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Binance joins Neo Council, 2.1 million NEO used to secure two Top 21 positions

Binance Staking has secured two positions on the Neo Council. At the time of press, Binance has voted with approximately 2.1 million NEO to secure its places in the Top 21. Binance is the world's largest custodial exchange with nearly US $9.07 billion in 24-hour volume, according to CoinCap.io. Binance Staking is a service that allows users to earn distributions offered on proof-of-stake or other networks that distribute rewards to participants. The platform provides two types of staking: flexible and locked. Flexible staking offers fewer rewards but allows users to move the underlying assets at any time. Locked staking requires users to deposit a token for a specific time frame but provides higher yields. For example, a minimum of 0.01 NEO locked for 15, 30, 60, or 120 days will earn increasing yields of 5.79%, 7.49%, 8.79%, and 13.56% (made in GAS distributions), respectively. In the announcement post, Neo Global Development said "Binance Staking's new membership in the ...

IoT Devices Are Being Hacked By Lizard Squad To Execute DDoS Attacks



People who have been following the tech news may recall the name Lizard Squad. This hacker collective has been a major pain in the neck for computer users all over the world. But it looks like they are changing tactics. Instead of relying on computer botnets, they are now enslaving other internet-connected devices to wreak more havoc.
Lizard Squad Is Still On The Scene

While most people agree the Internet of Things is a magnificent concept, it also poses a significant security risk. The majority of Internet-connected devices is not equipped with proper security precautions. In theory, any device connected to the internet can be hacked and taken over by malicious individuals. That seems to what Lizard Squad is showcasing already. The collective has been making a name for itself by using compromised computers to execute DDoS attacks around the world. But it looks like the Internet of Things is their new favorite target as of late. With millions of connected devices to choose from, creating a botnet has never been easier.

Over the past few months, Lizard Squad hacked CCTV cameras and webcams all over the world to execute its DDoS attacks. Targets ranged from banks to governments, and gaming sites to ISPs. Albeit internet-connected devices are not always as powerful as a computer, they are much easier to control remotely. Plus, a lot of less-powerful devices combined can still pack quite the punch. Top put this into perspective, some of the recent Lizard Squad attacks managed to drive 400 Gbps of data to specific websites and servers. That is quite a lot of computer requests to bring down any network, or at least cripple it severely. Interestingly enough, it remains unknown whether or not Lizard Squad is trying to force targets to pay up to get rid of the attacks altogether.

These attacks paint a worrisome picture for the future of Internet of Things security, though. The vast majority of devices will need to be made a lot more secure before they are actively used on the Internet. Computers are not safe from harm, either, though, as hacker collectives will try to exploit any weakness in any device.

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