ChainCatcher news, researchers from the cybersecurity company Checkmarx have issued a warning about a dangerous malware uploaded to the Python Package Index (PyPI) that steals private keys. According to the company, this malware was automatically uploaded by suspicious users through several different packages, designed to mimic decoding applications of popular wallets and other mainstream industry products like MetaMask, Atomic, TronLink, and Ronin.The malware is cleverly embedded in various parts of the packages. Since this malware appears to be harmless code, it is essentially undetectable. However, upon closer inspection, once an unsuspecting user calls specific functions embedded in the package, certain parts of the data will allow hackers to control cryptocurrency wallets and transfer funds.

ChainCatcher news, the U.S. SEC has once again postponed its decision on the Ethereum spot ETF options. The document states that the U.S. SEC has delayed its decision on the proposed rule change that would allow the Cboe exchange to list options related to several popular spot Ethereum ETFs, with the deadline for the agency's ruling pushed from October 19 to December 3.

ChainCatcher news, Sony's Layer2 project Soneium announced two major upgrades at the end of this month, introducing Granite and Fjord through dual hard forks, and updating its Layer 1 contract to v1.6.0. Soneium stated that these upgrades will enhance its security and efficiency, prepare for Soneium Minato to join the Superchain, and expand the Soneium ecosystem alongside other OP L2s. They will also enable Superchain governance to oversee future L1 contract upgrades, thereby strengthening the decentralization of its ecosystem.

ChainCatcher news, the GameOn TON hackathon is in full swing, aimed at promoting innovation in the Web3 gaming and TON blockchain sectors. It is jointly hosted by several well-known organizations, including AEON and the TON Foundation, with TonBit as the security partner, providing comprehensive security assurance for participating projects.The prize pool for this hackathon reaches up to 4 million USD, aimed at encouraging developers to innovate and providing expert guidance. All projects participating in the GameOn TON hackathon that use TonBit's auditing services will have the opportunity to receive an auditing discount pool provided by TonBit, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 USD, as well as exclusive on-chain security training.TonBit, the security sub-brand under BitsLab, is an early builder and security expert of the TON ecosystem, dedicated to providing security auditing services for the TON ecosystem.

ChainCatcher news, the tokenized securities platform FCX has obtained a clearing and settlement license issued by the Reserve Bank of Australia, as well as a market license for operating an exchange issued by the securities regulator ASIC.At the same time, FCX has become the only trading venue in Australia, apart from the main securities exchange ASX, to hold trading and settlement licenses.

ChainCatcher news, the Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Chen Haolian, urged investors to participate in virtual currency trading preferably through licensed exchanges.Chen Haolian stated that the Hong Kong government is working hard to build the entire ecosystem. Currently, the Invest Hong Kong is actively promoting relevant enterprises to expand their business in Hong Kong. The virtual asset ecosystem is not limited to exchanges; it also includes virtual asset exchange-traded funds and central bank digital currencies (CBDC) among other products. The consultation on the regulation of stablecoins has been completed, and preparations for the relevant legislation are underway to submit to the Legislative Council for review.

ChainCatcher news, Oasis Network has launched the second Privacy4Web3 online hackathon, inviting developers from all walks of life to utilize Oasis's privacy computing technology to jointly promote the development of privacy protection in the crypto field. The prize pool for this round of the hackathon totals $130,000, with a submission deadline of November 1.Developers are required to build applications on Oasis Sapphire to achieve scalable off-chain privacy, or use ROFL to extend Sapphire and (confidentially) verify off-chain computations. Meeting the above conditions qualifies them for participation.It is reported that Oasis Sapphire is the first EVM ecosystem that supports privacy, allowing developers to build dApps with customizable privacy levels. ROFL (Runtime Off-Chain Logic) is a framework that adds support for off-chain components to runtimes like Oasis Sapphire. It enables seamless communication between off-chain components and the on-chain domain, achieving complete composability between different blockchain platforms and off-chain computing stacks.

ChainCatcher news, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Mark Uyeda stated that the commission's approach to regulating cryptocurrency is a "disaster," and that the agency has "not taken any steps" to clarify the rules.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. SEC has reached a settlement with trading firm Rimar regarding its allegations that the company provided false information to investors about its claims of using artificial intelligence (AI) to execute automated trading in cryptocurrencies and other assets.The SEC stated that Itai Liptz, the owner and CEO of Rimar LLC and Rimar USA, along with Rimar USA board member Cliffard Boro, claimed they could use AI to trade cryptocurrencies, stocks, bonds, and other investments, raising nearly $4 million from 45 investors.However, the SEC pointed out that the company did not actually use AI, and the claim of using emerging technologies was merely a "buzzword" to deceive investors, which the agency referred to as "AI-washing." Rimar USA agreed to settle the allegations and will pay a total of $310,000 in civil penalties without admitting or denying the findings of the regulatory investigation.

ChainCatcher message, The ETF Store President Nate Geraci posted on social media: "According to Fox Business News, the SEC still insists that the cryptocurrency XRP is a security. Under the current administration, the XRP ETF may take some time to be approved."

ChainCatcher news, according to FOX Business, the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Bitnomial has sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), questioning its regulatory authority over XRP futures. After Bitnomial self-certified XRP dollar futures contracts, the SEC claimed that XRP is a security and demanded that the exchange comply with additional regulations.Bitnomial believes that XRP futures should not be classified as security futures and is seeking a court declaration to prevent the SEC from asserting jurisdiction over it. This lawsuit intensifies the battle between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over regulatory authority over crypto assets.

ChainCatcher news, European cryptocurrency platform Bitpanda offers EU-regulated security tokens to retail investors.The first security token available on the Bitpanda platform is Steelcoin, which is a "regulated, transferable security" under the EU Prospectus Regulation, tracking the value of selected steel products.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sued Cumberland DRW, claiming it operates as an unregistered securities dealer. According to the SEC's filing, since March 2018, Cumberland has been trading crypto assets as securities for its proprietary accounts as an unregistered dealer.In response, Cumberland DRW announced on the X platform that the SEC believes some of our trades involving certain crypto assets are securities transactions. We took this step in 2019 by acquiring a registered broker-dealer. Until then—despite Chairman Gensler's calls to "come in and register"—we were only informed that we could trade BTC or ETH (both commodities, not under SEC jurisdiction) through our broker-dealer.Cumberland DRW stated that the SEC's action will not change its business operations or the assets it provides liquidity for. The court's allegations against DRW are "merely based on a 'flat earth' conviction." This time, the SEC's approach seems to be a game of "Catch-22," where the ability to "come in and register" is just a mirage. We are ready to defend ourselves again.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Ripple Labs announced on Thursday that the company will appeal the ongoing case against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of maintaining its legal defense while the SEC's appeal in the case is under review by the appellate court.Earlier this month, the SEC filed a notice of appeal regarding the long-standing case against Ripple, which the regulatory agency first sued in December 2020. Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty stated that Ripple's appeal aims to ensure that the company retains its views and arguments in the case, but he did not elaborate on what the company might argue in its motion. He said, "We are doing this to ensure that we leave no room for arguments, including the argument that an investment contract cannot exist without the fundamental rights and obligations in the contract."Similar to the documents submitted by the SEC last week, Ripple's initial filing is merely a notice indicating that a more comprehensive argument will be submitted in the future. Alderoty stated that both parties will fill out a form in the coming weeks to provide "a fairly high-level description" of their arguments, but neither the regulatory agency nor the company will disclose specific details before submitting their opening statements. The SEC's brief may be released around the end of January, while Ripple's opening brief (which will be combined with its opposition to the SEC's brief) will be released at a later time.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sued Cumberland DRW, claiming it operates as an unregistered securities dealer. According to the SEC's indictment information, Cumberland has been trading crypto assets as securities for its own accounts as an unregistered dealer since March 2018.In response, Cumberland DRW issued a statement on the X platform saying, "The SEC believes that some of our transactions involving certain crypto assets are securities transactions. We took this step in 2019 by acquiring a registered broker-dealer. It was only then that we were informed that we could only trade BTC or ETH (both commodities, not under SEC jurisdiction) through our broker-dealer."Cumberland DRW stated that the SEC's action will not change its business operations or the assets it provides liquidity for. The court's allegations against DRW are "merely based on a 'flat Earth' conviction." This time, the SEC's approach seems to be a game of "Catch-22," where the ability to "come in and register" is just a mirage. We are ready to defend ourselves again.

ChainCatcher news, according to Tree News, Ripple Labs Inc. has submitted a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, U.S. prosecutors are seeking an 18-month prison sentence for Heather Morgan (better known by her rapper name "Razzlekhan") for her involvement in laundering 120,000 bitcoins stolen from Bitfinex in a 2016 hack.It is reported that in August 2023, Morgan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud against the United States, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.