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Crime What began as sporadic cybercrime has turned into a highly industrialized revenue machine. In 2025, crypto-related hacking linked to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea crossed a new threshold, transforming digital asset theft into one of the regime’s most reliable financial pipelines.Data from Chainalysis, shared with TheBlock shows that North Korea-linked operators extracted more than $2.17 billion in crypto in just the first half of the year, already eclipsing the entirety of 2024. The pace and scale point to a system that is no longer opportunistic, but strategic. Key Takeaways North Korea-linked hackers stole over $2.17 billion in crypto…

The Bitcoin (BTC) network mining difficulty, the relative computing challenge of adding a new block to the ledger, increased slightly to 148.2 trillion in the last adjustment of 2025 and is projected to rise again in January 2026.The next Bitcoin difficulty adjustment is projected to occur on Jan. 8, 2026, at block height 931,392 and is expected to raise the network mining difficulty to 149 trillion, according to CoinWarz.Average block times are about 9.95 minutes at the time of this writing, slightly below the 10-minute target, meaning that difficulty will likely increase to get block times closer to the target.…

Incoming liquidity from the US Federal Reserve and bullish technical breakouts are aligning to support a $1,000 price outlook for Zcash.Zcash’s (ZEC) price could be gearing up for a push toward its “first stop” target of $1,000, according to Arthur Hayes, the former CEO of crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX.Key takeaways:ZEC has risen 40% since Arthur Hayes’ Dec. 19 liquidity call, with privacy narratives gaining momentum.Zcash charts still target $1,000 in the longer term, but a pullback toward $400 should not be ruled out. ZEC/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingViewZEC price pumps 40% after Hayes’ endorsementHayes’ bullish outlook for Zcash first appeared…

The Hacken 2025 Yearly Security Report puts total Web3 losses at about $3.95 billion, up roughly $1.1 billion from 2024, with just over half of that attributed to North Korean threat actors. A report shared with Cointelegraph shows losses peaked at more than $2 billion in the first quarter of the year before falling to around $350 million by Q4, but Hacken warns that the pattern still points to systemic operational risk rather than isolated coding bugs.The report frames 2025 as a year where the numbers worsened, but the underlying story became clear. Smart contract bugs matter, but the biggest,…

Flow Network halted after a $3.9M exploit triggered panic selling. South Korean exchanges flagged FLOW, raising delisting concerns. FLOW remains below key support, with bearish technical indicators. The Flow Network is facing one of its most challenging moments following a serious exploit that raised fresh concerns about the network’s security and governance. As the fallout continues to unfold, the pressure on FLOW has intensified, reflecting growing unease among market participants. Over the past 24 hours alone, the FLOW price has fallen by roughly 15.25% to around $0.10, extending losses to nearly 39% over the last week. The Flow exploit The…

The skies may have rained on this year’s big climate summit in Belém, Brazil, but engineers have invented plenty of exciting climate tech this year worth celebrating. Here are some of the year’s top IEEE Spectrum climate technology stories: Richard Zare, Xiaowei Song et al. Ammonia is a crucial ingredient for human civilization, powering agriculture, explosives, and next-generation cargo ships. Researchers have turned to classical laboratory chemistry and artificial intelligence in search of more efficient ammonia production. In January, freelance contributor Alfred Poor reported on a real-world demonstration of a passive technology that captures ammonia from the wind, no batteries…

Gold prices saw a modest short-term pullback after a broader rally that pushed the metal to record highs. Meanwhile, Bitcoin has underperformed during what has historically been its strongest quarter, reviving constant comparisons between the two assets.Despite Bitcoin’s weakness, analysts are highlighting a series of macroeconomic, statistical, and technical signals from the gold market that suggest BTC may be approaching a bottom and could be setting the stage for its next major move.Sponsored 2020 Playbook Returns as Gold and Silver Surge Ahead of BitcoinFrom a broader macroeconomic standpoint, analysts suggest that gold and silver typically reach their highs before Bitcoin…

The drumbeat for AI is deafening. We’re surrounded by a mix of hype, fear and intense pressure to do something with this technology that seems to be advancing at the speed of light. For CIOs and enterprise technology leaders, the path forward can seem murky and fraught with the risk of missteps. But I believe the greatest risk isn't getting it wrong; it's waiting for a “perfect” AI strategy while the world races ahead. Real impact with AI doesn't start with flawless, grand designs. It begins with access, trust and a commitment to hands-on learning.My journey with technology, even before…

Headline highs masked a fractured market where selective capital thrived while most tokens stayed stuck in a deep chill. Bitcoin (BTC) reached a new all-time high above $126,000 in October, yet at the time of writing, it was trading near $88,000. This significant retreat highlights a deeper truth: headline highs have masked a deeply fractured market where most cryptocurrencies have been left in a prolonged chill. A Stark Divergence in Performance Analytics platform SoSoValue’s recent review of the 2024-2025 period quantified this split with a clear experiment. What would happen to $10 invested across major crypto sectors at the cycle’s…

Key Takeaways Flow blockchain validators implement a protocol fix following a security breach. Approximately $3.9 million in assets were siphoned off due to a vulnerability in Flow’s execution layer. Share this article Flow blockchain is moving toward a full restart after shipping a protocol fix tied to an exploit that drained approximately $3.9 million via cross-chain bridges, according to a new update from the team. UPDATE: VALIDATOR CONSENSUS REACHED (MAINNET 28) To preserve network integrity and prioritize user safety, the Flow Foundation proposed a protocol fix (Mainnet 28) which has been accepted and successfully deployed by network validators. CURRENT STATUS:…