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Technology
AI Agent Chatbots cryptocurrency Finance Technology

How AI Agents Are Transforming Cryptocurrency

 



Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are revolutionizing the cryptocurrency sector by automating processes, enhancing security, and improving trading strategies. These smart programs help analyze blockchain data, detect fraud, and optimize financial decisions without human intervention.


What Are AI Agents?

AI agents are autonomous software programs that operate independently, analyzing information and taking actions to achieve specific objectives. These systems interact with their surroundings through data collection, decision-making algorithms, and execution of tasks. They play a critical role in multiple industries, including finance, cybersecurity, and healthcare.


There are different types of AI agents:

1. Simple Reflex Agents: React based on pre-defined instructions.

2. Model-Based Agents: Use internal models to make informed choices.

3. Goal-Oriented Agents: Focus on achieving specific objectives.

4. Utility-Based Agents: Weigh outcomes to determine the best action.

5. Learning Agents: Continuously improve based on new data.


Evolution of AI Agents

AI agents have undergone advancements over the years. Here are some key milestones:

1966: ELIZA, an early chatbot, was developed at MIT to simulate human-like conversations.

1980: MYCIN, an AI-driven medical diagnosis tool, was created at Stanford University.

2011: IBM Watson demonstrated advanced natural language processing by winning on Jeopardy!

2014: AlphaGo, created by DeepMind, outperformed professional players in the complex board game Go.

2020: OpenAI introduced GPT-3, an AI model capable of generating human-like text.

2022: AlphaFold solved long-standing biological puzzles related to protein folding.

2023: AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude AI gained widespread use for conversational tasks.

2025: ElizaOS, a blockchain-based AI platform, is set to enhance AI-agent applications.


AI Agents in Cryptocurrency

The crypto industry is leveraging AI agents for automation and security. In late 2024, Virtuals Protocol, an AI-powered Ethereum-based platform, saw its market valuation soar to $1.9 billion. By early 2025, AI-driven crypto tokens collectively reached a $7.02 billion market capitalization.

AI agents are particularly valuable in decentralized finance (DeFi). They assist in managing liquidity pools, adjusting lending and borrowing rates, and securing financial transactions. They also enhance security by identifying fraudulent activities and vulnerabilities in smart contracts, ensuring compliance with regulations like Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML).


The Future of AI in Crypto

Tech giants like Amazon and Apple are integrating AI into digital assistants like Alexa and Siri, making them more interactive and capable of handling complex tasks. Similarly, AI agents in cryptocurrency will continue to take new shapes, offering greater efficiency and security for traders, investors, and developers.

As these intelligent systems advance, their role in crypto and blockchain technology will expand, paving the way for more automated, reliable, and secure financial ecosystems.



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Technology
Blockchain Economy Finance Innovation Jordan Technology

Jordan Approves Blockchain Technology to Boost Innovation


As part of its initiatives to enhance public services and modernize government processes, Jordan has approved the 2025 Blockchain Technology Policy. The Jordanian Council of Ministers unveiled a new policy to improve service delivery to citizens, cut expenses, and streamline administrative procedures. 

This strategy is an integral part of Jordan's broader goal for digital transformation and economic modernization, which also involves promoting startup growth and developing skills linked to blockchain. 

About Jordan’s blockchain technology policy

The 2025 Blockchain Technology Policy aims to revolutionize public administration by integrating blockchain technology into government operations. According to officials, the objective is to decrease delays in governmental workflows, automate procedures, and validate transactions instantly.

The policy places a high priority on preserving citizens' data. The government intends to employ blockchain's secure infrastructure to protect data privacy and boost public trust in governmental organizations.

Key features

The policy is going to assist startups using blockchain technology. This involves developing chances for businesses and providing workers with the skills required to succeed in blockchain-related industries.

Jordan intends to make government transactions more efficient and accessible to citizens and businesses by leveraging blockchain's capacity to record and verify data instantaneously.

In addition, the blockchain's distributed architecture will generate records that cannot be changed, assuring improved accuracy in government reporting and decreasing errors.

Authorities think it will result in improved oversight of government services.

Impact on economy and infrastructure

Jordan has recently expressed an increased interest in blockchain and Bitcoin. In 2022, Jordan saw an increase in crypto activity as citizens sought solutions to unemployment and other concerns, showing blockchain's ability to address economic issues.

Jordan's blockchain program is part of a broader regional trend of using emerging technologies to enhance government operations.

Syria, for example, revealed plans to regulate Bitcoin [BTC] and automate its currency to stabilize its financial sector and draw foreign investment. In the UAE, Dubai has permitted the expansion of blockchain-based payment systems, while Abu Dhabi has established a legal framework for decentralized solutions.

These initiatives indicate a growing interest in blockchain as a solution to economic and administrative difficulties in the Middle East.

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Sensitive data
API Cyber Security Finance Healthcare NHIs Sensitive data

Why Non-Human Identities Are the New Cybersecurity Nightmare







In April, business intelligence company Sisense fell victim to a critical security breach that exposed all vulnerability in managing non-human identities (NHIs). The hackers accessed the company's GitLab repository that contained hardcoded SSH keys, API credentials, and access tokens. Indeed, this really opened the book on why NHIs are a must and how indispensable they have become in modern digital ecosystems.

Unlike human users, NHIs such as service accounts, cloud instances, APIs, and IoT manage data flow and automate processes. Therefore, in the majority of enterprise networks, with NHIs now far outscaling human users, their security is crucial to prevent cyberattacks and ensure business continuity.

The Threat of Non-Human Identities

With thousands or even millions of NHIs in use within an organisation, no wonder cybercrooks are turning their attention to these. Typically, digital identities are less comprehensively understood and protected, so that easily becomes an easy target for them. In fact, data breaches involving NHIs have already become more widespread, especially as companies increase their usage of cloud infrastructures and automation.

Healthcare and finance are basically soft targets because these industries have strict regulations on compliance. Getting found in violation of standards such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) could come in the form of a fine, reputational damage, and a loss of customer trust.

Why Secure NHIs?

With the complexity of digital ecosystems constantly growing, the security of NHIs becomes all the more important. Companies are drifting toward a "zero-trust" security model, where no user--neither human nor non-human-is trusted by default. Every access request needs to be verified. And especially, this concept has been very effective in decentralised networks that come with large numbers of NHIs.

Locking down NHIs lets the organisations control sensitive data, reduce unauthorised access, and comply with regulation. In the case of Sisense, when management of NHIs is poor, they very soon become a gateway for the cybercriminals.

Best Practices in Managing NHI

To ensure the security of non-human identity, these best practices have to be adopted by an organisation:


 1. Continuous Discovery and Inventory
Automated processes should be in place so that there is always a live inventory of all the NHI across the network. This inventory captures proper details of the owner, permissions, usage patterns, and related risks associated with that NHI. Control and monitoring over these digital identities is enhanced through this live catalog.


 2. Risk-Based Approach
Not all NHIs are the same, however. Some have access to highly sensitive information, while others simply get to perform routine tasks. Companies should have a risk-scoring system that analyses what the NHI has access to, what it accesses in terms of sensitivity, and the effect if broken into.

3. Incident Response Action Plan
A percentage of security will then be allocated based on those with the highest scores. Organisations should have a structured incident response plan aligned with NHIs. They  should also have pre-defined playbooks on the breach related to non-human identities. These playbooks should outline the phases involved in the incident containment, mitigation, and resolution process, as well as the communication protocols with all stakeholders.

4. NHI Education Program
A good education program limits security risks associated with NHI. Developers should be trained on coding secure practices, including the dangers of hardcoded credentials, and operations teams on proper rotation and monitoring NHIs. Regular training ensures that all employees are aware of best practices.


 5. Automated Lifecycle Management
The NHIs will also get instantiated, updated, and retired automatically. Thus, security policies will be enforced for all the identity lifecycle stages. This will eradicate human errors in the form of unused or misconfigured NHIs with possible exploits by attackers.


 6. Non-Human Identity Detection and Response (NHIDR)
The NHIDR tools set baseline behaviour patterns for NHIs and detect the anomaly that could indicate a breach. Organisations can monitor the activities of NHIs with these tools and respond quickly to suspicious behaviour, thereby preventing more breaches.


 7. Change Approval Workflow
In most cases, change approval workflow should be embedded before changes to NHIs like the change of permissions or transfers between systems are affected. The security and IT teams must assess and approve the process so that there are no unnecessary risks developed.

8. Exposure Monitoring and Rapid Response
Organisations must expose NHIs, which means they must identify and resolve the vulnerabilities quickly. Automated monitoring solutions can find exposed credentials or compromised APIs, set off alerts, and initiate incident response procedures before a potentially malicious actor could act.

The Business Case for NHI Management

Investments in the proper management of NHI can produce large, long-term benefits. Companies can prevent data breaches that cost on average $4.45 million per incident and keep money at the bottom line. Simplified NHI process also helps save precious IT resources, thereby redirecting security teams' efforts toward strategic initiatives.

For industries that require high levels of compliance, such as health and finance, much of the NHI management investment often pays for itself through better regulatory compliance. Organisations can innovate more safely, knowing their digital identities are safe, through a good NHI management system.

As businesses start relying more and more on automation and the cloud, it will be based on the solid and well-rounded management of NHI. A good approach toward NHI management would largely prevent security breaches and ensure industry compliance. Such a posture will not only save the data but help the organisation position itself as a long-term winner in the fast-changing digital world.


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Technology
Bank Security Credit Card data security Finance Personal Data Slim CD Technology

The Slim CD Data Breach: 1.7 Million Credit Cards Compromised


Credit card security has always been a challenge for users, as hackers try innovative ways to lure the victims. In a massive data breach, payment gateway provider Slim CD (it offers payment processing services for both online and offline merchants) revealed it has suffered a data breach that impacted credit card and personal data that belongs to around 1.7 million users. 

About Slim CD Breach

Like recent data breaches, your personal information could now be with threat actors, and it is not your fault. This blog covers details related to the breach, and the steps you can take to protect your credit card and avoid misuse of credit card numbers.

In the notification sent to affected victims, Slim CD said hackers gained access to its network for almost a year, from August 2023 to June 2024. But they could only steal credit card details between June 14 and 15 of this year.

Earlier this year in June, Slim CD found that suspicious users had access to its systems. After that, the company launched an inquiry, which revealed that hackers had first gained entry into the networks in August 2023. The stolen data includes physical addresses, full names, credit card numbers and card expiry dates. Luckily, card verification numbers or CVVs weren't stolen, the company says.

Experts believe that without CVV, hackers can't do much with the stolen credit card data or make any fraudulent transactions with your credit card. But the risk of credit card fraud is still there.

How to protect yourself?

Generally, if you suffer a major data breach, the company offers free access to either credit monitoring or identity theft protection services. But in the case of Slim CD, it isn't doing anything like this for affected users.

What have we learned?

The Slim CD incident has highlighted various gap areas for both businesses and customers.

1. Robust Security Measures: Investment is crucial in this area this includes encryption, two-factor authentication, and frequent security audits. These steps can help protect against unauthorized attempts at stealing sensitive info.

2. Monitoring: Customers should frequently keep an eye on their bank statements and credit reports for any suspicious activity. Threat detection at an early stage can reduce the damage caused by a data breach.

3. Quick Response: In the event of a data breach, a fast response becomes important. Informing impacted individuals and offering support can help minimize the damage and rebuild trust.

4. Being Informed and Educated: Both companies and customers should be aware about the basic safety steps needed to be safe from a data breach. For businesses awareness programs and training campaigns can provide certain help.

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Technology
AI AI regulation Artificial Intelligence Finance Healthcare Technology

Australia’s Proposed Mandatory Guardrails for AI: A Step Towards Responsible Innovation


Australia has proposed a set of 10 mandatory guardrails aimed at ensuring the safe and responsible use of AI, particularly in high-risk settings. This initiative is a significant step towards balancing innovation with ethical considerations and public safety.

The Need for AI Regulation

AI technologies have the potential to revolutionise various sectors, from healthcare and finance to transportation and education. However, with great power comes great responsibility. The misuse or unintended consequences of AI can lead to significant ethical, legal, and social challenges. Issues such as bias in AI algorithms, data privacy concerns, and the potential for job displacement are just a few of the risks associated with unchecked AI development.

Australia’s proposed guardrails are designed to address these concerns by establishing a clear regulatory framework that promotes transparency, accountability, and ethical AI practices. These guardrails are not just about mitigating risks but also about fostering public trust and providing businesses with the regulatory certainty they need to innovate responsibly.

The Ten Mandatory Guardrails

Accountability Processes: Organizations must establish clear accountability mechanisms to ensure that AI systems are used responsibly. This includes defining roles and responsibilities for AI governance and oversight.

Risk Management: Implementing comprehensive risk management strategies is crucial. This involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks associated with AI applications.

Data Protection: Ensuring the privacy and security of data used in AI systems is paramount. Organizations must adopt robust data protection measures to prevent unauthorized access and misuse.

Human Oversight: AI systems should not operate in isolation. Human oversight is essential to monitor AI decisions and intervene when necessary to prevent harm.

Transparency: Transparency in AI operations is vital for building public trust. Organizations should provide clear and understandable information about how AI systems work and the decisions they make.

Bias Mitigation: Addressing and mitigating bias in AI algorithms is critical to ensure fairness and prevent discrimination. This involves regular audits and updates to AI models to eliminate biases.

Ethical Standards: Adhering to ethical standards in AI development and deployment is non-negotiable. Organizations must ensure that their AI practices align with societal values and ethical principles.

Public Engagement: Engaging with the public and stakeholders is essential for understanding societal concerns and expectations regarding AI. This helps in shaping AI policies that are inclusive and reflective of public interests.

Regulatory Compliance: Organizations must comply with existing laws and regulations related to AI. This includes adhering to industry-specific standards and guidelines.

Continuous Monitoring: AI systems should be continuously monitored and evaluated to ensure they operate as intended and do not pose unforeseen risks.

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North Korea Hackers
Crypto Hacking cryptocurrency cryptocurrency theft Cyber Security Finance North Korea Hackers

The Week of Crypto Platform Breaches: Prisma Finance Incident Highlights

 

The past week witnessed a series of bewildering events in the realm of cryptocurrency, marked by breaches on two prominent platforms that left the crypto community grappling with perplexing motives and unexpected outcomes. 

The first incident unfolded on Tuesday evening when the Munchables blockchain-based game fell victim to an attack, resulting in the theft of approximately $62 million worth of cryptocurrency. Initial speculation pointed towards North Korea-linked hackers, given the country's history of targeting cryptocurrency platforms for financial gain. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the alleged perpetrator voluntarily returned the stolen funds without any ransom demands. 

In a surprising twist, Munchables shared that the individual behind the attack had relinquished access to the private keys containing the stolen funds, expressing gratitude for their cooperation. Despite this resolution, questions lingered about the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the attacker's identity and motives, prompting calls for enhanced security measures within the crypto community. Shortly thereafter, another breach occurred on Thursday evening, this time affecting Prisma Finance, a popular decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, which suffered a loss of approximately $11.6 million. 

However, the aftermath of this breach was marked by cryptic messages from the hacker, who claimed the attack was a "white hat" endeavour aimed at highlighting vulnerabilities in the platform's smart contracts. The hacker, whose identity remained undisclosed, reached out to Prisma Finance seeking to return the stolen funds and engaging in a discourse about smart contract auditing and developer responsibilities. 

Despite the hacker's apparent altruistic intentions, the incident underscored the importance of rigorous security measures and comprehensive audits in the DeFi space. Prisma Finance later released a post-mortem report detailing the flash loan attack that led to the breach, shedding light on the exploitation of vulnerabilities in the platform. The report emphasized ongoing efforts to investigate the incident and ensure the safety of users' funds, highlighting the collaborative nature of the crypto community in addressing security breaches. 

These breaches come against the backdrop of heightened scrutiny of cyberattacks on cryptocurrency platforms, with a recent United Nations report identifying North Korean hackers as key perpetrators. The report highlighted a staggering $3 billion in illicit gains attributed to North Korean cyberattacks over a six-year period, underscoring the persistent threat posed by state-sponsored hackers in the crypto space. 

As the investigation into these breaches continues, the crypto community remains vigilant, emphasizing the importance of robust security measures and proactive collaboration to safeguard against future threats. While the motives behind these breaches may remain shrouded in mystery, the incidents serve as a stark reminder of the ever-present risks associated with digital assets and the imperative of maintaining heightened security protocols in the evolving landscape of cryptocurrency.
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Technology
Cyberattacks CyberCrime Cybersecurity CyberThreat Finance Google Play Store MoS Technology

MoS Finance Comments Google's Swift Response in Removing 2,200 Deceptive Loan Apps

 


According to the government, over 2,200 fraudulent loan apps have been suspended or removed from Google's Play Store between September 2022 and August 2023, as outlined in a written statement issued by the government on Tuesday. 

As per a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat K Karad said the government has been in constant contact with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other regulators and stakeholders to control fraudulent loan apps. 

Based on the information provided by MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), it seems that Google has reviewed about 3,500 to 4,000 loan apps between April 2021 and July 2022 and has suspended or removed over 2,500 of those apps from its Play Store during this period. 

It was stated that the Reserve Bank of India has released a set of regulatory guidelines that aim to strengthen the regulatory framework for digital lending and to make sure the customer's safety and well-being are protected, as well as ensuring a safe and secure digital lending ecosystem so that, ultimately, a more secure digital lending environment can be created. 

Several regulatory guidelines have been issued by the Reserve Bank of India on digital lending, according to the minister, aimed at strengthening the regulatory framework for digital lending, improving customer protection, and making the digital lending ecosystem a safer and healthier place to operate. 

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been continuously analysing digital lending apps, he said. The Minister of State of Finance, MoS Karad, revealed that the government has been actively working with regulatory authorities like the Reserve Bank of India to reduce the number of illegal loan apps in the country. 

To mitigate vulnerabilities in the Indian financial system, Karad stressed the need for timely action by the Indian government to maintain cybersecurity preparedness. According to him, one of the efforts in this regard had been the RBI sharing with MeitY an exclusive list of 442 unique digital lending applications for whitelisting, a list which had also been shared with Google and was part of a similar effort. 

In the preceding two and a half years of collaborating with the tech giant, MeitY has removed or suspended over 4,700 fraudulent loan apps from the Google Play Store due to its collaboration with MeitY. The purge was carried out between April 2021 and July 2022 by Karad. After that, another 2,200 apps were removed between September 2022 and August 2023 by Karad. 

As per Karad, about 2,500 loan apps were taken down between April 2021 and July 2022. In addition to that, the minister also pointed out that Google has implemented stricter policies regarding the enforcement of loan apps on its Play Store, only allowing those apps that are created by regulated entities or those that are affiliated with them. 

Aside from this, it was also mentioned that the RBI has issued regulatory guidelines on digital lending in tandem with the actions mentioned above, to enhance customer protection in the digital lending ecosystem by strengthening the regulatory framework and fortifying oversight. As part of its efforts to combat cybercrime, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) is actively monitoring digital lending applications under the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

A national cybercrime reporting portal and a dedicated helpline number have been established by the union home ministry to give citizens the ability to report cybercrime incidents, including those related to illegal loan apps. 

The government of India and the Reserve Bank of India have undertaken several awareness initiatives, such as social media safety tips, educational handbooks, and campaigns to combat cybercrime, as part of their efforts to raise public awareness. 

According to the minister, the government will maintain vigilance, take regulatory actions, and conduct awareness campaigns, including e-BAAT, electronic banking awareness and training (e-BAAT) programs run by the Reserve Bank of India, to combat cybercrimes, particularly those relating to fraudulent loan apps. 

Since JanSamarth launched its portal at the end of last year, more than 1,83,903 beneficiaries have applied for loans via the JanSamarth portal, reaching a total of more than 2,10,000 beneficiaries. During 2022-23, Karad reportedly reported 7,25 cases of fraud related to UPI in a separate response. In total, there were 573 crores involved in these fraud cases, which amounts to a large amount of money.
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Private Information
CISA Citrix Bleed Bug Cyber Security Finance Healthcare Malicious actor Private Information

Ransomware Surge: 2023 Cyber Threats

In the constantly changing field of cybersecurity, 2023 has seen an increase in ransomware assaults, with important industries like healthcare, finance, and even mortgage services falling prey to sophisticated cyber threats.

According to recent reports, a ransomware outbreak is aimed against critical services like schools, hospitals, and mortgage lenders. These attacks have far-reaching consequences that go well beyond the digital sphere, producing anxiety and disturbances in the real world. The state of affairs has sparked worries about the weaknesses in our networked digital infrastructure.

A concerning event occurred at Fidelity National Financial when a ransomware debacle shocked homeowners and prospective purchasers. In addition to compromising private financial information, the hack caused fear in those who deal in real estate. This incident highlights the extensive effects of ransomware and the necessity of strong cybersecurity protocols in the financial industry.

Widespread technology vulnerabilities have also been exposed, with the Citrix Bleed Bug garnering media attention. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued warnings due to the growing damage caused by this cybersecurity vulnerability. The growing dependence of businesses and organizations on digital platforms presents a significant risk to data security and integrity due to the potential for exploiting vulnerabilities.

On the legislative front, the National Defense Authoration Act (NDAA) looms large in the cybersecurity discourse. As the specter of cyber threats continues to grow, policymakers are grappling with the need to bolster the nation's defenses against such attacks. The imminent NDAA is expected to address key issues related to cybersecurity, aiming to enhance the country's ability to thwart and respond to cyber threats effectively.

The healthcare sector has not been immune to these cyber onslaughts, as evidenced by the Ardent Hospital cyberattack. This incident exposed vulnerabilities in the healthcare system, raising questions about the sector's preparedness to safeguard sensitive patient information. With the increasing digitization of medical records and critical healthcare infrastructure, the need for stringent cybersecurity measures in the healthcare industry has never been more pressing.

The ransomware landscape in 2023 is characterized by a concerning surge in attacks across various critical sectors. From financial institutions to healthcare providers, the vulnerabilities in our digital infrastructure are being ruthlessly exploited. As the world grapples with the fallout of these cyber threats, the importance of proactive cybersecurity measures and robust legislative frameworks cannot be overstated. The events of 2023 serve as a stark reminder that the battle against ransomware is an ongoing and evolving challenge that requires collective and decisive action.



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