The CoinGeek Pulse Episode 85: $600M Ronin heist linked to North Korea, BSV Blockchain launches online study platform in China, and new companies delve into NFTs

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The North Korea-backed Lazarus group of hackers are allegedly responsible for the recent $625 million heist in the popular NFT game Axie Infinity’s Ronin network, according to the U.S. government.

The U.S. Treasury Department has exposed the Lazarus Group in last month’s exploit—one of the largest digital currency heists in history. The Treasury tied the Ethereum wallet address that received the stolen digital currency to the group, also known as Hidden Cobra. It released an update of the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN), including Lazarus. In a statement, the FBI said the bureau will continue to fight against the DPRK’s use of illicit activities to generate revenue for their regime.

Meanwhile, The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), along with the FBI and the Treasury Department, released a warning early this week on North Korea-sponsored attacks targeting blockchain companies. This includes digital currency exchanges and trading companies, DeFi protocols, play-to-earn games, and holders of valuable non-fungible tokens or NFTs.

Speaking of NFTs, major brands Mastercard, Emirates, and Reddit have also made their move into the NFT and Metaverse space.

Mastercard filed 15 NFT trademark applications at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) this month. The application includes adding Mastercard’s name to various events such as award shows, music festivals, sports, and cultural events. Its rivals Visa and American Express have filed for trademarks in recent years.

Meanwhile, Emirates is the latest airline to fly into the NFT space with its recent announcement of its soon-to-be-launched NFTs. The airline announced on Twitter launching exciting experiences on the metaverse through the repurposed ‘The Emirates Pavilion’ from the recent Dubai EXPO 2020 as its new center for innovation.

This month, social media network Reddit also announced integrating NFTs into its platform. Reddit auctioned four NFTs with its customized logo, which can also be used as avatars on the platform. The NFTs were auctioned off on OpenSea for $4 million.

BSV Blockchain launches its online study platform in China. Following the successful collaboration between BSV Blockchain and Shanghai Keyi Tech with CSDN in November last year to launch the CSDN Blockchain Engineer Qualification program. The brand-new online study platform on CSDN features its first course, “Bitcoin Basics: Protocol Design.”

The CSDN BSV platform provides a range of professional teaching materials and high-quality resources. This aims to help learners gain a basic understanding of storing data in a Bitcoin network and pursue sustainable development. Visit the CDSN site to enroll.

Before you go, watch the latest episode of The Bitcoin Bridge with Jon Southurst featuring Ninja Punk Girls founder Richard Boase, who talked about trading card games and NFTs. Plus, check out the special two-part episode of CoinGeek Conversations on the past BSV-focused conferences hosted by Claire Celdran. Watch these videos on the CoinGeek YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui1_JlJhGRU