Crypto Breaking News

Blockchain security firm Quantstamp says a phishing email and a compromised laptop were key steps in the recent Humanity Protocol incident that resulted in the theft of $36 million worth of Humanity (H) tokens. The company’s investigation points to North Korea-linked threat activity, citing technical indicators such as a South Korean digital certificate and malware behavior consistent with DPRK intrusion patterns. Quantstamp reports that the attackers used a malicious attachment disguised as a token lockup schedule update supposedly connected to Bithumb, one of South Korea’s major cryptocurrency exchanges. After the file was delivered to a staff member, malware installed itself and

Ethereum developers are exploring a path to protect accounts from future quantum-computing threats without waiting for a costly network upgrade. According to Ethereum Foundation researcher Nicolas Consigny, the “Kohaku” project lead, Ethereum could begin adding post-quantum protections at an estimated cost of as little as $0.07 per action, leveraging a new on-EVM approach rather than a hard fork. Consigny shared details in an X post on Saturday and pointed to a corresponding research write-up on Ethresear.ch. The proposal adapts SPHINCS+, a post-quantum signature scheme standardized by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to make onchain verification cheaper on

Ethereum researchers are exploring a way to harden user accounts against future quantum-computing threats without waiting for a disruptive network upgrade. According to Ethereum Foundation project lead Nicolas Consigny, the “SPHINCS-” proposal could start delivering post-quantum protections for as little as $0.07 in on-chain verification costs, avoiding the need for a hard fork. Consigny shared the idea in a Saturday post on X, linking to a technical paper hosted on Ethresear.ch. The work adapts SPHINCS+, a post-quantum signature scheme standardized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to run more efficiently on Ethereum’s execution environment. Key takeaways Ethereum

Humanity Protocol’s latest security incident appears to be tied to North Korea-linked cyber activity, according to an investigation by Quantstamp. The blockchain security firm says a phishing email carrying a malicious attachment compromised an employee device and enabled the theft of $36 million worth of Humanity (H) tokens. The attack chain, as described by Quantstamp, started with a message that masqueraded as a “token lockup schedule” update reportedly from South Korean exchange Bithumb. Once delivered, the malware granted full remote access to the compromised laptop and ultimately facilitated access to sensitive cryptocurrency wallet materials tied to a project executive. Key takeaways

Bitcoin edged around the $64,000 mark as markets closed out the week, with momentum supported by a developing US–Iran diplomatic signal. Traders pointed to expectations that a peace deal would be signed on Sunday, alongside technical stability after a brief push to around $64,750 on Bitstamp. While the move looks more like consolidation than a breakout, the narrative matters: in the short term, easing geopolitical risk can improve risk appetite for liquid assets such as crypto, especially when traders believe the downside case is losing traction on key chart and derivatives metrics. Key takeaways Bitcoin held above $64,000 near Sunday’s weekly

U.S. President Donald Trump says a deal to end hostilities between the United States and Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, and that immediately afterward the Strait of Hormuz would be “OPEN TO ALL.” The announcement comes despite earlier caution from Iranian officials about the timing, underscoring how closely markets are watching the next steps in a geopolitical standoff that has already roiled energy flows. Pakistan, which has been mediating the talks, indicated that an agreement could be reached within 24 hours and that preparations are underway for electronic signing following the finalization. Analysts argue that any credible de-escalation—especially

US President Donald Trump says a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the US–Iran conflict is slated to be signed on Sunday, even though Iranian officials have previously questioned the timing. Trump also claimed that the “Hormuz Strait” would be opened to all immediately after the signing. The proposed agreement—mediated by Pakistan—would extend a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While Pakistan’s prime minister said finalization could occur within 24 hours, Iran has not confirmed Sunday as the signing date, leaving traders to weigh the prospect of de-escalation against the risk of further delays. Key takeaways Trump says the US–Iran

The Trump administration’s move to limit foreign access to Anthropic’s most capable AI models was reportedly sparked by security concerns raised through industry channels, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The episode culminated in export controls that forced Anthropic to pull its latest release from public access. As U.S. officials acted quickly on the perceived risk, decentralized AI-focused tokens also rallied over the same period, underscoring how government interventions in centralized AI can rapidly reshape expectations across the broader crypto AI sector. Key takeaways According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy contacted senior U.S. officials after researchers

The Trump administration’s decision to cut foreign access to Anthropic’s most powerful AI models was reportedly set in motion by outreach from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, after researchers found a potential way to coax the company’s “Fable 5” model into producing information that could be repurposed for cyberattacks. The episode escalated quickly into White House-level review and culminated in export controls that, according to Anthropic, followed a U.S. directive. As the dispute unfolded, U.S. regulators also demonstrated how fast access to a widely used AI system can be curtailed—an event that traders linked to a rebound in several decentralized “AI token”

Brazil lawmakers advanced a bill that would allow courts to freeze crypto assets tied to cyber fraud investigations, alongside tougher penalties for online fraud.

Bitcoin inched toward $64,000 after Trump confirmed a new US-Iran agreement is expected soon, boosting risk sentiment and easing concerns tied to the Strait of Hormuz.

Strategy’s executive chairman Michael Saylor has defended the company’s first reported Bitcoin sale since 2022, arguing that the ability to sell BTC—at least when it’s required to back certain financial obligations—is a prerequisite for the firm to keep issuing “digital credit.” The defense comes after Strategy disclosed the sale in a June 1 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: the company offloaded 32 BTC, a move that contrasted with Saylor’s widely repeated “never sell your Bitcoin” message. Speaking at BTC Prague, Saylor framed the decision as part of a broader credit thesis for Bitcoin-based financial products. Key takeaways Strategy

Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox says an AI-powered security audit of the privacy-focused cryptocurrency found no serious vulnerabilities in its core protocol. The review was conducted using Anthropic’s Claude Mythos model, at the request of Shielded Labs, a Swiss non-profit that supports Zcash development. Wilcox made the claim in an X post on Saturday, adding that the audit did not uncover “any more serious bugs” in the Zcash protocol. The announcement arrives after a separate, well-documented emergency response earlier this month involving Zcash’s Orchard shielded pool. Key takeaways Wilcox said Anthropic’s Claude Mythos audit did not find serious vulnerabilities in Zcash’s protocol,

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, has defended the company’s first reported Bitcoin sale since 2022, arguing that the ability to sell BTC when necessary is integral to issuing “digital credit” products. The comments come as Strategy continues to frame Bitcoin not just as a treasury asset, but as the backing for securities designed to generate yield. In a June 1 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Strategy disclosed it sold 32 BTC—an action that contrasted with Saylor’s long-standing public message to “never sell your Bitcoin.” Speaking to Cointelegraph at the BTC Prague conference, Saylor said the logic is

Stablecoin growth is pushing investors toward the less glamorous but increasingly essential plumbing of crypto finance: onchain credit. In that context, Morpho Labs’ latest fundraising round is drawing attention—not solely because the team is known for DeFi lending, but because it is positioning itself as a broader “credit infrastructure” layer for banks, asset managers, and fintechs. According to Spark CEO Sam MacPherson, the market signal is clear: investors are backing stablecoin and credit infrastructure alongside—rather than instead of—pure decentralized finance lending. Morpho itself said Tuesday that it raised $175 million in a round led by Paradigm, a16z crypto, and Ribbit Capital,

Investors are showing renewed interest in “onchain credit” and stablecoin-linked financial infrastructure, signaling a shift away from decentralized finance (DeFi) lending as a standalone retail product. That backdrop is helping a well-known lending protocol, Morpho Labs, raise fresh capital and frame its next phase as credit infrastructure for institutions. According to Cointelegraph, Spark CEO Sam MacPherson said stablecoin growth is pushing the market to treat credit as a core layer in the onchain financial stack. He pointed to Morpho’s latest funding as an example of capital flowing toward stablecoin-enabled lending and credit tooling. Key takeaways Morpho announced a $175 million funding

Crypto markets may still be buffeted by macro news and uneven regulatory signals, but tokenization continues to look like the sector’s most durable theme. This week’s developments underscored that shift: Binance Research data points to accelerating demand for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), while Kraken expanded tokenized access to SpaceX’s IPO via its xStocks platform. Beyond tokenization, blockchain activity is also evolving. Prediction markets have now outpaced onchain gambling by volume for the first time, according to TRM Labs, and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has filed a formal request for a U.S. presidential pardon. Key takeaways Binance Research reports active tokenized