Wallet

Cryptocurrency-focused attackers are compromising existing publisher accounts on Canonical's Snap Store to turn previously legitimate Linux packages into crypto-stealing malware. By taking control of expired developer domains and email addresses, they push malicious updates that harvest wallet recovery phrases, exposing users to fund theft before Canonical removes the snaps. Security researcher Alan Pope warns that these incidents highlight weaknesses in Snap's trust model and urges stronger account verification, domain monitoring, and wider use of two-factor authentication.

In 2026, ten browser extensions anchor everyday Web3 activity across wallets, trading, research, and security. The lineup spans MetaMask, Phantom, Coinbase Wallet, Trust Wallet, Brave Wallet, Uniswap Extension, Rabby, DeFiLlama, Wallet Guard, and 1inch, reflecting user priorities around adoption, protection, and DeFi features. Highlights include large user bases, multi-chain support, embedded security scans, and advanced DEX aggregation.

Blockchain security firm SlowMist warned that attackers re-registered expired domains tied to long-standing Snap Store publishers, enabling fake wallet updates to harvest recovery seed phrases. In a post on X, its CISO 23pds said the scheme impersonates Exodus, Ledger Live and Trust Wallet, and confirmed publisher domains storewise[.]tech and vagueentertainment[.]com were compromised.

By mid-January 2026, daily cryptocurrency payment-card transactions neared 60,000, marking a 22x rise from December 2024. The cards processed close to $4 million in spending each day, while cumulative activity surpassed 7.3 million transactions and $804 million in volume, supported by about 150,000 active users.

On January 20, 2026, the Cardano Foundation confirmed it had delegated 220 million ADA, valued at about $77 million, to 11 community-selected Delegated Representatives to strengthen governance resilience and diversity. The move follows a November 2025 proposal from key Cardano organizations to draw 70 million ADA from the community treasury to fund core infrastructure such as stablecoins, custody solutions, analytics, cross-chain bridges and pricing oracles.

Last week, CNBC vice president of news Jason Gewirtz received a phone call from a San Francisco area code by a man claiming to be Coinbase security, who alleged his account was under attack from Germany. The caller used realistic emails, personal data, and pressure tactics to push him into setting up a so-called Coinbase hard wallet and avoid changing passwords, but Gewirtz later confirmed via an AI chatbot and Coinbase that it was a phishing scam. Coinbase and recovery firm ZeroShadow warn that AI-powered impersonation schemes are rising sharply and emphasize that users should be wary of any request to move funds for "protection."

On the night of 10 January, an attacker used social engineering to drain over $282 million in BTC and LTC from a single holder. The haul moved through THORChain, into ETH and XRP, with 1,468.66 ETH (~$4.9 million) mixed via Tornado Cash, while Monero activity briefly spiked.

Security experts warn that "Evil Twin" public Wi-Fi clones can intercept credentials and expose crypto accounts. Last year, Australian Federal Police charged a man over fake airport Wi-Fi, and in January an X user reported a wallet drain after hotel Wi-Fi. Experts advise avoiding sensitive actions, using trusted VPNs, and confirming networks with venue staff.

According to Artemis, crypto-linked cards became the top driver of on-chain stablecoin activity in 2025, with monthly volumes rising from $100 million to over $1.5 billion. Total card payments reached $18 billion, close to $19 billion in P2P transfers, and Visa processed more than 90% of transactions.

A Satoshi-era wallet tagged by Arkham as "5K BTC OG" began selling on Dec. 4, 2024, according to Lookonchain and Arkham. It has offloaded 2,500 BTC for about $265 million at an average exit price of $106,164, and later moved 500 BTC to Binance valued at $47.77 million. The address still holds 2,500 BTC worth $237.5 million.