Validators suggest updating the nodes of the Beacon Chain network and the PoW chain. The community gets ready for the next fork of the network; It will happen on April 14.

The next Ethereum network update, Berlin, will happen on April 14, 2021, but it is a backward-incompatible fork and therefore sets a requirement for nodes to update their software to sync with the leading network.

The Ethereum 2.0 coordinator, Danny Ryan, shared a post. He clarifies that stakers must update their nodes as a mandatory requirement before March 17 to remain linked to the leading network before the hard fork of the test-based chain working (PoW).

The coordinator added that Beacon Chain network operators need to put an endpoint on the Ethereum Pow network to perform all the functions they perform as validators successfully. A link will serve as an allowance between both systems’ components to complete new deposits.

The nodes that lack an update will synchronize with the blockchain before the hard fork once the update happens. This situation means that if they don’t comply with the new set of requirements, they will suffer a stuck in an incompatible chain; therefore, they will lose the ability to send ethers or work on the post-fork Ethereum network.

 Validators must upgrade their PoW nodes to complete the process, with a primordial root on the client’s version. If such validators dare to work on the Pyrmont test network, they must update their Goerli nodes before March 17, 2021. But, if they validate on the mainnet, they must do so before April 14, 2021, Ryan said.

Exchanges and Other Service Providers and Users are not Required to Take any Action to Adapt to the Update

Since its inception, the Ethereum blockchain has operated on the exact proof-of-work mechanism that Bitcoin uses. But for years, developers have been planning the transition to migrate the consensus type of proof of stake (PoS).

This system will set a replacement between miners and validators in hopes of generating a remarkable reduction in on-grid energy use. There is also an expectation that once the transition is complete, the Ethereum network will gain the ability to complete a more significant amount of transactions per second and reduce the high fees that users usually suffer.

The four improvement proposals that will see their activation with the Berlin hard fork are part of a more significant focus on building the new Ethereum 2.0 network, although it is not clear even when this process will reach an end. The ecosystem must go through several huge updates to ensure the safety of the protocol and its sustainability.

In December 2019, after the Istanbul fork, the Ethereum community argued that the subsequent updates should carry the cities’ names where DevCon took place.

For this reason, the next hard fork’s name will be Berlin, since that was where the first edition of the main event happened. The next one, set to appear in July, will be called London, where the second edition took place.

By: Jenson Nuñez

According to an investigation from ESET, banking products/services, like bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, are a trend that has constantly been increasing since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

Through a press release that appeared on March 10, ESET brought vital information from a study called Worldwide FinTech. The study examined in detail a set of different topics related to the experiences of banking in terms of financial technology, security, and data privacy in a world that received several economic beats due to Covid-19 since the beginning of 2020.

The inquiry revealed that, since the start of the pandemic, 50% of participants aged 35-44 have come in full engagement with bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. In another research recently conducted by ESET, “they found an increase in cryptocurrency mining activities, following a decline after the 2018 bitcoin crash.”

The study researched banking and financial transactions habits in terms of 2,000 users in the United States and 8,000 in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. Mexico and Brazil also entered the list.

There is an Increase in Cryptocurrency Mining Activity, Following a Decline Recorded After the 2018 Bitcoin Crash

Without hijacking, 66% of people feel safe when handling their fly through digital wallets. On the other hand, only 31% of people first read the applications’ terms and conditions, 30% read the privacy policies, and more than 20% review the encryption policies. Another research study points out malicious attacks, fake sites, and fraud within the world of cryptocurrencies.

As a result of the mess that the pandemic carried with, the concurrence on cryptocurrencies has become doubtful. On the other hand, financial transactions have turned into a more straightforward process than ever. Now transactions are easier to carry out through the web even when facing the publication limits.

The Use of Applications for Phones That Allow Users to Move their Currencies and Investments

This situation also increased the use of phone applications that allow users to move their currencies and investments with just a couple of clicks. The same goes for bitcoin wallets and cryptocurrencies.

This study reveals a trend around the new era of financial digitization, in which bitcoin seems to be taking on a more relevant role worldwide. Without hijacking, it should also increase the responsibility of users in the management of their financial information.

Kraken conducted a study that points out how millennials expect that a reproduction-related to part of the meeting mentioned by ESET would position them as the most significant contributors to bitcoin in the next 25 years. Thanks to the inheritance they will receive from their parents.

By: Jenson Nuñez

MANA reaches almost 200% right after the announcement of an Atari casino in its virtual world. Decred grows 70%.

During the week of March 7 to 15, 2021, the market keeps showing an evident recovery. There is an apparent advance in the movements. Bitcoin has experienced in recent days, and it also has driven a large part of the altcoins with it. According to Live Coin Watch statistics, more than 90% of cryptocurrencies progressed, leading reaches more than 200%.

The most suitable cryptocurrencies of the week are at the hands of Decentraland (MANA), whose platform Atari launched a virtual casino; and Beam (BEAM), which this week opened the Beam Outreach Club, with the participation of its community.

Decred (DCR) follows. It also started a voting process to decentralize its treasury, SC, Sia’s cryptocurrency, which serves as a gift in a raffle by one of the exchanges with which there is trade cryptocurrency.

The list of crypto assets completes its rank with Litecoin (LTC), which has already achieved the code to incorporate the MimbleWimble privacy protocol on the environment.

Bitcoin’s price set a new high price again, breaking the $ 60,000 range for the first time after the correction it went through a few weeks ago. On average, BTC appreciated by 19.2% this week.

The pioneering cryptocurrency reached a new level with its growth trend, reaching a peak of $ 61,402 on March 13. The new record arrived several days after US President Joe Biden enacted a massive stimulus program worth $ 1.9 trillion.

An economic aid plan will bring checks for USD 1,400 to that country’s citizens, incurring a new issue of money that would imply a risk of high inflation and other economic consequences.

Ether (ETH) also keeps climbing the mountain. It registered an average growth of 13.3%, moving between USD 1,646 and USD 1,927 in these seven days.

This week, the Berlin Ethereum hard fork’s date appeared public: its launch will be next April 14 on the leading network. According to the schedule by Ethereum All Core Developers, activation will happen first in the testnets. The process will keep its way in Göerli on March 17 and in Rinkeby on March 24.

Meanwhile, other vital cryptocurrencies on the market are showing some inconsistencies. Ripple’s XRP lost 3%, and Cardano (ADA) crashed down to 6%. On the other hand, Polkadot (DOT) went up to 6%, and Litecoin is up 19%, ranking in the top 5.

Atari And its Virtual Casino in Decentraland

Atari, the video game company, joined forces with Decentral Games to generate a decentralized virtual casino in the virtual world of Decentraland. The announcement, on March 9, coincided with the increase in the price of Decentraland’s native token, MANA, which began a slight climb to a new peak.

The casino will bring games related to Atari, so players would have more chances to win a match due to their skills instead of luck. The rewards will be in Decentral Games (DG) token.

By: Jenson Nuñez

Panda Mining Network urges miners to gather all their hash power. Users believe that miners want to prove that the network would fall as a vulnerable victim without them.

A group of Ethereum miners wants to clarify their discontent around the integration of the EIP-1559 enhancement proposal. Therefore, they have made plans to set a demonstration on April 1 to transfer all their hash power to the Ethermine pool, one of the oldest and most important of Ethereum, which already opposes the protocol.

The coordinated operation will last about 51 hours. During that time, the activists plan to show how much hash power opposes a proposal that receives massive approval from the rest of the community. The movement would also be looking to leave evidence of how much computational power could generate essential changes in the network if the EIP-1559 algorithm gets its activation mode.

The call appeared on Twitter through the Red Panda Minning account; the tweet stated that the action has “an educational purpose” and specifies that it is not about attacking Ethereum.

The proposal aims to improve the network and better manage the high commissions that have been drowning users. The proposal aims at establishing a market base rate to integrate transactions in the blocks while adding tips to encourage the miners.

However, the proposal inflamed a debate after several miners opposed the initiative. They consider that they will lose part of their rewards, as they have stated during calls from the community to discuss the proposal.

Some miners are opposed to see a change in the Ethereum ecosystem and stick to the current mechanism that depends on commission auction to operate every transaction. These miners oppose the fixed fees as well as the proposed compensation model. They believe that if a new system gets an implementation, their income will drop dramatically.

With the debate, the division that exists between miners and developers has increased. This debate is because while the former resist the implementation of the EIP-1559 proposal, the latter agreed to include it in the London hard fork, scheduled for next July.

What Can happen to Ethereum?

Michael Carter, host of the YouTube channel Bits Be Trippin, said that, with their show of force, the miners want to clarify that they can coordinate their actions to show how much hash power could end if they eventually don’t. It is profitable to extract ethers once the EIP-1559 proposal gets its implementation.

Several users took to social networks to criticize the action announced by the miners. Among them, Reddit user DCinvestor said that the operation called for April 1 is an attempt to demonstrate that the network could be under 51% attack without actually doing so directly. He added that many miners only care about their rewards and that their actions will hurt the entire community in the short and long term.

Other users have left comments on this same publication. Many are in favor and others against the measure announced by the miners. Several analysts have also made their estimates that, in effect, with the activation of the EIP-1559 protocol; revenues would get a considerable reduction.

By Jenson Nuñez

The creator of the NFT accused OpenSea of content censorship. The sale of the NFT unleashed a discussion on the legality behind selling cybersecurity breaches.

Hacker House CEO and Co-founder Matthew Hickey tried to sell a cybersecurity breach (exploit) as an NFT through the crypto-collectibles marketplace OpenSea. Just a day after its launch, the platform removed the project without prior advice.

The first token, dubbed zero-day, a Hickey creation for his NFT project, Zero Day Collection, received advertisement via Twitter as “a highly collectible hacker artwork.” Although it seemed harmless and intended to take part in the 1999 video game Quake 3, the token raised questions about the ethics of selling this type of NFT due to the harmful use that buyers could bring to it.

Censorship or Illegality: Hickey Branded the Removal of his NFT as Censorship of a Content Creator

OpenSea removed the auction for Hickey’s NFT, claiming that the collectible could trigger problems in the video game’s services. OpenSea stated that the sale of this NFT had been unique and that it would not be on re-sale within the platform.

Hickey branded the removal of his NFT as censorship of a content creator and suggested not using OpenSea, via the following tweet:

“Even if the security breach is for a 1999 game, and therefore seems harmless, being able to sell these types of breaches through an NFT started a debate on whether that action was legal or not.”

This type of exploit aiming at another software could facilitate the theft of private data or cryptocurrencies, as could have happened with the Coldcard wallet.

The Lawyers Spoke on the Matter

Coindesk recently contacted Stephen Palley and Preston Byrne, two attorneys at the Anderson Kill law firm, to expose the debate on the sale of this type of NFT.

Palley stated that using a cybersecurity breach NFT to enter someone’s computer system in the United States would violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Selling the NFT is more of a decision that compromises ethics.

 If the breach appeared in public without pay, it would receive protection and coverage from an amendment that exposes freedom of religion and expression without government intervention.

For his part, Preston Byrne said that playing with cybersecurity breaches can be dangerous, especially regarding data leaks. Although the process cannot go through verification, he explains that a movement like this can be problematic if this type of NFT was on sale to commit a crime. Byrne added that:

“In a decentralized market context, the likelihood of US adversaries buying such a tool should also be under consideration.”

More than scared, Hickey is worried about seeing how NFT sales progress. Hickey considers all of this as an investigation that can turn the wheel to the distribution and sale models of breaches and security investigations in general.

By: Jenson Nuñez