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The worst-case scenario on encryption back doors – Washington Post

May 16

The May 14 front-page article Nations race to contain hacks has implications for the debate on encryption back doors.

If you view the broad world through a keyhole defined only by a need to catch the bad guys, you might conclude that mandating encryption back doors on all electronic devices is a good idea, particularly if the government has custody of those back doors. The recent global ransomware cyberattack, purportedly using the National Security Agencys own tools, proves otherwise and will hopefully end this debate.

When I was a product manager for a major smartphone company, we urged the Department of Homeland Security not only to avoid an encryption backdoor policy but also to zealously advocate strong encryption privacy among federal government agencies and global partners. We now have a glaring example of a worst-case scenario.

John Morrison, Crownsville

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Vendors will break WannaCry’s encryption within months, strategist predicts – CSO Australia

The heat is on the ransomwares creators but its not clear whether they will crack under pressure, or redouble their efforts

Concerted industry efforts are likely to produce a decryption tool for the WannaCry ransomware attack within months, the head of one vendors security team has predicted while warning that the attacks emboldened creators may be using it as a distraction for other malicious activity.

Every security vendor has turned its sights to reverse-engineering the WannaCry code in the wake of its high-profile worldwide outbreak, Bitdefender chief security strategist Catalin Cosoi told CSO Australia, and the sheer numbers pitted against it meant a solution was going to happen one way or another.

There is a war room in every security vendors offices, Cosoi explained. At some point it will open up and while Im not saying we will necessarily be the ones to do it, it will be a joint effort. These guys caused too much attention for us to not find a solution to the problem.

Whether through sheer determination or by exploiting vulnerabilities in the code, researchers have previously been successful in developing tools to help victims of ransomware attacks including TeslaCrypt, CryptXXX and CryptoLocker.

In the case of TeslaCrypt, the crack came after the ransomwares authors gave researchers the encryption key they had used leading Cosoi to suggest that even WannaCrys creators may end up pulling the plug in a similar way if they feel the attack has blown way out of control. This might be in exchange for a reduced penalty if they are caught, or simply because they are worried that the attack is causing much more damage than they ever expected.

Another possible scenario bodes much more poorly for victims, with Cosoi warning that the whole thing may be a distraction. Since the entire industry is focusing on this ransomware, he said, it may be that other perpetrators are working their way around in a targeted attack on an institution where they want to steal something very important.

The attack has served as a painful reminder of the importance of patching for companies that have failed to patch their old Windows systems which WannaCry targets and have often left them unchanged for years. Yet with the worm still very much in play and its creators likely to be reworking their use of the NSA-originated EternalBlue exploit, even companies that have patched their systems may be left exposed and many in the industry are warning that the worst may well be yet to come.

The success of WannaCry confirms earlier predictions, such as a new analysis by the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology that predicted 2016 would be the year ransomware holds America hostage.

One reason that ransomware is so effective is that the cybersecurity field is not entirely prepared for its resurgence, the report noted. Attacks are more successful when effective countermeasures are not in place. Information security systems exist to detect and mitigate threats, to prevent data modification, to question unusual behavior, etc.

After it is on a system, ransomware bypasses many of these controls because it effectively acts as a security application. It denies access to data or encrypts the data. The only difference is that the owner of the system does not own the control.

Ultimately, the runaway success of the WannaCry ransomware has not only served as a wakeup call to businesses but has forced the security industry to reassess its approach to handling vulnerabilities. The damage it has caused might, for example, create additional impetus for mandatory software updates that vendors have previously been reluctant to push onto users.

Whatever change comes from WannaCry and however long it takes to crack as law enforcement picks up the investigation Cosoi says the incident will be remembered for a long time to come.

A phenomenon like this happens once every five years, he said. Since it has been a very media-ised event, it will be a wakeup call for all those people believing that nobody will target them which is often why they didnt update their systems. Its a reminder for institutions and companies that security isnt a joke and that something will eventually happen that will bite you on the arse.

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Tags chief security strategistCryptolockerCatalin CosoiWannaCry ransomwareTeslaCryptencryptionCritical Infrastructure Technologbitdefendermalicious activity

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Bitcoin Balloons on Overheated Air – Bloomberg

Ever since the dot-com and housing bubbles popped in 2000 and 2008, spotting bubbles has become a national obsession. Investors have spotted bubbles in bonds, credit, equities, gold -- you name it -- over the last several years.

I wouldnt use the B-word to describe any of those investments -- yet. In fact, I wouldnt even nominate any of them for Most Likely to Bubble Over. I would give that distinction to a certain cryptocurrency that is quickly making its name and fortune: Bitcoin.

Bitcoin has all the attributes of a bubble in the making. First, its radically new. Its a digital payment system that allows users anywhere in the world to transact directly without interference from intermediaries, governments, regulators or central banks -- at least for now. Transactions are administered by a decentralized network of computers, much like the internet.

In his book about the 17th-century tulip bubble in Holland, "Tulipmania," British journalist Mike Dash points out, It is impossible to comprehend the tulip mania without understanding just how different tulips were from every other flower known to horticulturists in the 17th century. The same could be said about the internet in the 1990s and about digital currency today.

Second, Bitcoin is shrouded in secrecy. Buyers and sellers of Bitcoin can trade anonymously, which makes the digital currency a favorite of criminals and hackers demanding ransom. Its origins are shrouded in mystery. Its creator goes by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto, but it's unclear who that person is or if it's even one person. That, too, is reminiscent of another bubble. At the height of Englands South Sea Bubble in 1720, one company floated shares "For carrying-on an undertaking of great advantage but no-one to know what it is." Of course, that didnt stop investors from throwing money at the company.

Riding the Wave

In 1720, share prices of the South Sea Company rose 400 percent in three months and then collapsed just as quickly

Source: ICF working paper, New Evidence on the First Financial Bubble by Rik Frehen, Will Goetzmann and Geert Rouwenhorst Note: European date format.

Third, Bitcoin has no value other than what a buyer is willing to pay for it, which makes it susceptible to the argument that underlies all bubbles. Namely, that any price is appropriate. But theres already reason to worry that Bitcoin's price is excessive. An investment in Bitcoin has returned a breathtaking 351 percent annually since its inception in July 2010 through Tuesday. To put that in perspective, an investment of $100 in Bitcoin from the beginning would be worth close to $3 million today. Its not easy to justify that kind of return for any investment.

Digital Gold

The price of Bitcoin is up 3 million percent since July 2010

Source: Bloomberg

Bitcoin is similar to other currencies and commodities such as gold, oil, potatoes or even tulips in that its intrinsic value is difficult -- if not impossible -- to separate from its price. But there are governments standing behind currencies and reliable currency markets for exchange. And with commodities, investors have something to hold at the end of the transaction. Bitcoin feels more speculative because its just digital ephemera.

That isnt true for all investments. Stockholders are entitled to a share of a companys assets, earnings and dividends, the value of which can be estimated independent of the stocks price. The same can be said about a bonds payments of principal and interest.

This distinction between price and value is what allowed many observers to warn that internet stocks were absurdly priced in the late 1990s, or that mortgage bonds werent as safe as investors assumed during the housing bubble. A similar warning about Bitcoin isnt possible.

During the dot-com craze, Warren Buffett was asked why he didnt invest in technology. He famously answered that he didnt understand tech stocks. But what he meant was that no one understood them, and he was right. Why else would anyone buy the NASDAQ 100 Index when its price-to-earnings ratio was more than 500 times -- a laughably low earnings yield of 0.2 percent -- which is where it traded at the height of the bubble in March 2000.

Internet Gold

The NASDAQ 100 Index's spectacular rise and fall within five years embodied the dot-com bubble

Source: Bloomberg

Thinking back on investors credulity during the last two bubbles, I cant help but wonder if buyers of Bitcoin understand what theyre invested in. They would be wise to ask themselves that same question.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Nir Kaissar in Washington at nkaissar1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Niemi at dniemi1@bloomberg.net

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Bitcoin Is An Asset, Not A Currency – Forbes


Forbes
Bitcoin Is An Asset, Not A Currency
Forbes
Over the past year and a half Bitcoin has been on a spectacular run, rising in value 140% in 2016 and now an additional 49% in just the past month. This surge in value has invigorated Bitcoin backers convinced this boost in value makes Bitcoin a more ...
Despite RBI warning, 2,500 Indians investing in Bitcoins daily. Here ...Economic Times
Why has bitcoin's value soared?Financial Times
Bitcoin's popular design is being exploited for theft and fraudPhys.Org
Metro -newsBTC -The Star Online
all 28 news articles »

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Companies Stockpiling Bitcoin in Anticipation of Ransomware Attacks – NBCNews.com

One of Bitcoin enthusiast Mike Caldwell's coins in this photo illustration at his office in Sandy, Utah, from September 17, 2013. JIM URQUHART / Reuters file

So far, WannaCry ransoms have grossed a little more $80,000, Chainalysis reported. That's not a huge amount considering the malware's far reach. Also, most of the money was grossed via individual transactions, which means large companies likely didn't find paying the ransom necessary.

Nevertheless, many companies still feel compelled to keep Bitcoin on hand in case of future ransomware attacks.

"I've often heard expressed that intelligence agencies and law enforcement act on a reactive basis," said Dr. Simon Moores, Britain's former technology ambassador and chairman of the annual international e-Crime Congress. "Once it's into your system, there's not much they can do about it."

Related:

Moores explained that companies have accepted this type of hacking as reality, according to Citrix's findings. Although he declined to name companies, he said numerous organizations had told him privately that they keep electronic cash on hand in case of attack.

At times, they don't have another option.

"It's all well and good to catch up to the actors and prosecute them, but that doesn't help you if you happen to be a financial institution or a business and data is mission critical," Moores told NBC News.

And it's become more and more necessary as the rate of these malware attacks continues to increase.

According to Beazley Group, the number of ransomware assaults quadrupled in 2016. It projects that attacks will double in 2017 already noting a 35 percent uptick after the first financial quarter. That increase didn't account for the most recent cyberattack.

The insurance group, which specializes in cyber risk, has helped manage more than 5,000 hacking incidents since 2009. It said ransomware, "from the bad guy point of view," is low risk and high reward. It's not particularly sophisticated, but its massive volume will eventually lead to a payout.

"It really is knocking on a bunch of doors, if you will," Wice said. "If someone answers, you have access to encrypt their data. If they don't know any better and they're unsophisticated and don't know how to stop ransomware to stop hitting them, then they can be an easy target."

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Digital Assets vs Cryptocurrencies – The Merkle

It appears there is some confusion regarding cryptocurrencies and digital assets. While one could argue every cryptocurrency is a digital asset in its own right, thetwodifferentiate themselves in the way they are managed. There are quite a few differences between the two types of financial tools, although it is not hard to see why they would get confused with one another either.

Looking at the definition of a digital asset, it is not hard to see why they would be confused with cryptocurrencies. A digital asset exists in binary format and offers a right to use. A digital asset can range anywhere from motion pictures to documents and any other type of data one can think of. These assets are often stored on digital appliances, including computers, mobile devices, media players, and anything else one can think of.

In a way, every cryptocurrency in the world can be labeled as a digital asset. However, not every digital asset is a cryptocurrency. An excellent example of this confusion comes in the form of XRP, which many people wrongfully classify as a cryptocurrency. It is a digital asset stored on a distributed ledger, but that is as far as the correlation with cryptocurrency goes.

XRP, in his case, can only be used on the Ripple Consensus Ledger. Even then, it is not required to be used for any transaction taking place on this ledger either. The value of a digital asset is often derived from the organization they are linked to. A higher demand for such an asset often increases its value. However, the control surrounding access and transferability of these assets is maintained by individual companies.

Most people are all too familiar with the way cryptocurrencies work. These currencies also increase in value as they are used more often and for multiple purposes. Without Bitcoin being used to buy goods or services, there would be little value to the currency whatsoever. This is also why alternative cryptocurrencies often struggle to gain traction, as their subtlety is mostly limited or nonexistent.

Every cryptocurrency is issued on a blockchain, whereas digital assets can be issued on a distributed ledger or any other type of medium. Moreover, cryptocurrencies allow the owner to be in full control at all times, thanks to the public and private key system associated with cryptocurrency wallets. Digital assets are often somewhat protected by overarching entities, reducing the control the owner has over them to some degree.

Most cryptocurrencies are known for their decentralized aspect. This is particularly true for Bitcoin and all other prominent alternative cryptocurrencies in existence today. They also use different timestamping services, which are not present where digital assets are concerned. Moreover, most cryptocurrencies have a supply limit, whereas digital assets could in theory be created indefinitely if needed. It is evident these two types of stored value are very different from one another, and should always be treated as such.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.

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Lightning Network adoption ushers in a new era of cryptocurrency functionality – Brave New Coin

On May 10, Segregated Witness (Segwit) was activated on Litecoin, allowing Lightning Network (Lightning) transactions from various software clients to settle on the cryptocurrency's network.

The creator of Litecoin, Charlie Lee, started advocating for SegWit activation on Litecoin and Bitcoin at the start of the year. Lee described the two competing networks as two highways: Today, Bitcoin is packed full of cars and Litecoin is empty. Even with Bitcoin packed, the cars are not coming to use the Litecoin highway today because its not connected and its inconvenient (centralized exchanges and slow on-chain transfers) to go across.

- Charlie Lee, Litecoin Creator

One major benefit of Lightning is a feature called Cross-Chain Transactions (XCTx), otherwise known as atomic cross-chain transactions or atomic swaps, where users can trade different cryptocurrencies instantaneously and without risk. XCTx allows a user to pay a merchant in Bitcoin (BTC), for example, even if they only own Litecoin (LTC), as long as they are both using the Lightning Network.

Efficient decentralized exchanges are now possible, Lee explains, You can now pay LTC and exchange them instantly through a Lightning exchange node and send BTC to the merchant. Thats basically decentralized ShapeShift.

With little documentation covering XCTx currently available, BraveNewCoin spoke to Lightning developers to learn more about this feature. Lightning Labs co-founder, and co-author of the original Lightning Network whitepaper, Joseph Poon previously told us that Cross-chain swaps are one of the most important & useful aspects of the Lightning Network.

Poons website briefly explains that XCTx can occur off-chain instantly, making it possible to make transactions across blockchains without trusting a third party custodian. While qualifying that the tech has a way to go before users have a seamless interface, Poon believes that XCTx will be very viable when wallets add Lightning Network capabilities.

Implementations such as his own Lightning client, Lightning Network Daemon (lnd), will allow wallets to make these types of payments seamless in the long-term. They could also result in very cheap transactions, he added.

- Joseph Poon, Lightning Labs Co-founder

His counterpart at the Paris-based Lightning startup ACINQ, CEO Pierre-Marie Padiou, agrees, calling XCTx a truly amazing feature. The developer sees two specific use cases for this new type of transaction, the first of which would be trustless trading.

The CEO is more excited about a second use case; cross-chain payments. Padiou echoed Lees and Poons sentiment about Lightning enabling users to transparently pay a merchant who is asking for bitcoins with litecoins, but states that nothing prevents hopping across several chains either.

It makes it possible to interconnect blockchains with different security/centralization tradeoffs, Padiou states, hinting that youll be able to use the benefits on any participating cryptocurrency. Any blockchain that supports Hash Time-Locked Contracts can be plugged into Lightning, he explained, even private blockchains for that matter!

Perhaps you only trust the value of your litecoins but want leverage the stealthiness of Zcash (ZEC) for a particular transaction? According to Padiou, it will be possible to send LTC, through the anonymous ZEC, and the other party can receive them as LTC. Of course, the heterogeneity in security, liquidity, etc. between blockchains will translate to risk management for gateway nodes, he adds. This will come at a price.

The process may be a relatively expensive transaction, racking up fees on each leg of the journey. Of course there will be fees, it shouldn't be a surprise either, Padiou states. You need to incentivize people to forward your payments, and in the case of cross-chain transactions, to reward the risk of handling a potentially less-secure or less-liquid altcoin. It doesn't mean that these fees will be high though; they will be much lower than for on-chain transactions.

Padiou also described how users would experience the XCTx process, stating that there is no reason why a cross-chain payment shouldn't be totally transparent. The technology allows for value to jump from chain to chain in any order, making a normal, one-currency Lightning transaction just the same in appearance and speed from the users perspective as a payment that jumps between coins.

A bitcoin-to-bitcoin payment could go through a litecoin channel without the user noticing, the CEO conveyed, assuming that Bitcoin implements Segwit first. The wallet setup is a tricky part, because it takes time to create channels.

- Pierre-Marie Padiou, ACINQ CEO

There could be dozens or even hundreds of cryptocurrencies using Lightning. Each network simply needs to implement Segwit on their blockchain. In every case so far, Lightning was then easily and quickly applied afterward.

While not every cryptocurrency is compatible with Segwit, the upgrade is not restricted to Proof-of-Work blockchains. Including Litecoin, at least seven cryptocurrencies are running the upgrade, and most have tested out Lightning transactions on their main network successfully.

Groestlecoin, claims to be the first to activate Segwit, as early as January 24 this year, while Syscoin was the first to claim a lightning network transaction on April 26, after activating Segwit via a required upgrade over Microsofts Azure cloud on March 31st. Digibyte implemented Segwit at the end of April, and made their first Segwit-style transaction on May 1.

Viacoin announced Segwit activation last week, and then on May 7, Vertcoin announced that they activated Segwit. Vertcoin facilitated their first lightning transaction within hours. NAV Coin was the latest to lock in Segwit, and the developers claim to have a dual-blockchain Proof-of-Stake algorithm, demonstrating that a wide variety of protocols can implement the upgrade.

Padiou tried out his eclair Lightning client on Litecoins testnet before Litecoin activated Segwit, and happily claimed that it worked out of the box, all we had to do is change a few configuration parameters. 16 days later, within two hours of Segwit activation, Blockstream developer Christian Decker sent the very first Lightning payment to settle on Litecoins main network.

Given a large enough network of cryptocurrencies all using Lightning and XCTx with each other, it stands to reason that together they could act as a dominant competitor to bitcoin itself, offering far more functionality than Bitcoin can before it adopts Segwit. It would certainly offer faster transaction speeds than bitcoin has, and there would be no need to re-deploy all of the participating wallets.

Padiou was careful not to predict if this network would become an economic threat to bitcoin. Some key aspects are extremely difficult to anticipate beforehands, he cautioned, even when you have a good understanding of the underlying technology.

Poon told BraveNewCoin that it's unlikely for many cryptocurrencies to act as a replacement for a common currency, as that results in an illiquid order book.

- Poon

Poon added that the primary limitation going forward is that development of the software to a point where it is robust, with improvements in interaction. Padiou agreed, stating that there is still much to do on the development front as well. Before making Lightning work between multiple blockchains, we should make it work on one blockchain. That is our immediate goal.

There are currently seven prominent development teams working on separate Lightning Network software client projects, which are all at various stages.

Lightning Network Daemon, from Poon and Tadge Dryjas Lightning Labs was the first lightning network team to issue a complete, working client.

The second largest manufacturer of mining equipment worldwide, Bitfury, was among the first to release their own whitepaper for a Lightning client, called Flare. While Bitfury has shared theirAlgorithm with other Lightning teams, it is unclear if Flare is complete and being offered as a product yet.

Eclair, from Padiou and his team, was the first to add a Graphical User Interface, allowing less development-savvy users to download and run a Lightning for the first time.

Blockstreams c-lightning is the software that Decker made the historic first litecoin transaction with, although its not ready for release as of yet.

Amiko Pay is a user-friendly Lightning client, although its security features are still under construction.

Built for use with smart contracts, Thunder is a Lightning client developed by the team at Blockchain.

Lit is the latest addition to the group, a lightweight client from MITs Media Lab, including Tadge Dryja again. The software is designed for developers that want to avoid downloading a blockchain and running a node, and therefore has its own built-in wallet.

There are also several projects being developed by startups in the space. Yours and Bitcache have developed their own mini-versions of Lightning which they needed to run their platforms on as well.

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ShapeShift Instant Cryptocurrency Exchange Now Supports Aragon … – Finance Magnates

Aragon, a Spanish blockchain startup developing a decentralized management platform for organizations, has announced a partnership with blockchainassets exchange ShapeShift.

The London Summit 2017 is coming, get involved!

The integration will enable Aragon buyers to participate in the token sale with over fortydifferent cryptocurrencies on the ShapeShift platform, including Bitcoin, Ether, Dash, and Litecoin.

Co-founder and Project Lead at Aragon Luis Cuende said: ShapeShift is known throughout the crypto space as one of the best digital asset exchanges. Featuring many of the leading blockchain tokens, ShapeShift will provide Aragon buyers with a fast and simple way to participate in our sale with a multitude of different cryptocurrencies.

An uncapped number of tokens will be sold during Aragons month-long token sale starting todayand concluding June 14, 2017. All funds raised from this initial sale, in the form of Aragon Network Tokens (ANT), will be used to continue building the Core and to build the Network.

Aragon is pioneering the change in organizational structures, redefining how companies are managed worldwide. At ShapeShift we strive to align ourselves with companies that further advance and broaden the usage of blockchain technology and are delighted to play a role in Aragons upcoming token sale, said Erik Voorhees, founder and CEO of ShapeShift.

Entering into the token pre-sale as institutional partners are ICONOMI and CoinFund. In addition, Aragon listsa number of individual pre-sale contributors including Joe Urgo, Director of Operations for Ethlance and Danielle Levi, co-founder of Stampery.

Early contributors, presale partners and advisors will acquire tokens which vest over time through smart contracts.

As a team we are dedicated and committed to the long term success of the project. Therefore, the Aragon token sale will be one of the first to restrict Founder and early contributor rewards with tokens which vest using smart contracts. We believe vesting should become a de-facto standard for all blockchain projects, added Cuende.

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Monaco VISA, World’s Best Cryptocurrency Card, Comes out of … – The Merkle

May 17th, 2017 Zug, Switzerland. After 12 months in stealth development, Monaco Technology GMBH unveiled its revolutionary Monaco VISA Card and App today. Besides traditional funding sources, Monaco can be funded with Bitcoin, Ethereum and other ERC20 tokens.

Monaco allows users to spend and send money globally at perfect interbank exchange rates, saving EUR30-40 on every EUR500 equivalent spent. Monaco Card will work on the VISA network, giving it world-wide acceptance.

Kris Marszalek, Founder of Monaco Technology, commented: The team worked incredibly hard over the last year to bring the Monaco VISA Card & App to the market. Its a beautifully simple product that allows users to avoid all the bank charges and currency exchanges impose on them. We believe that every single person who holds Ether or Bitcoin needs one. It brings amazing value, transparency and peace of mind. Youll never have to worry about exchange rates again, always getting the best deal physically possible. Its an incredible feeling!

Other features of the Monaco App include:

Together with the product reveal, Monaco announces its ICO, starting on May 18th. The Company targets contributions of 150,000ETH to fund customer acquisition goals and further product development.

Commenting on the ICO, Mr. Marszalek said: In an industry that has a reputation for being opaque, we stand out with our mission: to build simple and honest nancial products that improve lives. This starts with how we develop the products, how transparent we are about pricing and is reflected in how we structured our ICO.

Mr. Marszalek continued: Were fundamentally against the current industry practice of hyping-up ICOs for weeks, only to launch them and close in 30 minutes. Pre-sale discounts are not allowed in the Monaco ICO, giving all contributors a level playing eld on May 18th. In case the demand exceeds supply, the Company will continue selling tokens for another 7 days, to ensure fair and broad distribution of tokens and to improve potential secondary market performance of the MCO Token

Blockchain community members who participate in the Monaco ICO will receive MCO tokens in exchange for ETH contributions. As MCO token holders, they will have a stake in the MCO Asset Contract.

The MCO Asset Contract is an absolutely essential part of how value will be created for MCO token holders. Every time Monaco VISA Card users spend their BTC, ETH or other ERC20 tokens, Monaco will charge a 1% software license fee. All these fees will be automatically sent to the MCO Asset Contract. Over time, as Monaco users spend on the platform globally, the value will accrue in the MCO Asset Contract. A small license fee seems reasonable, as users are saving 5 to 8 times more on every transaction with Monaco VISA Card., Mr. Marszalek explained. Monaco forecasts that with transaction volume growth and appreciation of the ERC20 tokens over the next 5 years, the value of the MCO Asset Contract may reach US$500MM.

Limited Edition Monaco VISA Black Cards numbered 001 to 999 will be issued to participants of the MCO Token Sale. Black Cards numbered from 001 to 499 will be assigned to Top ETH Token Contributors. Black Cards numbered from 500 to 999 will be assigned to the fastest contributors, based on the time stamp of their ETH contribution. The Black Card Leaderboard will be available at Mona.co and will update automatically in real-time during the MCO Token Sale.

Besides the exclusive design, Monaco VISA BLACK Card holders will enjoy lifetime unlimited perfect interbank exchange rates and triple free monthly ATM withdrawal limits. More benets will be rolled out over time.

The person who contributes the highest number of tokens in the ICO will be rewarded with the Monaco VISA Black Card Number 001 and will receive a bonus 188,888 MCO Tokens from the Monaco Founders Pool. The 188,888 Bonus MCO Tokens will not be subject to a lockup period.

To find our more about Monaco please visit: http://www.Mona.co White paper download: http://www.Mona.co/whitepaper To pre-register for the Token Sale: http://www.Mona.co/register

LEAD ADVISOR: TokenMarket: http://www.TokenMarket.net

MEDIA CONTACT: Freya Stevens [emailprotected]

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ScienceAlert Deal: Here’s How to Get 1TB of Cheap, Secure Cloud Storage – ScienceAlert

Having your data readily available and secure, without taking up space on a hard drive is an incredibly valuable resource in 2017.

But some companies will charge you hundreds of dollars to reserve large amounts of space in the cloud and you can't even be sure how secure your information is.

That's why we've teamed up with StackCommerce to bring you a new deal on Zoolz Dual Cloud 1TB Storage: Lifetime Subscription.

For the lifetime of Zoolz, you'll be able to store 500GB in the instant vault so you can get the information ASAP and 500GB in the secure archive storage for important documents that you don't need every day.

Plus all your files are automatically encrypted with 256-AES encryption before they leave your computer, so you know your files are safe.

And this is all at US$29.99 a fraction of the cost of other cloud storage solutions.

Find out more here.

This is a promotional ScienceAlert Academy post, in partnership with StackCommerce. We carefully vet all courses and products to make sure they're relevant to our readers, and make a share in the profits of any sales.

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