4 Reasons to Become a Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP)

The Cryptocurrency Certification Consortium (C4) has established some cryptocurrency standards to help ensure a balance of decentralization, trust, privacy, openness, usability, and security. If you pass the CBP test, you will be able to get a certificate. It will improve your professional standing. In this article, we are going to find out why you should pursue Bitcoin Professional Certification. to read.

1. Eligibility

First, if you go for this certification, you will become a qualified professional. Hence, you can become more prominent in the group in terms of professional and personal skills.

2. Demand

If you are part of the Bitcoin ecosystem as a professional, you will enjoy many opportunities as an entrepreneur, freelancer and individual. The fact of the matter is that start-ups, media outlets and global organizations are always looking for professionals in the world of Bitcoin.

3. Comprehensive understanding

After you get your certification, you will have a solid understanding of cryptocurrency. As a result, you can practice your knowledge in a better way.

4. Skills

If you are a CBP, you can use the technology in your area of ​​expertise. The reason is that you will have a stronger understanding of many things like privacy and double spending.

pre-requisite

  • No prior cryptocurrency knowledge is required

  • Basic understanding of smartphone and computer operations

  • Familiarity with Android and Windows OS

Target audience

  • Users of Bitcoin

  • Project managers

  • IT professional

  • Journalists and bloggers

  • Entrepreneurs

  • Teachers, teachers and professors

  • Marketing and sales professionals

  • Controller and Accountant

How to Become a Certified Bitcoin Professional

If you want to become a CBP, you have to pay the fee and pass the exam. For this, you must have access to the necessary study material. The study material will be enough for you to study for up to 2 years. It will cover 33 topics and 6 domains.

The exam is in English language and the duration is 24 months. Exam fees are under $100, and supplemental exam fees and renewal fees are under $50.

To pass the exam, make sure you get at least 70% marks. If you fail to pass the exam on your first attempt, you can pay the fee and retake the exam.

There is also a time limit during the exam. You have to attempt 75 questions in just 20 minutes. It includes True and False and MCQs. The reason behind the time limit is to prevent the examinees from using the search engine to find the correct answer.

In a nutshell, these are the reasons and steps to becoming a certified professional. Hope it helps.

Getting started with cryptocurrencies

Investing in the cryptocurrency market space is often complicated, especially for traditional investors. This is because investing directly in cryptocurrency requires adopting new technologies, tools, and some new concepts.

If you decide to dip your toes into the cryptocurrency world, you need to have a clear picture of what to do and what to expect.

Whether it’s Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum or any of the 1300 tokens, buying and selling cryptocurrencies requires you to choose an exchange that deals in the products of your choice.

Being the most famous decentralized cryptocurrency, Bitcoin dominates the crypto space so dominantly that the terms crypto and bitcoin are sometimes used interchangeably. However, the fact is that there are other cryptocurrencies that can be relied upon for crypto-investing.

Litecoin

Litecoin, also referred to as the ‘golden silver of Bitcoin’, is an open source decentralized payment network that works without involving intermediaries.

How does Litecoin differ from Bitcoin? Well, both are similar in many ways, but Litecoin’s block generation is much faster than Bitcoin’s. This is opening up investors around the world to adopt Litecoin.

Charlie Lee, a former Google engineer founded Litecoin in 2011. Although Litecoin lacks the anonymity technology of Bitcoin, recent reports have shown that Litecoin is preferred after Bitcoin due to its persistence. Another factor in Litecoin’s favor is the Bitcoin SegWit technology which means secure peer-to-peer trading of the currency without exchange participation.

ethereum

Launched in 2015, Ethereum is a decentralized software platform that enables distributed applications and smart contracts to operate without third-party intervention. The currency is Ether which is like an accelerator within the Ethereum platform. The leading cryptocurrency space, Ethereum. Second most preferred choice after Bitcoin.

Zcash

Zcash gained attention in late 2016 and focused on solving the problem of anonymous transactions. To understand the currency, let’s say “If Bitcoin is to HTTP for money, Zcash is to HTTPS”.

The currency offers protected transaction options to maintain transaction transparency, privacy and security. This means investors can transfer data in encrypted code form.

Dash

Originally known as Darkcoin, Dash is a more selective version of Bitcoin. It was launched in January 2014 by Evan Duffield under the name Xcoin. It is also known as Decentralized Autonomous Organization or simply DAO. The coin was intended to remove all existing limitations of Bitcoin. Currently, Bitcoin has gained a significant position in the cryptocurrency space.

Alternatives to virtual currencies that promise secure and anonymous transactions through peer-to-peer networking are cryptocurrencies. The key to making a lot of money is making the right investment at the right time. Compared to everyday money making, cryptocurrency models work as a decentralized digital process without involving any middlemen. In this distributed cryptocurrency mechanism, continuous operations are issued, managed and approved by a community peer network. Cryptocurrencies are known for faster transactions in any other mode such as digital wallets and other mediums.

Apart from the above discussed, other top cryptocurrencies include Monero (XMR), Bitcoin Cash (BCH). EOS and Ripple (XRP).

While Bitcoin is the trendsetter and leading the race, other currencies have also established their important position and are growing in popularity every day. Considering the trend, other cryptos should be around for a long time and may soon give Bitcoin a real hard time to maintain its position.

If you have decided to make a speculative investment in this disruptive technology and want to receive all current and future recommendations, connect with “The Top Coins”.

Are you planning to set up your own cryptocurrency exchange platform?

If we look at the most influential developments in recent times, without a doubt the first thing that comes to our mind is cryptocurrency. People have made huge profits by investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and many more at the right time. Many people have also managed to make a happy day by simply providing a cryptocurrency exchange platform for investors to trade cryptocurrencies.

Setting up an exchange is pretty easy. But before starting your own exchange you need to know some basic things.

Let’s take a look at them-

Do you have a target audience in mind?

One of the most important things to consider before setting up any business platform is finding the target audience. Same situation here.

When you are planning to set up a bitcoin exchange platform, you must first analyze and figure out the audience you are going to target.

For example, in the case of Bitcoin, you can target both local and global audiences. So, you need to figure out what your target audience is and then plan with the development process. Why is this important? Well, you will know about it in the following section.

Do you understand legal terms?

The second thing you need to consider is the legal terms you need to follow.

There is a huge hullabaloo about the legal aspects related to cryptocurrency, but you will be surprised to know that there are 96 countries where Bitcoin transactions are still unrestricted.

Hence, building a cryptocurrency exchange platform may prove to be the best idea when targeting these countries.

Always be sure to thoroughly check the legal guidelines in effect in the area you plan to operate from.

Do you have a partner bank?

Another thing to remember here is that you will need a partner bank. The simple reason behind this is that you are going to make financial transactions.

To ensure that financial transactions are carried out in a smooth and hassle-free manner, you need to ensure that you have the right support in the form of a partner bank.

Therefore, you need to contact several banking institutions to see if they can help you and understand their terms and conditions.

Do you have the right partners to develop the platform?

The most important step in this process is finding the right professionals who can help you build a secure platform. Why we specifically mention the term secure is because the massive popularity of cryptocurrencies has made these exchanges prime targets for hackers.

You need to focus on building a secure platform to ensure that your reputation doesn’t suffer due to anything untoward. You can easily achieve this by hiring an experienced developer who knows all the ins and outs of the industry.

For example, they can test the platform by simulating a malware attack and see how your cryptocurrency exchange platform stands up against it.

Conclusion

This last point summarizes the basic things you should keep in the back of your mind when planning to set up a cryptocurrency exchange platform for yourself. Once you have the answer to this question, you can easily go ahead and proceed with the development and make some profit.

However, if you want to be in this game for a long time, be sure to take all the necessary legal, compliance and security measures.

So, are you ready for it?

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is an irrefutable resource innovation that is virtually revolutionizing the global business market. Its evolution has brought with it a greater good, not only for the business but also for its beneficiaries. But as it has been revealed to the world, a view of its operational activities is still unclear. The main question on everyone’s mind is – What is Blockchain?

To begin with, blockchain technology serves as a platform that allows the transit of digital information without the risk of being copied. It has, in a way, laid a strong backbone of a new kind of Internet space. Originally designed to deal with Bitcoin – trying to explain its algorithms, hash functions and digital signature properties to the general public, today, techies are finding other possible uses for this pristine invention that could pave the way for a whole new world of business transactions. process

Blockchain, by definition, is an algorithmic and data distribution framework for managing electronic cash without the intervention of a central administration, programmed to record all financial transactions as well as everything that holds value.

Blockchain works

Blockchain is understood as the distributed ledger technology that was originally developed to support the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. But after widespread criticism and rejection, the technology was modified for use in more productive things.

To give a clearer picture, imagine a spreadsheet that is virtually extended across a multitude of computing systems. And then imagine that these networks are designed to update this spreadsheet from time to time That’s what blockchain is all about.

The information stored in the blockchain is a shared sheet whose data is matched periodically. This is a practical approach that offers many obvious benefits. To be consistent, blockchain data does not exist in a single place. This means that everything stored there is open to public viewing and scrutiny. Additionally, there is no centralized data storage platform that hackers can corrupt. It is accessed on practically over a million computing systems side by side, and its data can be consulted by anyone with an Internet connection.

Sustainability and Authenticity of Blockchain

Blockchain technology is something that shrinks the space of the internet. It is flamboyant and powerful in nature. Similar to offering data to the general public via the World Wide Web, blocks of authentic information are stored on a blockchain platform that is equally visible across the network.

Important to note, Blockchain cannot be controlled by a single person, entity or identity and has no single point of failure. Just as the Internet has proven itself to be a sustainable space over the past 30 years, blockchain will serve as an authentic, reliable global stage for business transactions as it continues to evolve.

Clarity and indomitable nature

Industry veterans claim that blockchain lives in a state of consciousness. It practically checks itself every now and then. It’s like a self-auditing technology where its network synchronizes each transaction, known as a block, that happens at regular intervals.

This gives rise to two main features of blockchain – it is highly transparent, and at the same time, it cannot be corrupted. Each and every transaction performed on this server is embedded in the network, therefore, making the whole thing always visible to the public. Furthermore, editing or deleting information on the blockchain requires a large amount of effort and a powerful computing power. It is easy to detect fraud. Hence, it is called Akshaya.

Blockchain users

There are no defined rules or regulations on who will or can use this seamless technology. Although currently, its potential users are only banks, commercial giants and global economies, the technology is also open to everyday transactions of the general public. Blockchain’s only drawback is global adoption.

5 Ways Blockchain Will Transform A Common Man’s Life

With all the media ablaze with cryptocurrency price news, you might wonder how it affects a common man. Blockchain technology is at the heart of cryptocurrencies and other digital currencies.

There are various industrial and administrative problems that technology can solve for the common man. Are you a small business owner but often feel that traditional methods of communication lack transparency? Have you ever ended up with higher than normal medical bills? As a business owner, is finding legitimate candidates a hassle for you? These issues affect entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, individuals and blockchain technology seeks to provide solutions to make life easier for the common man through simplified solutions.

Banking

Banking in almost all countries is still too focused on paper-intensive transactions for any money transfer, record keeping or other back-end functions. Blockchain technology can replicate this in a digital format and create a decentralized ledger that allows not only bankers but also customers to access a single source of information. This system allows banks to eliminate the possibility of fraud as documentation and proof of asset ownership can be digitally checked by bankers on a blockchain ledger that can be accessed at any time in an immutable format.

Identity theft is also a major problem in the banking sector, with citizens’ information being stolen and used to open fraudulent accounts for illegal activities. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s online complaint database, more than 13 million complaints have been filed for card fraud and identity theft, including 3 million complaints filed in 2016 alone. Through a blockchain system, customers can directly view all accounts owned in their name and immediately notify their respective banks if they see any suspicious activity in their banking details. Some well-known examples include the IBM-backed Hyperledger Fabric project and UBS’s Utility Settlement Coin.

Healthcare

Blockchain technology can simplify healthcare in incredible ways and make medical data management easier. Making patient records widely accessible could make research on drug development much more convenient and also reduce the impact of counterfeit drugs. Clinical trials and their results can be made available on a decentralized network, allowing healthcare experts and researchers to conduct research and find better healthcare solutions. Accenture is one of the largest companies that have started providing innovative healthcare solutions for the medical care sector for secure and fraud-free transactions.

Blockchain billing management can also reduce Medicare fraud as the billing system can be fully automated with no opportunity for fraudulent activity by an intermediary. With more than 56 million people covered under Medicare as of 2017, $1.3 billion was siphoned from the government through fraudulent activity through rehab facilities and home health care services. Blockchain systems can effectively protect citizens who seek medical assistance from healthcare providers who overcharge for services rendered through fraudulent billing practices. Centralized data not only helps medical professionals in providing treatment based on patient and family history but also eliminates the possibility of patient misremembering past symptoms or disorders.

Public records

One of the most important civil administration functions of a government is to record all information about its citizens. This includes information about individuals and businesses related to their assets and activities. Most of the recorded data is recorded in paper databases, which makes data management extremely difficult even in developed countries.

Blockchain-based systems such as Ubiquity can encode all public records into a digital ledger so that citizens’ information cannot be altered for fraudulent activity. Identity theft is a problem that can be very difficult for the administration to tackle and digitizing all public information to make it tamper-proof can help prevent such incidents of criminal activity.

vote

One of the biggest limitations of the voting system in almost every country is that even today, voters have to be physically present at the polling station to cast their vote and that can make things difficult for people who have to travel on polling days. More importantly, there is no way for the common citizen to verify the voting results.

Blockchain development companies like FollowMyVote are coming up with solutions that aim to make online voting a reality. It will allow citizens to publicly view accurate information on polling locations and results and various other statistics. This leads to safer voting for citizens of countries in internal or external conflict and completely avoids the criminal activity of forcing citizens to vote for specific candidates.

Business recruitment

Businesses of all sizes have a difficult time finding the right staff. With blockchain technology, it is possible for businesses to verify the credentials of all applicants through a digital database. Blockchain technology can be applied to a secure ledger to create a decentralized database of professionals with verified qualifications that businesses can refer to for hiring candidates. Learning Machine is a New York-based company that seeks to solve this problem by focusing on recording verifiable data on employees.

Tax or job-related fraud made up 34% of all identity theft as of 2016, and a blockchain system makes the hiring process more secure for any business because a company will only have access to legitimate candidates, reducing the risk of hiring fraudulent employees. . It speeds up the hiring process for applicants and helps them find eligible jobs and has a hassle-free application process.

The use of blockchain technology helps individuals and businesses alike to protect personal information while making important data publicly visible. While blockchain’s best application is in cryptocurrencies, its use can spread to other sectors and provide meaningful solutions to citizens around the world.

Bitcoin Cryptocurrency – Understanding the Basics

It’s been more than a decade since cryptocurrency started enthralling people through social media and especially the internet. Bitcoin has managed to rank among the top cryptocurrencies today, no one knows the exact origin of the coin but it is related to a Japanese pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto” in mid-2008.

So, what exactly is this Bitcoin currency and why has it been able to hold its place in the financial markets. Well, the factors listed below can give you an idea of ​​its popularity and a piece of evidence about its continued secure future existence.

  • Bitcoin is the first decentralized digital currency.

  • Bitcoin is an independent free-floating currency that is not owned by any government or tied to any other currency to be influenced in value by economic indicators that control the value of traditional currencies.

  • With its increasing popularity among the masses, it now enjoys an increased level of acceptance at all levels, for example, you can now directly buy things with Bitcoin cryptocurrency and trade on various platforms such as CoinBase, Bitfinex, Bitstamp, Kraken and more. .

  • All you need to transfer bitcoins peer to peer is a wallet and an internet connection.

  • In most cases the transfer is instant.

  • Convenience of transacting in a few clicks on the internet or on your mobile phone.

  • Your privacy is protected compared to other payment methods on the internet where your important information can be leaked and misused.

  • When transferring money through conventional methods you may incur fees depending on the amount of your transaction and further, these transfers are subject to your specific regional and state regulations. You don’t have to be bound by any state regulations while trading in Bitcoin cryptocurrency and furthermore, you don’t have to pay heavy transaction fees.

  • Since only you have access to your electronic wallet, your coins are always safe with you and no one can steal your money. Processes and transactions are transparent due to the shared public ledger and anyone using the internet can verify a transaction at any time from anywhere in the world.

  • Another advantage of having a Bitcoin cryptocurrency wallet is that your account cannot be frozen.

Considering the growing popularity and acceptance of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, we can safely assume that the future of Bitcoin is not only safe but quite bright and this innovative payment method is here to stay.

How does ChromaCoin work to increase business productivity?

Instead of the complete details of relevant information in this world of modern technology, Cromacoin usually works on a broad public ledger known as blockchain where complete transactions are confirmed. All the ways where users are aware of every transaction avoids stealing and spending the same currency within the stipulated time. This process also supports blockchain as it is trusted for a suitable content. ChromaCoin is an excellent digital currency that is moving forward to align with better digital currency exchanges.

Where to store your new ICO tokens after collection?

There are different types of applications that should be used while getting tokens of new ICOs some important key elements are visualized below for better appearance:-

• Complete client satisfaction- This is an email server that is encountered without relying on third party servers. It controls the entire transaction from start to finish.

• Insignificant client-server imperatives depend on customer satisfaction as everyone gains access to the network for maximum transactions.

• Web Client – ​​This is the opposite of the full client analogy which relies entirely on a third party server and handles the entire transaction instantly.

Where do you get chromacoins?

To develop with this cryptocurrency digital exchange one can first purchase CramaCoin from below steps:-

• Cryptocurrency exchange where one can regularly exchange new ICO tokens.

• One can find a vendor or available for procedural modules only through SING UP process.

• CramaCoin is valuable for better investment plans for customers after signing up.

Input important credentials to get freeway service in your account through sign up process

• It is recommended to use a strong extended password with a mixture of letters, alphabets and other special characters.

• One will be able to find information about the product in our white paper which provides a very reliable information quickly.

• Get an accurate financial report as ICO’s can be started with crowdfunding.

• Companies using ICOs at an earlier stage for traditional businesses acquire white papers that are likely to be of concern.

Cromacoin requires an explanation by checking the ICO’s white paper.

• Get a ratio for cryptocurrencies with procedural modules according to digital currency exchanges

Where is your token? Learn more from Defined Data Assessment

First, it is important to come up with tokens for your ICO that are associated with the available tokens as per your needs and requirements. This may harm the project a bit considering it is a trusted project that someone can send CramaCoin for analysis. It is recommended to deposit your new ICO tokens where the tokens are actually empty and repeatedly help with your new tokens.

• Set up for a coin and participate in ICO to buy tokens.

• Requires wallets that support tokens for purchases.

• Participate in ICO to buy tokens from Cromacoin.

• Send ETH to purchase a token and will be tied to a wallet’s private key

• Collect some information to complete with Cromacoin.

• Continuously send ETH addresses for ICO and proffer tokens.

• Don’t ask for a deposit for a new token that wallet supports or can access your new ICO tokens on the blockchain with appropriate security enabled policies.

How to import ICO tokens to a supported wallet?

If one has the contract address for the token, one can import the token into the wallet. Similarly, our wallet has the ability to hold numerous tokens keeping in mind the complete terms accuracy, efficiency and specificity which play a vital role in increasing one’s business productivity. Our wallet is surrounded by unique wallet addresses that are sent by input for tokens.

Cryptocurrency: The FinTech Disruptor

Blockchain, sidechain, mining – the terms keep piling up by the minute in the secret world of cryptocurrency. While introducing new financial terms into the complex world of money seems absurd, cryptocurrencies provide a much-needed solution to one of the biggest annoyances in today’s money markets – the security of transactions in a digital world. Cryptocurrency is a defining and disruptive innovation in the fast-paced world of fin-tech, a relevant response to the need for a secure medium of exchange in the days of virtual transactions. At a time when deals are just numbers and numbers, cryptocurrency offers to do just that!

In the most basic form of the term, cryptocurrency is a proof-of-concept for alternative virtual currencies that promise secure, anonymous transactions through peer-to-peer online mesh networking. Misnomer is more of a property rather than an actual currency. Unlike everyday money, cryptocurrency models operate without a central authority as a decentralized digital process. In a distributed cryptocurrency mechanism, money is issued, managed and approved by a collective community of peer networks – known as continuous activity. mining Successful miners on peer machines also receive coins in appreciation of their time and resource usage. Once used, transaction information is broadcast to the network’s blockchain under a public-key, preventing each coin from being spent twice by the same user. Blockchain can be thought of as a cashier’s register. Coins are secured behind a password-protected digital wallet representing the user.

In the world of digital currencies the supply of coins is pre-determined, free from manipulation by any individual, organization, government agency and financial institution. The cryptocurrency system is known for its speed, as transactions through digital wallets can generate funds within minutes compared to traditional banking systems. It is also largely immutable by design, reinforcing the concept of anonymity and eliminating the possibility of money being traced back to its original owner. Unfortunately, the main features – speed, security, and anonymity – have also made crypto-coins the mode of transaction for numerous illegal businesses.

Just like real world money markets, currency rates fluctuate in the digital currency ecosystem. Due to the limited supply of coins, the value of the coin increases as the demand for the coin increases. Bitcoin is by far the largest and most successful cryptocurrency, with a market cap of $15.3 billion, occupying 37.6% of the market and currently priced at $8,997.31. Bitcoin hit the currency market in December 2017, trading at $19,783.21 per coin before taking a sudden plunge in 2018. The decline is partly due to the rise of alternative digital coins such as Ethereum, NPCcoin, Ripple, EOS, Litecoin and MintChip.

Due to hard-coded limits on their supply, cryptocurrencies are considered to follow the same principles of economics as gold – prices are determined by limited supply and fluctuations in demand. With constant fluctuations in exchange rates, their stability is still to be seen. As a result, investing in virtual currencies is more speculative than a daily currency market at this point.

In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, this digital currency is an essential part of technological disruption. From the perspective of a casual observer, this growth can appear at once exciting, terrifying, and mysterious. While some economists remain skeptical, others see it as a power revolution in the financial industry. Conservatively, digital coins are set to displace about a quarter of developed countries’ national currencies by 2030. It has already created a new asset class alongside the traditional global economy, and a new set of investments will emerge from cryptofinance in the coming years. Recently, Bitcoin has taken a dive to give the spotlight to other cryptocurrencies. But this does not indicate a crash for cryptocurrencies. While some financial advisors emphasize the government’s role in cracking down on the secretive world to regulate central governance mechanisms, others insist on continuing the current free-flow. The more popular cryptocurrencies are, the more scrutiny and regulation they attract – a common paradox that distorts the digital note and erodes its primary purpose for existence. Either way, the lack of middleman and supervision is making it significantly attractive to investors and has led to massive changes in day-to-day trading. Even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) fears that cryptocurrencies will displace central banks and international banking in the near future. After 2030, regular trade will be dominated by crypto supply chains that offer less friction and more economic value between technologically adept buyers and sellers.

If cryptocurrency aspires to become an essential part of the existing financial system, it will have to meet very different financial, regulatory and social criteria. It needs to be hacker-proof, consumer-friendly and comprehensively secured to deliver its fundamental benefits to the mainstream financial system. It should not be a channel for money laundering, tax evasion and internet fraud but should keep the user anonymous. Because they are essential to digital systems, it will take a few more years to see if cryptocurrencies will be able to fully compete with real-world currencies. While this may happen, the success (or lack thereof) of cryptocurrencies in meeting the challenge will determine the fate of the currency system in the days ahead.

Beware of many forms of ransomware

Ransomware has proven to be a major problem for both large and small companies. It can attack your data in various ways and stop your business operations completely.

In many cases, restoring access to and use of pirated information can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

According to the Chainanalysis 2021 Crypto Crime Report, the total amount paid to ransomware victims increased by 311% in 2020 to nearly $350 million worth of cryptocurrency, (the most popular form of payment) and the problem will continue to grow.

Overall the best defense against a ransomware attack is a good offense. Understanding the different forms of ransomware can help a company prepare for an intrusion. Here are some tips to deal with any type of cyber crime.

First, for those unfamiliar with ransomware, it is a virus that silently encrypts a user’s data on their computer. It can infiltrate your system and deny access to key information, interrupting or stopping all business activity.

Once the intruder steals and encrypts the data, a message may appear demanding payment of an amount to regain access to the data. The victim has only a certain amount of time to pay the cybercriminal. Ransom may increase after the deadline.

Some types of ransomware have the ability to search for other computers on the same network to infect. Others infect their hosts with more malware, which can steal login credentials. This is especially dangerous for sensitive information, such as passwords to banking and financial accounts

The two main types of ransomware are called crypto ransomware and locker ransomware. Crypto ransomware encrypts various files on the computer so that the user cannot access them. Locker ransomware does not encrypt files. Rather, it “locks” the victim out of their device, preventing them from using it. Once it blocks access, it prompts the victim to pay to unlock their device.

There have been many well-known cyber attacks including ransomware in the last few years. This includes…

“WannaCry” in 2017. It spread to 150 countries including the UK. It was designed to manipulate a Windows vulnerability. By May of that year, it had infected more than 100,000 computers.

The WannaCry attack affected many UK hospital trusts, costing the NHS around £92 million. Users were locked out and ransom was demanded in the form of Bitcoins. The attack exposed the problematic use of the old system. Cyber ​​attacks have caused financial losses of around $4 billion worldwide.

Ryuk is a ransomware attack that spread in mid-2018. This disables the Windows System Restore option on the PC computer. Without a backup, recovering the encrypted files was impossible It also encrypts network drives. Many of the companies targeted were in the United States. The ransom demanded has been paid, and the estimated damages are $640,000.

KeRanger is believed to be the first ransomware attack to successfully infect Mac computers running on the OSX platform. It was put into an installer of an open source BitTorrent client, also known as Transmission. When users download the infected installer, their devices are infected with ransomware. The virus remains inactive for three days and then encrypts about 300 different types of files. After that, it downloads a file with a ransom, demands a bitcoin and provides instructions on how to pay the ransom. After paying the ransom, the victim’s files are decrypted.

As ransomware becomes increasingly sophisticated, the methods used to spread it also become more sophisticated. Examples include:

Pay-per-install. It targets devices that are already compromised and can easily be infected by ransomware.

Drive-by download. This ransomware is installed when a victim unknowingly visits a compromised website.

Links to email or social media messages. This method is the most common. Malicious links are sent in emails or online messages so they can be clicked.

Cybersecurity experts agree, if you’re the victim of a ransomware attack, don’t pay the ransom. Cybercriminals can encrypt your data even after payment and demand more money later.

Instead back-up all data to an external drive or the cloud so it can be easily restored. If your data is not backed up, contact your internet security company to see if they offer a decryption tool for such situations.

Managed service providers can conduct a risk analysis at no cost and determine a company’s security risks.

Understanding the vulnerabilities to a potential intrusion, and preparing in advance to overcome them, is the best way to stop a cyber thief from wreaking havoc on your company.

Planning to trade Monero Cryptocurrency? Here are the basics to get you started

One of the core principles of blockchain technology is to provide users with unwavering privacy. Bitcoin relied on this premise as the first decentralized cryptocurrency to market itself to a wider audience that then needed a virtual currency that was free from government interference.

Unfortunately, along the way, Bitcoin has proven to be riddled with a number of vulnerabilities, including non-verifiability and immutable blockchains. All transactions and addresses are recorded on the blockchain making it easy for anyone to connect the dots and uncover the personal details of users based on their existing records. Some public and private organizations are already using blockchain analytics to read data on the Bitcoin platform.

Such flaws have led developers to look for alternative blockchain technologies with improved security and speed. One of these projects is Monero, commonly represented by the ticker XMR.

What is Monero?

Monero is a privacy-oriented cryptocurrency project that aims to provide better privacy than other blockchain ecosystems. This technology shields users’ information through stealth addresses and ring signatures.

Stealth addressing refers to the creation of a single address for a single transaction. No two addresses can be pinned in a single transaction. The received coins go to a completely different address making the entire process obscure to an outside observer.

Ring signature, on the other hand, refers to the mixing of account keys with public keys thus creating a “ring” of multiple signatories. This means that a monitoring agent cannot link a signature to a specific account. Unlike cryptography (the mathematical method of securing crypto projects), ring signatures are not a new kid on the block. Its principles were explored and documented in a 2001 paper by the Weizmann Institute and MIT.

Cryptography has certainly won over many developers and blockchain enthusiasts, but the truth is, it is still a new tool with a handful of uses. Since Monero uses the already tested ring signature technology, it has distinguished itself as a legitimate project to accept.

Things to know before you start trading Monero

market of mind

Monero’s market is similar to other cryptocurrencies. Kraken, Poloniex and Bitfinex are some exchanges to visit if you want to buy it. Poloniex was the first to adopt it followed by Bitfinex and lastly Kraken.

This virtual currency is mostly seen pegged to the dollar or to fellow cryptos. Some of the available pairs include XMR/USD, XMR/BTC, XMR/EUR, XMR/XBT and more. The trading volume and liquidity record of this currency are very good statistics.

One good thing about XMR is that anyone can participate in mining it either individually or by joining a mining pool. Any computer with significantly better processing power can mine Monero blocks with few hiccups. ASICS (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) which are currently mandatory for Bitcoin mining.

Unbelievable price

Despite being a strong cryptocurrency network, it is not that special when it comes to volatility. Virtually all altcoins are highly volatile. This should not worry any avid trader as this is the factor that makes them profitable in the first place – you buy when prices are falling and sell when they are in an upward trend.

In January 2015, XMR was going to $0.25 then did some jogging to $60 in May 2017 and it is currently bowling above the $300 mark. The Monero coin recorded its ATH (all-time high) of $475 on January 7th before starting to fall to $300 along with other cryptocurrencies. At the time of this writing, virtually all decentralized currencies are in a price correction phase with Bitcoin tottering between $10-11k from its glorious ATH of $19,000.

Fungibility and acceptance

Thanks to its ability to offer reliable privacy, XMR has been adopted by many people and its coins can easily be exchanged for other currencies. In simple terms, Monero can easily be traded for something else.

All bitcoins on the bitcoin blockchain are recorded, and therefore, when an event such as a theft occurs, every currency involved will be immutably prevented from operating. With Monero, you cannot distinguish one currency from another. Therefore, no seller can reject any of them because it is associated with a bad event.

Monero blockchain is currently the most popular cryptocurrency with a significant number of followers. Like other blockchain projects, its future looks bright due to government crackdowns. As an investor, you should do your due diligence and research before trading in any cryptocurrency. Where possible, seek the help of financial experts to stay on track.