Police resurrect Lockbit’s site and troll the ransomware gang

An international coalition of police agencies have resurrected the dark web site of the notorious LockBit ransomware gang, which they had seized earlier this year, teasing new revelations about the group. On Sunday, what was once LockBit’s official darknet site reappeared online with new posts that suggest the authorities are planning to release new information […]
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Police resurrect Lockbit’s site and troll the ransomware gang

How to choose a deep tech startup program

Deep tech founders often had to go it alone. But today, there are a wealth of options from incubators to accelerators. Here’s how to pick one.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on How to choose a deep tech startup program

Stack Overflow signs deal with OpenAI to supply data to its models

OpenAI is collaborating with Stack Overflow, the Q&A forum for software developers, to improve its generative AI models’ performance on programming-related tasks. As a result of the partnership, announced Monday, OpenAI’s models, including models served through its ChatGPT chatbot platform, should get better over time at answering programming-related questions, the two companies say. At the […]
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Stack Overflow signs deal with OpenAI to supply data to its models

DraftKings boss hails ‘outstanding’ Q1 performance

DraftKings has heralded its performance metrics in Q1 after reporting a 52.7% year-on-year spike in its revenue, up to $1.18 billion (£936.2m/€1.09b).
Company CEO and co-founder Jason Robins lauded the “outstanding” numbers which have led to a raise in the gambling operator’s full-year guidance for revenue and adjusted EBITDA. For the first three months of the year, revenue was $405m greater than the $769.7m returned by DraftKings for the same period, last year.
Robins pinpointed several accelerators for the growth including sportsbook expansion into new markets, further customer engagement, and gains in the firm’s structural sportsbook hold percentage and better promotional reinvestment.
Other recent highlights for DraftKings include the beginning of new sportsbook ventures in both North Carolina and Vermont, with the move into the Tar Heel State in conjunction with NASCAR. The latest expansion means DraftKings is now in operation across 27 states in the US as well as Ontario in Canada.
The company has also entered into a multi-year agreement with Barstool Sports.
“DraftKings’ performance in the first quarter of 2024 was outstanding, reflecting healthy revenue growth and a scaled fixed cost structure that positions us to drive rapidly improving adjusted EBITDA,” stated Robins. 
“Looking ahead, we remain committed to maximising shareholder value through continued innovation, operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation.”
Further numbers behind the growth for DraftKings
A key driver for the company to propel its growth in Q1 was the increase in the number of customers having a flutter on DraftKing’s sportsbook or gaming platforms.
Its average monthly unique players (MUPs) soared 23%, up to 3.4 million on the same period in 2023.
On each MUP, average revenue increased too. Q1 saw an average of $114, representing another increase of 25% compared to last year.
With further expansion and new markets also comes greater operating expenses.
Revenue costs increased by 36.1%, up to $710.1m but conversely, sales and marketing spend fell 12.4% to $340.7m.
The end outcome was an operating loss of $138.8m for Q1, showing a much improved figured compared to the loss of $389.8m last year. A further $4.4m in non-operating costs meant a pre-tax loss of $143.2m which, again, is a steady marker against the £395.7m loss twelve month previous.
Adjusted EBITDA was turned around significantly from a $221.6m loss to a $22.4m gain. 
Image credit: ML Football/X
The post DraftKings boss hails ‘outstanding’ Q1 performance appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on DraftKings boss hails ‘outstanding’ Q1 performance

‘Mega Dice’ Presale Raises $780,000 in Days: A Closer Look at This Crypto Casino

Mega Dice, an online gambling platform, launched a crypto presale for its native token DICE last month and has already raised over $780,000 in the first few weeks. Let’s try to find out what exactly Mega Dice is and why its presale is attracting decent interest, at least so far.
What is Mega Dice?
Mega Dice is an online gambling platform that offers both casino games and sports betting opportunities. It distinguishes itself as one of the world’s first Telegram casinos, allowing users to register anonymously with just an email address. 
The platform boasts a game library, comprising over 6,000 games, and supports a wide range of cryptocurrency tokens for transactions. Mega Dice operates under the Curacao Master Gaming License and is owned by MIBS B.V. Compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows devices, it ensures a versatile gaming experience across different platforms.
Source: Mega Dice/Telegram
One of Mega Dice’s standout features is its user-friendly interface, designed with larger icons and a versatile platform layout tailored for mobile users.
The platform embraces a No KYC approach, enabling players to participate anonymously, and is VPN friendly, making it accessible to users in countries where it is not officially available. Moreover, Mega Dice offers a 24-hour payout speed and a minimum deposit of $20.
With a large sportsbook covering both traditional and esports titles, Mega Dice provides a 200% matched deposit bonus. It supports multiple crypto games, slots, and live dealer games. As per their website, this platform currently has 50,000 players and $50 million in monthly wagering. 
Additionally, Mega Dice has planned a $2.25 million airdrop across three seasons ($750,000 in each season) early bird bonuses, limited edition NFTs, a referral program, and full integration of the token into the casino ecosystem for exclusive access, rewards, and benefits. 
The platform is backed by an experienced team with a strong reputation in the online gambling industry, and no major complaints or issues regarding fairness, payouts, or operations have been reported since its launch last 
Presale and Tokenomics
The presale opened with a price of $0.069 per DICE token and has already raised over $780,000. The presale soft cap minimum raise target is $5 million. DICE will serve as both a funding and payment token on Mega Dice’s platform.

Certain games will require the token to play, and it will also be available for staking. This dual utility might potentially contribute to the token’s presale success.
The total supply of DICE tokens is 420 million, with 35% allocated to the presale, 15% for airdrops, and 10% for staking rewards. Marketing (5%) and Affiliates (5%) are also part of the tokenomics.
Marketing Efforts
Mega Dice’s team has begun advertising its presale on multiple crypto media outlets such as crypto.news, Crypto Daily, Watcher Guru, and NewsBTC, and now on Readwrite, among others. 
This is a crucial step in raising awareness about the project and attracting potential investors and users to the platform. Effective marketing campaigns can play a big role in the success of a project, particularly in the highly competitive crypto casino space.
This marketing push is expected to continue in the upcoming weeks, with the team likely to explore additional avenues and platforms to promote Mega Dice and its presale.
Conclusion
Mega Dice’s presale launch and the strong initial fundraising suggests the project’s potential and the community’s interest in the platform’s offerings. With an experienced team, a robust online gambling platform, and a well-designed tokenomics model, Mega Dice might be potentially poised to make an impact in the crypto gambling space down the line in this bull cycle. 
That being said, the success of Mega Dice’s presale and the project’s long-term viability will depend on multiple factors, including the team’s ability to maintain this momentum, build on it, and deliver on their promises. As the presale progresses, it will be important to monitor its developments and assess its performance objectively.
Related

18 Best Cryptocurrency Presales For Your Watchlist – DUCE ranks highly

The post ‘Mega Dice’ Presale Raises $780,000 in Days: A Closer Look at This Crypto Casino appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on ‘Mega Dice’ Presale Raises $780,000 in Days: A Closer Look at This Crypto Casino

Bitcoin beaches one billion transactions milestone

Bitcoin (BTC) — the world’s first and most valuable cryptocurrency — has surpassed one billion processed transactions. This milestone was reached 800 weeks and one day after the launch of Bitcoin on January 3, 2009, with the minting of its genesis block.
The timing of this milestone is particularly exciting for the cryptocurrency, as it has experienced heightened levels of daily transactions over the past year. This increase in activity can be also partly attributed to the emergence of novel Bitcoin-based non-fungible token (NFT) protocols such as Bitcoin Ordinals and Runes, which have attracted more users to the world’s first blockchain. Additionally, the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US and more recently in Hong Kong has contributed to a bullish sentiment for the token over the past year.
Bitcoin not the first cryptocurrency to hit milestone
While this is not the first blockchain to reach the one billion transaction milestone — its rival Ethereum (ETH), for example, has already processed nearly 2.4 billion transactions — Bitcoin’s journey to this point has been slower and more gradual. With an average rate of 6 transactions per second over the past 30 days, according to Clark Moody’s Bitcoin dashboard, the achievement comes just weeks after its most recent programmed halving event.
Following the halving hype, daily transaction fees have largely cooled down. However, the seven-day moving average of transactions on the chain remains high compared to most of Bitcoin’s history, excluding the past year. As the world’s first cryptocurrency begins its journey towards two billion total transactions, it continues to demonstrate its resilience and growing adoption in the world of cryptocurrencies.
The Bitcoin halving is a pre-programmed event that occurs approximately every four years, or more precisely, every 210,000 blocks. During the halving, the reward given to Bitcoin miners for verifying and adding new transactions to the blockchain is cut in half.
When Bitcoin was first launched, the initial block reward was 50 BTC. After the first halving in 2012, it was reduced to 25 BTC. The second halving in 2016 decreased the reward to 12.5 BTC, and the most recent halving in May 2020 further reduced it to 6.25 BTC. This event essentially halves Bitcoin’s issuance rate, until the last halving will completely do away with issuance.
The post Bitcoin beaches one billion transactions milestone appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Bitcoin beaches one billion transactions milestone

Sony cancels PSN and Steam linking for Helldivers 2

Sony has made a significant decision, responding to the concerns of the Helldivers 2 community. They have canceled their plans to force a mandatory link between the PlayStation Network (PSN) and Steam to play Helldivers 2.
As we reported at last week’s close, Helldivers fans were crestfallen that Sony was making plans to enforce account linking. It seems that an outcry from the acclaimed game’s fanbase was heard around Sony’s boardrooms.
Sony cancels Helldivers 2 account linking
The original statement that Sony released on Steam was received negatively by the Helldivers 2 community. There seemed to be little notice of the decision, and the mandatory nature and enforcement did little to entice players to set up a PSN account.
When the game launched, there was no mandatory requirement to have a linked PSN and Steam account. No path was ever laid by Sony that this was their intention. The original concerns and driving force behind the move were masked by “security” issues.
So players started canceling their time on Helldivers 2. Negative reviews were enthused by Arrowhead, the studio responsible for Helldivers 2, and other Arrowhead-developed titles started being aggressively review-bombed.
This forced Sony to post the U-turn publicly, marking a significant win for the gaming community and Arrowhead Studios. Sony posted via X:

Helldivers fans — we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update. The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new players and for current players beginning May 30, will not be moving forward.
We’re still…
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 6, 2024

Arrowhead has been synonymous with positive messaging and anti-cheat and non-pay-to-win features in their games. Earning the studio a respected perch in the minds of gamers and a cult following for Arrowhead’s Johan Pilestedt, the studio’s vocal CEO. He responded to Sony’s post, saying:
“Firstly, I am impressed by the willpower of the @helldivers2 community and your ability to collaborate. Secondly, I want to thank our partners and friends at @PlayStation for quickly and effectively making the decision to leave PSN linking optional. We together want to set a new standard for what a live game is, and how developers and community can support each other to create the best game experiences.”
Cross-platform security concerns fade
Interestingly the original Sony post also stated that security concerns drove the mandatory move, stating: “Account linking plays a critical role in protecting our players and upholding the values of safety and security provided on PlayStation and PlayStation Studios games.” However, given the decision to roll back plans to link accounts, these concerns seem unwarranted and might have been a trojan horse to get Steam users to jump the digital divide to the PSN.
Helldivers 2 fans will be happy as they contributed to Sony’s biggest-ever Steam launch with the title’s success. They have also made a vibrant Discord community and share a close relationship with Pilestedt, who interacts constantly with fans.
So, Sony’s decision to reverse these plans will be seen as a significant victory not only for the war for Super Earth but also for ethical gaming perspectives and treatment of a loyal and lucrative fanbase.
Image: Arrowhead Studios.
The post Sony cancels PSN and Steam linking for Helldivers 2 appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Sony cancels PSN and Steam linking for Helldivers 2

Cat of Elon Price Prediction: Dives to $0.00034 Despite Trending Status; What’s Next?

The Cat of Elon, represented by the ticker $ELONCAT, continues to engage the cryptocurrency community through fascination with Elon Musk and his beloved pet. Despite a significant price drop of nearly 72% to just $0.00052 within a day, it remains a focal point, having secured the #2 spot in the trending cryptocurrency rankings. Current ELONACT price is $0.00034.
 

ELONCAT is currently trending at #4 on DEXTools; however, the outlook still appears bearish. Let’s delve into the Cat of Elon price prediction and technical outlook.

💥 DEXTOOLS TRENDING NR 4 NOW 💥
MARKETING IN FULL FORCE GOING ON‼️
Support the trending and VOTE 👍🏽 & Push the 🌟
👉 https://t.co/fdsqdt3eAC#ELONCAT #CATOFELONSOL #CATMEMECOINS #SOLANAMEMES pic.twitter.com/TA5fSyjrPq
— Cat Of ELON (@CatOfELONSol) April 30, 2024

Cat of Elon Price Prediction
Today’s analysis of Cat of Elon (ELONCAT) shows it is currently trading at around $0.00034 with a 24-hour trading volume of $1.5 million. After experiencing a a big decline, ELONCAT ranks at #2678 on CoinMarketCap, reflecting significant market volatility.
In the technical landscape, ELONCAT has established a key pivot point at $0.00079. Despite its sharp downturn, it finds immediate support around $0.00003, a critical level that could determine its short-term trajectory. If the price holds above this level, it could signal the start of a corrective rally.
Additional resistance levels are observed at $0.00011, $0.00133, and $0.00158, marking potential targets for any upward movement.
Relative Strength Index (RSI) Suggests an Oversold Zone
The Relative Strength Index (RSI), currently at 31, suggests that ELONCAT is nearing oversold territory. This condition often precedes a potential reversal, as selling pressure may subside and buying interest might emerge.
The formation of a hammer candlestick pattern just above the support level at $0.00030 further supports the possibility of a bullish correction. This technical pattern typically indicates buying support following a price decline, hinting at underlying strength despite recent losses.
Cat of Elon Price Chart
Time to Apply Fibonacci Retracement
Looking more closely at the Fibonacci retracement levels, if ELONCAT manages a bullish reversal, its immediate target could be the 23.6% retracement level at $0.00079. Success in breaching this could open the path to higher levels at $0.0010 and $0.0013, corresponding to the 38.2% and 50% Fibonacci levels, respectively. These levels are crucial for traders to watch as potential reversal points that could indicate a strengthening of the coin’s position.
Conclusion: ELONCAT remains bearish below $0.00003, but a move above this level could usher in a more bullish outlook.
For more details on Cat of Elon and to stay updated with the latest developments, visit the official website and follow their social media channels, including Twitter and Telegram.
Looking ahead, excitement builds within the community for the upcoming presale of WienerAI (WAI), a new meme coin that merges AI innovation with meme culture’s playful spirit.
WienerAI Presale: Revolutionary AI Crypto Trading Revealed
WienerAI ($WAI) is positioning itself as a cutting-edge AI trading partner for cryptocurrency traders, boasting features that streamline the trading process. This platform stands out by offering an AI interface that is not only instant and predictive but also designed to be user-friendly for newcomers to the crypto trading scene. With WienerAI, users can execute seamless swaps without missing out on potentially lucrative trading opportunities, all without the burden of transaction fees.
Tokenomics
In terms of tokenomics, WienerAI’s total token supply is set at 69 billion $WAI. The allocation includes:

30% for the presale.
20% reserved for staking purposes.
20% dedicated to community rewards to incentivize participation.
10% to facilitate DEX/CEX liquidity.
20% earmarked for marketing efforts.

WienerAI Presale Status
Currently, WienerAI is in the midst of its presale phase, which has already raised over $692,000 out of a target of $946,698. With the presale price set at $0.000702 per $WAI, the clock is ticking down to the next price increase, scheduled to occur in just over a day.

This stage offers early adopters a significant opportunity to invest in $WAI at a lower entry point before the token appreciates in value.
Related

14 Best Meme Coins to Buy in 2024
16 New Upcoming Binance Listings to Watch in 2024

The post Cat of Elon Price Prediction: Dives to $0.00034 Despite Trending Status; What’s Next? appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Cat of Elon Price Prediction: Dives to $0.00034 Despite Trending Status; What’s Next?

Warren Buffett compares misused AI to nuclear weapons

Investing guru Warren Buffett recently raised his concern about the rising misuse of deep fake artificial intelligence (AI) and compared the emerging technology with ‘nukes’. The billionaire founder of Berkshire Hathaway told tens of thousands of shareholders during an annual meeting that a deepfake video of his created by AI “scares the hell out of him” and that the technology was like a “nuclear weapons genie.”
The fake video of the 93-year-old was reportedly convincing enough that the philanthropist himself said he could imagine it tricking him into sending money overseas. He drew attention to the possibility of this technology being used for large-scale financial scams.
“As someone who doesn’t understand a damn thing about it, it has enormous potential for good and enormous potential for harm and I just don’t know how that plays out,” he said.
Buffett continued: “Last year I said that we let a genie out of the bottle when we, when we developed nuclear weapons, and that Genie has been doing some terrible things lately. And the power of that genie is what, you know, scares the hell out of me. And then I don’t know any way to get the genie back in the bottle. And AI is somewhat similar.”

“I don’t know anything about AI… but that doesn’t mean I deny its existence or importance,” Warren Buffett said during the 2024 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. pic.twitter.com/NGaYbUHeWP
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) May 5, 2024

Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway holds substantial stakes in Apple and Microsoft, two leading companies in the generative AI sector. Despite this, the well-known value investor remains wary of potential misuses.
Warren Buffett’s connections to AI
Buffett recognized the “amazing” capabilities of AI. He experimented with OpenAI’s ChatGPT when former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates introduced it to him three months ago. However, the nonagenarian added: “When something can do all kinds of things I get a little bit worried because I know we won’t be able to un-invent it. We did invent—for a very, very good reason—the atom bomb in World War II, and it was enormously important that we did so. But is it good for the next 200 years of the world that the ability….has been unleashed?”
Charlie Munger, Berkshire’s vice chairman, has been skeptical towards AI. He stated: “I think old-fashioned intelligence works pretty well.”
“There won’t be anything in AI that replaces the G,” Buffett added. “I’ll state that unqualifiedly.”
In terms of stocks, Buffett said: “It’s not going to tell me which stocks to buy or anything of the sort.
“It can tell me every stock that meets a certain criteria, or a criteria, in three seconds or something. But it’s got decided limitations in some ways.”
Featured image: Canva / USA International Trade Administration
The post Warren Buffett compares misused AI to nuclear weapons appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Warren Buffett compares misused AI to nuclear weapons

Crypto trader loses $69 million to ‘address poisoning’ scam

A cryptocurrency trader has reportedly fallen victim to a sophisticated “address poisoning” scam, resulting in the loss of tens of millions of dollars.
Address poisoning is a type of fraud where scammers create fake accounts that mimic their victim’s online crypto address. They then send a small amount of currency to the victim, hoping that the victim will later accidentally send money to the fake address, according to crypto trading service Transak.
The public nature of blockchains makes it easy for scammers to find people’s crypto addresses and launch these phishing attacks. CertiK, a blockchain security firm, detected a transfer of $69.3 million worth of Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) to an address linked to address poisoning. The victim’s crypto wallet now shows a 97% loss in assets, with the account value plummeting to just over $1.6 million.

#CertiKInsight
Our system has detected a transfer of 1,155 WBTC (~$69.3m) to an address linked to address poisoning
EOA 0xd9A1 mimicked a transfer of 0.05 ETH which led the victim to send the funds to the wrong address
Stolen funds are here https://t.co/m2xpJW0QIZ pic.twitter.com/PWFhEsEN2G
— CertiK Alert (@CertiKAlert) May 3, 2024

Peckshield, another security firm, revealed on X that the scammers exchanged the stolen Bitcoin for 23,000 Ethereum before transferring the funds. Ethereum is currently trading at $3,116 per coin, according to The Daily Hodl.
To prevent falling victim to address scams, hardware wallet producer Trezor recommends double-checking every address before sending a transaction and avoiding copying addresses from transaction history when transferring funds. Sending a small test transaction before making a large transfer is also an effective way to verify the address.
Cryptocurrency-related scams are becoming increasingly prevalent, with the FBI’s 2023 internet crime report highlighting that crypto-related frauds cost investors $3.94 billion last year. This accounts for more than three-quarters of the year’s investment scam losses.
The rise of pig butchering scams
One particularly concerning trend is the rise of “pig butchering” scams, which cost investors $75 million between 2020 and 2024. In these scams, criminals build trust with victims through wrong-number texts, send small payments, and lure them into making fake crypto investments before disappearing once the victim has sent a substantial amount of money.
At the end of last year, United States authorities were able to recover about $500,000 worth of assets lost to pig butchering scams. In mid-March, Massachusetts prosecutors also took some steps to return $2.3 million worth of digital assets seized from fraudsters to pig-butchering scam victims.
The post Crypto trader loses $69 million to ‘address poisoning’ scam appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Crypto trader loses $69 million to ‘address poisoning’ scam