Hackers steal $70 million worth of bitcoin as price crosses $17,000

Bitcoin surged past $17,000 Thursday as the frenzy surrounding the virtual currency escalated just days before it starts trading on major U.S. exchanges. Bitcoin has gained more than $5,000 in just the past two days.

At the same time, there are fresh concerns about the security of bitcoin and other virtual currencies after NiceHash, a company that mines bitcoins on behalf of customers, said it is investigating a breach that may have resulted in the theft of about $70 million worth of bitcoin. read more »

Steinhoff Fights for Survival as South Africa Joins Probes

South African regulators have joined the investigation into an accounting scandal at Steinhoff International Holdings NV that’s wiped $11.4 billion off the value of the global furniture and clothing retailer.

The Pretoria-based Financial Services Board has started an independent probe into possible false and misleading financial reports, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said in an emailed statement on Thursday, adding that he supports the inquiry. That’s over and above a review by Johannesburg’s stock exchange and previously disclosed investigations in Germany, where the company is listed. read more »

Uber reportedly paid a 20-year-old man to keep silent about security breach

A 20-year-old man was responsible for the massive data breach at Uber last year, and the company paid him to destroy the data through its bug bounty program, reports Reuters. In November, Uber revealed it suffered from a cyberattack in October 2016 that exposed the private data of 57 million drivers and customers, which it then covered up. Uber allegedly paid hackers a $100,000 ransom to delete the data and not disclose what had happened to the media and public. The company didn’t say how the hacker was paid, or who he was. read more »

Feds ask judge to impose $6.5 million punishment for surgeon

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to order Cape Girardeau neurosurgeon Sonjay Fonn and fiancee Deborah Seeger to pay $6.53 million in penalties and “treble damages” after being convicted of submitting false and fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims. read more »