoking situation:

Contrary to what you might think, anxiety is not all in your mind. It is also waging a war with your body.

Anxiety produces a variety of physical symptoms too, like sweaty palms and a rapid heartbeat. These physiological signs of anxiety will likely fuel your anxious thoughts and feelings. When your body acts like its in a state of panic, your mind will probably begin to freak out.

Fortunately, you can calm your body when you begin to experience this fight-or-flight response.

A couple of slow, deep breaths might go a long way to calming your mind and your body. Heres how to practice:

Slow, deep breaths can reduce your physical symptoms, help you become more present in the moment, and prevent you from developing a doom-and-gloom mindset.

So whenever you feel yourself panicwhether youre presented with a life-changing opportunity or youre doing simple that evokes a lot of fearuse this deep breathing exercise to calm yourself.

Anxious feelings lead to anxious thoughts. So when you feel afraid, you might convince yourself youre going to fail. Or you might tell yourself you should give up.

Those anxious thoughts will increase your feelings of anxiety. That leads to a vicious downward spiral thats hard to break.

Fortunately, you can break this cycle by giving yourself a quick pep talk. Ask yourself, What would I say to a trusted friend who was in this situation? Then, give yourself that same advice.

Whether you think, "All you can do is your best" or "Go knock 'em dead!" those words of encouragement can give you a quick boost in mental strength and help you enter the situation with a champion-like mindset.

Dont waste your valuable energy on things you cant control. Stay focused on yourself.

You can control how many people you introduce yourself to at a networking event, but you cant control whether people follow up with you. You can control the delivery of your speech but you cant control how receptive the audience is.

When you catch yourself thinking about things you cant control, refocus your energy. Remind yourself that you are only responsible for what you do and you cant control how other people think, feel, or behave.

It can even help to have your own mantra that you repeat beforehand as many times as you need to. Say to yourself out loud something like "Do your best" each time you catch yourself thinking about things outside your control.

Imagination fuels anxiety. All too often we imagine the worst-case scenario. What if no one likes me at the party? What if I stumble over words? What if I cant think of anything interesting to say?

Those catastrophic thoughts can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. As you worry about stumbling on your words, you might grow distracted and forget what you were saying. Or, as you focus too much on whether people like you, you might not engage in authentic, meaningful conversations.

To keep your anxiety at bay about all those what ifs, create an if...then plan.

Establish how youll respond if the problem youre worrying about actually happens.

If I get nervous during my speech, then Ill take a few deep breaths and look at my notes. If I cant think of anything interesting to say, then Ill ask about where they grew up.

Developing a plan for the worst case scenario will eliminate your need to keep worrying about disastrous outcomes. And itll free up your mind to focus on more important things.

Trying too hard to fight anxiety can be a waste of energy. Its not productive to tell yourself things like My anxiety must mean Im not good enough for this or I cant handle feeling anxious. Youll just drain yourself of the mental strength you need to perform at your peak.

Concentrate your efforts on building courage rather than trying to reduce your anxiety.

Embrace a little anxiety, rather than fight it. Remind yourself that anxious feelings are proof that you are doing something challenging and important.

Regardless of whether you delivered your speech perfectly or you nailed every nerve-racking interview question perfectly, congratulate yourself for facing your fears.

Tackling anxiety provoking situations head-on gets easier with practice. But it also helps sharpen your skills.

Every tough challenge gives you an opportunity to build more mental muscle. And each step you take toward becoming mentally stronger is one step toward reaching your greatest potential.

Link:

How To Face An Anxiety Provoking Situation Like A Champion - Forbes

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