BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Millions in Bitcoin pouring into Ukraine from donors
Cryptocurrency analysts say at least $13.7m (£10.2m) has so far been donated to the Ukrainian war effort through anonymous Bitcoin donations. Researchers at Elliptic, a blockchain analysis company, say the Ukrainian government, NGOs and volunteer groups have raised the money by advertising their Bitcoin wallet addresses online. More than 4,000 donations have been made so far, with one unknown do ... Read more
2022-02-27 20:33:52
Valve releases Steam Deck handheld PC to select few
Valve's new handheld PC, the Steam Deck, has officially been released - but only to a select few people. The hardware was originally slated for release in December 2021, but was pushed back due to supply chain issues. Despite the hardware having been released, many orders are only available "after Q2 2022". When asked if it would be able to fulfil these pre-orders, Valve president Gab ... Read more
2022-02-27 20:33:32
Russian vigilante hacker: 'I want to help beat Ukraine from my computer'
"This site can't be reached." That was the message greeting visitors to dozens of Ukrainian websites on Wednesday afternoon. From 16:00 local time webpages for banks and government ministries started going down. Naturally, fingers quickly pointed towards Moscow - Russia's cyber army once again accused of hacking to spread fear and confusion online as troops massed on Ukraine's borders ... Read more
2022-02-25 18:45:59
Ukraine invasion: Russia restricts access to Facebook
Russia has limited access to Facebook over the platform's stance on the accounts of several Moscow-backed news outlets amid the invasion of Ukraine. Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor accused the network of "censorship" and violating "the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens". Facebook said it had refused to stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-o ... Read more
2022-02-25 18:45:22
Bitcoin less green since China ban, research suggests
Bitcoin has become less green since China cracked down on mining the cryptocurrency, new research suggests. Mining refers to the process of creating new bitcoins using banks of powerful computers. The share of renewable energy powering mining fell from 41.6% in 2020 to 25.1% last August as miners stopped using Chinese hydro and moved to the US, where gas supplies much of their power. Researcher ... Read more
2022-02-25 18:44:20
Ukraine conflict: Fighting rages near Kyiv after Russia invasion
Ukraine's army is trying to repel a full-scale Russian invasion, with fierce battles taking place close to the capital Kyiv. Fighting is raging at an airfield on the outskirts of the city, and it could become a springboard for the Russian army into Kyiv if its troops seize it. The Russian assault is being fought on several fronts after it attacked from the east, north and south on Thursday. Ukr ... Read more
2022-02-24 19:01:02
Ukraine crisis: 'Wiper' discovered in latest cyber-attacks
Ukraine has been hit by more cyber-attacks, which its government says are "on a completely different level". Earlier on Wednesday, the websites of several Ukrainian banks and government departments became inaccessible. At the same time a new "wiper" attack, which destroys data on infected machines, was discovered being used against Ukrainian organisations. The incident repre ... Read more
2022-02-24 18:58:33
Study: UK firms most likely to pay ransomware hackers
Some 82% of British firms which have been victims of ransomware attacks paid the hackers in order to get back their data, a new report suggests. The global average was 58%, making the UK the most likely country to pay cyber-criminals. Security firm Proofpoint's research also found that more than three-quarters of UK businesses were affected by ransomware in 2021. Phishing attacks remain the key ... Read more
2022-02-23 19:18:31
Virgin Hyperloop to focus on cargo, not people
Virgin Hyperloop, a futuristic train service that promised a new era of travel for passengers, will be focusing on cargo instead, it has revealed. The company told BBC News the change in direction was due to global supply-chain issues and Covid. The Financial Times, which first reported the story, said it had also laid off more than 100 staff members. Experts have expressed doubts about the eng ... Read more
2022-02-23 19:18:07
Cyber-attacks bring down many Ukraine websites
Ukraine has been hit by more cyber-attacks, which its government says are "on a completely different level". Earlier on Wednesday, the websites of several Ukrainian banks and government departments became inaccessible. Internet connectivity company NetBlocks tweeted: "The incident appears consistent with recent DDOS attacks." Distributed denial of service attacks are designe ... Read more
2022-02-23 19:17:47