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Understanding recent credential leaks and the rise of InfoStealer malware

Opinion by: Jimmy Su, Binance chief security officer

The threat of InfoStealer malware is on the rise, targeting people and organizations across digital finance and far beyond. InfoStealers are a category of malware designed to extract sensitive data from infected devices without the victim’s knowledge. This includes passwords, session cookies, crypto wallet details and other valuable personal information.

According to Kaspersky, these malware campaigns leaked over 2 million bank card details last year. And that number is only growing.

Malware-as-a-service

These tools are widely available via the malware-as-a-service model. Cybercriminals can access advanced malware platforms that offer dashboards, technical support and automatic data exfiltration to command-and-control servers for a subscription fee. Once stolen, data is sold on dark web forums, Telegram channels or private marketplaces.

The damage from an InfoStealer infection can go far beyond a single compromised account. Leaked credentials can lead to identity

NFT sales plunge 63% in Q1, but Pudgy Penguins, Doodles buck trend

Sales of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2025, plunging 63% year-over-year. Still, a few standout collections defied the downturn and posted gains.

NFTs recorded $1.5 billion in total sales from January to March 2025, down from $4.1 billion during the same period in 2024, according to data from aggregator CryptoSlam. March accounted for the steepest decline, with sales falling 76% to $373 million compared with $1.6 billion last year.

Despite the slowdown, collections including Doodles, Milady Maker and Pudgy Penguins outperformed expectations, showing strength amid the downturn.

Pudgy Penguins, Doodles, Milady defy NFT downturn in Q1

Among the largest NFT collections, CryptoPunks recorded $60 million in Q1 2025 sales, down 47% from $114 million in the first quarter of 2024.

The Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) had an even bigger drop of 61%. The monkey-themed NFT collection had a sales volume of only $29.8

Lazarus Group’s 2024 pause was repositioning for $1.4B Bybit hack

North Korea-affiliated hackers may have scaled back their operations in the second half of 2024 while preparing for what became the largest crypto hack in history.

The crypto industry was rocked by the enormous hack on Feb. 21 when Bybit lost over $1.4 billion to the infamous North Korean Lazarus Group, which seems to have prepared the attack months in advance.

According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, illicit activity tied to North Korean cyber actors sharply declined after July 1, 2024, despite a surge in attacks earlier that year.

The slowdown in crypto hacks by North Korean agents had raised significant red flags, according to Eric Jardine, Chainalysis cybercrimes research Lead.

North Korean hacking activity before and after July 1. Source: Chainalysis

North Korea’s slowdown “started when Russia and

LINE says it’s not in bed with Sony’s Soneium after all

LY Corporation denied that its Web3 venture, Line Next, had entered into a business partnership with Soneium, a Sony-backed Ethereum layer-2 network.

The statement, issued on March 28, followed media reports and social media coverage that suggested a partnership had been finalized between LY and Soneium.

“These reports were based on an announcement made by Soneium on [March 12] that it plans to expand its business by using the LINE API and LINE Mini Apps on our platform, although no business partnership or the like has been established between Soneium and LY Corporation,” LY said.

In response, a Soneium spokesperson told Cointelegraph: “Our March 12 announcement refers to a collaboration, which involves exploring the integration of onchain Mini Apps within the Line ecosystem. We stand by the accuracy of all content published in our official statement.

“LY Corporation has also directed readers

'Bitcoin Macro Index' bear signal puts $110K BTC price return in doubt

Bitcoin (BTC) risks falling into a fresh bear market as a large collection of BTC price metrics has produced a “bearish divergence.”

In a social media discussion on March 27, Bitcoin commentators flagged troubling signals from the Capriole Investments’ Bitcoin Macro Index.

Bitcoin Macro Index slump “not great,” says creator

As BTC/USD struggles to return to the area around all-time highs, onchain metrics are beginning to lose their bull market edge.

The Bitcoin Macro Index, created by Capriole in 2022, uses machine learning to analyze data from a large number of metrics that founder Charles Edwards says “give a strong indication of Bitcoin’s relative value throughout historic cycles.”

“The model only looks at onchain and macro-market data. Uniquely, price data and technical analysis is not considered as an input in this model,” he explained in an introduction to the tool

Coffeezilla shouldn’t duck Logan Paul suit over CryptoZoo claims: Judge

Influencer Logan Paul should be allowed to continue a lawsuit accusing the YouTuber known as “Coffeezilla” of making defamatory remarks about Paul’s failed CryptoZoo project, a Texas magistrate judge said.

In a March 26 report filed in a San Antonio federal court, Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad recommended that federal Judge Orlando Garcia, overseeing the case, deny Stephen Findeisen’s bid to toss Paul’s lawsuit, as Findeisen presented his claims more akin to facts than “mere opinion.”

“At the pleading stage, Plaintiff [Paul] has sufficiently alleged that the statements at issue in this case are reasonably capable of defamatory meaning and are not unactionable opinions,” Bemporad wrote.

“The Court should reject Defendants’ contention that context renders Findeisen’s statements nondefamatory,” he added.

Paul sued Findeisen in June, claiming one of Findeisen’s X posts and two YouTube videos about his CryptoZoo non-fungible token (NFT) project were malicious and caused reputational damage.

CryptoZoo was pinned

Market is underestimating how quickly Bitcoin will hit new ATH: Analyst

Bitcoin will break past its $109,000 all-time high sooner than expected despite recent volatile US macroeconomic conditions, according to a crypto analyst.

“The market may be underestimating how quickly Bitcoin could surge – potentially hitting new all-time highs before Q2 is out,” Real Vision chief crypto analyst Jamie Coutts told Cointelegraph.

He said this forecast stands regardless of whether or not there is more clarity on US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and potential recession concerns.

Trump’s tariffs blamed for Bitcoin’s recent downtrend

Bitcoin (BTC) fell below $100,000 on Feb. 2, with many market participants blaming the downturn on Trump’s newly imposed tariffs and uncertainty over US interest rates.

Coutts based his rosy rebound prediction on easing financial conditions, a weakening US dollar and the People’s Bank of China ramping up liquidity since early 2025.

“Financial conditions have eased dramatically this month, highlighted by the US dollar’s

South Carolina dismisses its staking lawsuit against Coinbase, joining Vermont

South Carolina has become the latest US state to dismiss its lawsuit against crypto exchange Coinbase over its staking services, which had accused the crypto exchange of offering unregistered securities.

The lawsuit was officially dismissed in a joint stipulation between the crypto exchange and the South Carolina Attorney General’s securities division on March 27.

“South Carolina just joined Vermont to dismiss its unfounded staking lawsuit against Coinbase,” the firm’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, said in a March 27 X post.

“This is not just a victory for us, but for American consumers and we hope it’s a sign of things to come in the few states left that restrict staking.”

South Carolina Attorney General and Coinbase’s joint stipulation. Source: South Carolina Attorney General

South Carolina and Vermont were two of 10 US states that took legal action against Coinbase’s

Darkweb actors claim to have over 100K of Gemini, Binance user info

Darkweb threat actors claim to have hundreds of thousands of user records — including names, passwords and location data — of Gemini and Binance users, putting the apparent lists up for sale on the internet.

The Dark Web Informer, a Darkweb cyber news site, said in a March 27 blog post that the latest sale is from a threat actor operating under the handle AKM69, who purportedly has an extensive list of private user information from users of crypto exchange Gemini.

“The database for sale reportedly includes 100,000 records, each containing full names, emails, phone numbers, and location data of individuals from the United States and a few entries from Singapore and the UK,” the Dark Web Informer said.

Source: Dark Web Informer

“The threat actor categorized the listing as part of a broader

GameStop stocks hit restrictions on NYSE after short volume rockets 234%

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has imposed a Short Sale Restriction (SSR) on GameStop after volume spiked to levels reminiscent of GameStop’s famous 2021 short squeeze.

GameStop (GME) short sales volume — the total number of shares sold short within a specific timeframe — rose 234% over 24 hours, reaching 30.85 million shares sold on March 27, according to TradingView data.

The SSR kicks in when a stock drops over 10% from the previous day’s closing price. GameStop’s stock fell 22% over the trading day, wiping out its 12% gain from the Bitcoin announcement and then some, according to Google Finance data.

At the time of publication, GME was trading at $22.09.

GameStop shorts volume near 2021 short squeeze levels

The rule is applied for the rest of the trading day and the following trading day. Malone Wealth president and CEO Kevin Malone