Bitcoin Daily: Mining Malware Spikes 629 Percent In Q1, Line Unveils Crypto Exchange Plans

Cybercriminals are increasingly turning to cryptojacking and other schemes to mine cryptocurrency, McAfee said in a press release. In fact, the security software company reported that the number of crypto mining malware samples grew by 629 percent in the first quarter of 2018: It saw 2.9 million known samples then compared to only 400,000 in the fourth quarter of 2017.

A new survey, conducted by Foley & Lardner, indicates that those in the crypto community want the industry to be regulated, Cryptovest reported. A near-majority — 84 percent — of the survey’s respondents said that initial offerings of digital currencies should be regulated “by the federal government, states or both.” In addition, 68 percent of respondents said they wanted the ongoing purchases and sales of cryptocurrencies to be regulated.

In other news, Line is getting ready to roll out its own crypto exchange called BITBOX, The Next Web reported. BITBOX will offer 30 cryptocurrencies and support more than a dozen different languages. In an announcement, Line said that the service will be available “globally,” but not for customers in the U.S. or Japan.

On another note, Bithumb claims that it has reduced the damages from a recent heist, CoinDesk reported. While 35 billion Korean won ($31 million) was reportedly stolen through the hack, the South Korean crypto exchange said it has lowered the damages to 19 billion won after working with global exchanges to recover funds.

Sales of cryptocurrency have topped $13.7 billion between January and May, Reuters reported. That figure is about double the amount raised for all of last year, per a report from Strategy& and the Crypto Valley Association. In particular, the U.S. saw 56 token sales that raised a little more than $1 billion over the first five months of the year.

In other news, France is seeking the extradition of a man who is reportedly connected to BTC-e — a crypto exchange that was fined $110 million by the U.S. government, CoinDesk reported. France wants to put him on trial for charges such as money laundering, cybercrime and membership in a criminal organization, according to reports.