Microsoft has suspended 3000 Outlook and Hotmail accounts tied to a North Korean scheme involving DPRK nationals posing as remote workers under false identities. U.S. officials have long warned that North Korea uses illicit earnings from crypto hacks, fraud, and IT operations to bypass international sanctions and maintain its military programs. Authorities are now cracking down on what they are calling a global criminal operation that secretly funnels millions to Kim Jong Un’s authoritarian regime. Microsoft shuts down 3,000 North Korea-linked email accounts Microsoft has suspended over 3,000 email accounts in a sweep of the international scheme operated by North Korean IT workers posing as remote tech professionals. Microsoft’s actions follow a coordinated operation involving the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, and other federal agencies. Together, they have begun dismantling a sophisticated conspiracy code-named “Jasper Sleet” by Microsoft Threat Intelligence. It’s an operation that exploits freelance job markets and tech firms worldwide. The operation not only defrauds employers but is also believed to directly fund North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. According to Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team, the scheme involves trained IT professionals from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) who assume false identities to secure remote employment with foreign companies, especially in the United States. Many of these workers are highly skilled , with some employers unknowingly praising them as top performers. “These aren’t hackers breaking into systems,” Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) said. “They’re skilled developers, quality assurance engineers, and IT support specialists who pass interviews, complete real work, and blend in—except for one critical detail: they’re working for the DPRK.” In many cases, accomplices who are sometimes American citizens facilitate access by renting out their identities or operating what authorities describe as “laptop farms.” Laptop farms are physical locations where laptops issued by unsuspecting employers are shipped and maintained. At least 29 of these sites have been searched by law enforcement, with laptops installed with remote-access software or physically rerouted to China or Russia. The Department of Justice recently detailed the case of a Maryland-based nail salon employee who will be sentenced in August. The man was found to have held 13 jobs simultaneously on behalf of North Korean IT workers, earning nearly $1M in remote salary payouts. According to the United Nations’ estimates, the North Korean IT worker program generates up to $600M annually. This revenue often ends up supporting cybercrime operations and the country’s nuclear ambitions. Microsoft fights back with AI and detection tools In a blog post this week, Microsoft detailed the suspension of 3,000 consumer email accounts, primarily Outlook and Hotmail, that were being used by the North Korean operatives. “Beyond the 3,000 consumer email accounts that were recently taken down, in our efforts to disrupt the actor activity and protect our customers from this threat, Microsoft has continued to takedown persona accounts as they are identified and track the actor’s use of AI,” Jeremy Dallman, the senior director at Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center, said. Microsoft has observed that North Korean workers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. They now leverage AI tools to fix grammatical errors in resumes and cover letters, enhance their photos to appear more professional or Westernized and use FaceSwap technology to impose their images on stolen identity documents. Some are even experimenting with voice-changing software to help facilitators pass job interviews on their behalf. While Microsoft hasn’t observed the use of combined AI-driven voice and video deepfakes in real-time interviews yet, the company warned that it may only be a matter of time. “If successful, this tactic could allow the North Korean IT workers to do interviews directly and no longer rely on facilitators standing in for them,” Microsoft said. These enhanced AI tactics allow the operatives to better mask their origin, making it more difficult for employers to identify red flags. Common methods include recycling names, email addresses, and profile templates across various job platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, and freelance marketplaces. To detect and defend against these tactics, Microsoft has deployed a custom machine-learning solution that flags suspicious activity using what it calls an “impossible time travel” analysis which includes monitoring for logins across geographically implausible locations within narrow time frames, such as access from the U.S. followed closely by China or Russia. Microsoft is also bolstering its identity protection tools and urging companies to adopt strong authentication protocols and real-time risk detection systems. The tech firm has collaborated with U.S. government agencies to share intelligence and build technical solutions that can be applied across the cybersecurity industry. The company has pledged to maintain pressure on the evolving threat. “Jasper Sleet is constantly changing and evolving their profiles,” Dallman said. “We’re watching how they adapt, especially with AI, and working to stay one step ahead.” Cryptopolitan Academy: Tired of market swings? Learn how DeFi can help you build steady passive income. Register Now
The leading cryptocurrency has been stuck at the same price all week despite multiple macroeconomic events that many believe should have catalyzed positive price action. Fourth of July Lull: Bitcoin Shows Little Movement Traditional markets were closed for U.S. Independence Day, and although crypto markets never sleep, bitcoin ( BTC) appears to have been in
Money Regulator Spans 46 Crypto Sites Turkey’s Capital Markets Board (CMB) has made a sweeping action against fraudulent cryptocurrency websites, blocking 46. They include PancakeSwap, which is one of the globe’s biggest decentralized exchanges. In a bulletin released Thursday, the regulator cited violations of Turkey’s Capital Markets Law as the basis for the action. Besides PancakeSwap, others were named including Cryptoradar. PancakeSwap Among Top DEXs PancakeSwap, which had over $325 billion in trading volume last June alone, is among leading players in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector. It is listed together with Uniswap and Curve as among leading DEXs. The CMB did not provide the detailed reasoning as to how it determined the services were unauthorized. PancakeSwap had not responded to media inquiries at publication. Legal and Regulatory Context It is legal for Turkish citizens to buy, hold, and trade cryptocurrencies, yet banned their use in payments in 2021. Authorities have since improved on monitoring cryptocurrency-related activities. A Turkish law company was set to sue the payment ban to court throughout May, which represented ongoing legal disagreements over the application of crypto within the country. A Global Trend towards Restrictions Turkey is part of a huge list of countries, ranging from Russia and Kazakhstan to Venezuela and the Philippines, that have isolated access to cryptocurrency platforms based on suspicions of non-conformity with rules or linkage to crime. As global regulators move to impose tighter regulation on decentralized networks, crypto users in Turkey now face yet another limitation on their ability to use international DeFi services.
The US dollar just had the worst first-half-year performance in over 50 years and is likely to weaken even more, according to the financial data and analytics firm S&P Global. In a new report, S&P Global says the US dollar is rapidly weakening due to tariffs, threats to the Federal Reserve’s independence, rising US debt and inflation fears. “The US dollar index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of its currency peers, has fallen about 10.8% since the start of the year. That marks its worst first six months of a year since 1973. The greenback now sits at its lowest levels since February 2022 and stands to weaken further, according to currency strategists.” The US dollar’s plummeting began after US President Donald Trump took office in January. Says Derek Halpenny, managing director and head of research with MUFG Bank, “The trigger for the move may have been uncertainties over the policy outlook, on trade in particular, but the erratic nature of policy formation as well.” Elias Haddad, a global macro strategist with Brown Brothers Harriman, says that the US dollar is suffering from various factors that are likely to cause “structural drag” over the long term. “By all measures, the dollar dominates on the international stage as a store of value, medium of exchange, and unit of account. However, loss of confidence in US trade, fiscal, and security policies, and political meddling with the Fed’s independence threaten to accelerate the dollar’s declining role as the primary reserve currency.” The US Dollar Index (DXY) is trading at 97.03 at time of writing. Follow us on X , Facebook and Telegram Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox Check Price Action Surf The Daily Hodl Mix Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing. Generated Image: Midjourney The post US Dollar Primed To Weaken Further Amid the Worst First-Half-Year Performance Since 1973: S&P Global appeared first on The Daily Hodl .
Source: Depositphotos Cronos has joined the sub-second blockchain club, rolling out a key upgrade that reduces its block confirmation times by ten-times. The upgrade to the Cronos EVM mainnet went live on July 3, reducing its average block interval time from 5.6 seconds to blazing-fast, sub-second speeds. It’s a major performance boost for the network that puts it in the ranks of the top ten fastest blockchains in the business, alongside similarly swift networks such as Solana, Sui, Sei and Aptos. Built to provide high throughput and interoperability with Ethereum and the Cosmos blockchain ecosystem, Cronos is an EVM-compatible smart contract blockchain was originally designed to support payments through Crypto.com’s prepaid debit card , which allows people to spend their crypto in real-world stores. Since then, the project has expanded and the network sees itself as a vital part of the Ethereum ecosystem, supporting the rollout of high-performance decentralized finance applications. For instance, it also powers Crypto.com’s Auto-Harvest feature , which allows users to convert DeFi rewards from staking and liquidity provision directly into fiat stablecoins so they can be used for everyday payments. Cronos is based on Ethermint, a highly-scalable blockchain framework that supports full interoperability with the Ethereum mainnet, meaning any Ethereum-based dApp can run on its network. It runs Ethermint as a Cosmos application-specific blockchain, which makes it possible for Cronos developers to access the best features of Ethereum while taking advantage of Ethermint’s superior performance and lower costs. With the latest update, it’s now even faster. According to Cronos, getting down to sub-second block finality has long been a key goal for the network, in-line with its mission to support high-performance decentralized finance and artificial intelligence applications that require more responsiveness. It said the achievement means it ranks as one of the lowest-latency Ethereum-compatible chains around, paving the way for the bulk of the world’s dApps to enjoy much faster transaction speeds. Cronos said the performance leap was made possible by recent innovations such as BlockSTM, a parallel execution engine that first appeared in the Cronos Pallene upgrade. With BlockSTM, it’s possible for multiple transactions to be processed simultaneously in a single block, and this capability is enhanced by an increase in block frequency. For users of Cronos-based applications, they’ll benefit from smoother interactions and near-instant responsiveness in things like payments and DeFi swaps. Meanwhile, developers can be assured of an improved user experience in the most demanding, high-frequency trading applications. The update is the second major performance boost Cronos has delivered in recent weeks, coming after a previous upgrade in June that reduced its network gas fees by around ten-times on average. Cronos Labs Head of Product & Engineering Mirko Zhao said the update is about delivering a new class of “ultra-fast” blockchain applications. “This upgrade reinforces our long-term commitment to developer experience and performance at scale,” he insisted. Cronos dApp users will appreciate the increased speeds and responsiveness, but even more encouraging is that today’s update shows that its developers can be relied on to keep their word, executing on a roadmap that calls for enhanced performance, lower costs and, ultimately, AI agent readiness and the next generation of automated DeFi applications. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
The U.S. House is declaring the week of July 14th as “Crypto Week,” as three major crypto-related acts will be considered by Congress. According to a new announcement from the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, the CLARITY Act, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act and the Senate’s GENIUS Act will all be considered by Congress during Crypto Week. Says U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Chairman French Hill, “We are taking historic steps to ensure the United States remains the world’s leader in innovation and I look forward to ‘Crypto Week’ in the House. After years of dedicated work in Congress on digital assets, we are advancing landmark legislation to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets that safeguards consumers and investors, provides rules for the issuance and operation of dollar-backed payment stablecoins, and permanently blocks the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to safeguard Americans’ financial privacy. I thank my colleagues in Congress and the Trump Administration for their partnership and leadership and stand ready to work alongside the Senate as they work to advance standalone market structure legislation by the end of September.” Added Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, “House Republicans are taking decisive steps to deliver the full scope of President Trump’s digital assets and cryptocurrency agenda. During ‘Crypto Week,’ the House looks forward to the timely consideration of three landmark pieces of legislation: the CLARITY Act, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, and the Senate’s GENIUS Act. I commend the close partnership between the Financial Services and Agriculture Committees and the leadership of Chairmen French Hill and GT Thompson, and I look forward to President Trump signing them into law.” Follow us on X , Facebook and Telegram Don't Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox Check Price Action Surf The Daily Hodl Mix Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing. Generated Image: Midjourney The post House Committee on Financial Services Declares Week of July 14th As ‘Crypto Week’ appeared first on The Daily Hodl .
Turkey’s Capital Markets Board (SPK) has taken decisive action by blocking PancakeSwap, a prominent decentralized exchange, for operating without a proper license under Capital Markets Law 6362. This move is
Turkey’s financial regulator has taken decisive action by blocking 46 websites, including the prominent decentralized exchange PancakeSwap, citing unauthorized crypto asset services. This move underscores Turkey’s ongoing efforts to tighten
Bitcoin’s rally to $110k has resulted in a return of the bull market euphoria, bringing meme coins back into the spotlight. Besides the large caps, new meme coins are in high demand as well. For instance, TOKEN6900 (T6900) has emerged as one of the hottest presale tokens on the market, raising over $150,000 in its ICO overnight. Branding itself as the successor to the viral SPX6900, TOKEN6900 is driven by the same anti-Wall Street spirit, meme-fueled delusion, and blind devotion to one sacred number: 6900. Much like Fartcoin, SPX6900 and Useless Coin, T6900 doesn’t pretend to have any utility. It boldly claims to be the product of the brain rot theory, which may very well be the winning formula. Indeed, despite being an under-the-radar meme coin, many analysts are already calling it the next 10X crypto. TOKEN6900 - The Ultimate Brain Rot Meme Coin With Explosive Potential Gone are the days of meme coins trying to sell investors on their utility. New meme coins are now living up to the spirit of Pepe and Dogecoin, relying on community spirit and the power of memes. Fartcoin reached a $2.7 billion valuation without any Tier-1 listing or developer team, just because of its funny name and the constant habit of annoying Wall Street purists. Meanwhile, Useless Coin captures its spirit in its name. Despite being useless, it has surged by over 5000% from its June lows. SPX6900 has also established itself as one of the top-performing meme coins on the market, driven by nothing more than the collective delusion of overtaking the S&P 500. TOKEN6900 is a product of the same meme-fueled delusion. Unlike coins that hide behind vague claims of future utility or AI integration, TOKEN6900 is blunt about its purpose: attention, chaos, and collective belief. The project describes itself in the whitepaper as a “consciousness parasite” and “a benchmark for brain rot finance,” intentionally leaning into the absurdity that drives today’s meme coin rallies. This self-aware tone is the core of its identity. “It doesn’t track GDP, oil, or earnings,” the whitepaper states. “It tracks vibe liquidity.” In a market where narrative often beats fundamentals, that kind of radical honesty resonates. Unsurprisingly, TOKEN6900 has quickly established itself as one of the hottest new meme coins on the market. Raising over $150k in its ICO overnight is a sign of potential whale involvement, strong community support and high upside potential. T6900 Is A Meme Coin With Sound Fundamentals, Without Even Trying T6900 isn’t trying to sell investors on its utility or fundamentals. Yet, smart money investors are impressed with its sound tokenomics, multiple smart contract audits by Coinsult and Solid Proof and lucrative staking rewards. For starters, the T6900 presale has a $5 million hard cap, which is already creating FOMO among sidelined investors. The ICO won’t be open for long, and investors will have a very limited window to buy the meme coin at its discounted presale price. 80% of the token supply is up for grabs in the presale, with no separate provision for any private sale or VC round. This makes TOKEN6900 a community-centric meme coin, drawing comparisons to the early days of Fartcoin. Of the remaining 20%, 40% will be utilizied for the project’s marketing initiative, ensuring far-reaching brand awareness to take full advantage of the ongoing bull market. 5% is allocated towards staking rewards, while nearly 25% is set aside for some mystery purpose. Check out the TOKEN6900 whitepaper for the full tokenomics. The project’s staking protocol is already live, with presale buyers currently earning a reward rate of 290%. It will last for the entire duration of the presale and a year after the TGE, providing buyers with ample opportunity to earn attractive passive income. Unsurprisingly, prominent analysts are bullish on TOKEN6900’s upside potential, with many eyeing up to 10x returns from it. Considering its brain rot narrative and small market capitalization, those projections are very possible. Visit TOKEN6900 Presale Disclaimer: This is a sponsored article and is for informational purposes only. It does not reflect the views of Crypto Daily, nor is it intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, or financial advice.
Bitcoin.com Casino, an online casino launched specifically for the crypto gambling sector offers players a wide range of casino games of chance, including poker and slots, with a primary focus on user experience Bitcoin.com Casino , a Web3-focused gambling project, officially launched back in May 2025, treats gamblers to a user-friendly experience through a 24/7 customer service chat and enables flexibility to select their preferred games from a wide range of available gaming options offered by various providers. Bitcoin.com Casino has been built for gamblers who resonate with Web3 world innovations, emphasizing its commitment to understanding and using cryptocurrencies as well as benefiting from their unique advantages. It was designed for crypto natives, offering instant deposits, blockchain transparency, and exclusive token perks. With multiple games, betting options, and an easy-to-navigate application, Bitcoin.com aims to deliver fast transactions, enhanced security, and an exceptional user experience. It currently has presence restrictions in the following countries: Afghanistan, China, Cuba, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, UK, USA, Yemen, and Venezuela. The casino has also integrated popular crypto wallets and payment systems, as well as multiple deposit options for cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, LTC, TRX, XRP, ADA, LINK, XLM, BCH, USDT, and USDC. For the FIAT deposit, Bitcoin.com integrated Credit Cards include SEPA Bank Transfer, VISA, MasterCard, MiFinity, and Revolut. Since its launch, Bitcoin.com Casino has introduced several USPs, including a 1 BTC giveaway weekly, with 0.5 BTC for the winner. It’s also rolled out a Bitcoin Arena, a metaverse-style multiplayer crash game built for the competitive crypto generation. The gamified loyalty system called Bitcoin Club that gives players real, wager-free rewards from day one is one of the big perks introduced by the Founders. For every level up, players get rewards such as instant rakeback and exclusive bonuses - for instance, a 100 EUR free bet on their Sportsbook. The casino also offers a unique VIP experience, offering an exclusive Bitcoin Visa credit card, enabling players to spend their crypto freely with up to $100k per transaction and no daily limits. A VIP Concierge App handles travel bookings, events, restaurants, and more. Inspired by the motto that ‘True Money Can’t Buy Experience’, the casino brings the core value its Founders place in their top-tier players to life. Tobique licensing firm located in Canada, New Brunswick, operating as a self-governed region under section 35(1) of the Canada Constitution Act, 1982, licensed Bitcoin.com. The license firm oversees all forms of gaming from its territory, including land-based and online gaming. The license presents Bitcoin.com as an economically viable option that can be attained with relative efficiency and speed. Crypto-native mindset Bitcoin.com Casino’s primary focus is fast and efficient operations, fair transactions, and fully crypto-native opportunities, offering instant deposits and withdrawals in crypto. Bitcoin.com , a well recognized brand in the crypto ecosystem with valuable trust, global reach, and domain authority in the crypto space, has backed the newly launched casino, as well as endorsed their Bitcoin Club Loyalty Program, which offers customers instant, daily, weekly, and monthly rakeback with no hidden terms, just honest and transparent rewards as well as verifiable outcomes. Disclaimer: This is a sponsored article and is for informational purposes only. It does not reflect the views of Crypto Daily, nor is it intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, or financial advice.