U.S. Government Creates Strategic Bitcoin Reserve With Seized Assets - 1

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U.S. Government Creates Strategic Bitcoin Reserve With Seized Assets

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order this Thursday to establish a cryptocurrency reserve including Bitcoin and other currencies.

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • President Trump signed an executive order to establish a U.S. cryptocurrency reserve, including Bitcoin.
  • The reserve will hold seized Bitcoin, with the government treating it as a store of value like “digital gold.”
  • The order allows the Treasury and Commerce Departments to explore budget-neutral Bitcoin acquisitions.

According to Reuters , the announcement has been made ahead of a crypto meeting the White House had scheduled for this Friday.

David O. Sacks, White House AI and Crypto Czar—and head of the Working group to develop crypto regulations announced in January by Trump—, explained on the social media platform X, that the new “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” will be capitalized with the Bitcoin the U.S. government has seized from criminal and civil proceedings.

“It is estimated that the U.S. government owns about 200,000 bitcoins; however, there has never been a complete audit,” wrote Sacks. “The U.S. will not sell any bitcoin deposited into the Reserve. It will be kept as a store of value. The Reserve is like a digital Fort Knox for the cryptocurrency often called “digital gold.”

The official order also suggests that the U.S. government could purchase cryptocurrencies. “The Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce are authorized to develop budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional bitcoin, provided that those strategies impose no incremental costs on American taxpayers,” states the document.

This new order comes after Bitcoin dropped under $80,000 in the market a few days ago—and experts suggested a combination of multiple factors including that the Trump administration had stopped making advancements and progress in the crypto market. However, the cryptocurrency’s value has not significantly increased.

According to the BBC , experts and crypto enthusiasts have criticized the measure for lack of transparency over the process and for not taking bolder steps. “Without a clear framework, we risk arbitrary asset selections, which would distort the markets and drive a loss of public trust,” said Jason Yanowitz, Co-Founder of crypto firm Blockworks, in response to the order.

More details are expected after the summit Trump will hold with crypto founders and investors.

Malicious Ads On Illegal Streaming Sites Infected 1 Million PCs, Microsoft Warns - 2

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Malicious Ads On Illegal Streaming Sites Infected 1 Million PCs, Microsoft Warns

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Microsoft has shut down multiple GitHub repositories that were being used in a large-scale malvertising campaign affecting nearly one million devices worldwide.

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • Cybercriminals used malicious ads on illegal streaming sites to spread malware.
  • Malware stole personal data, compromised security, and allowed remote control of devices.
  • The campaign, called Storm-0408, used legitimate tools to blend with system operations.

The company discovered the attack in December 2024, when its threat intelligence team noticed malware being downloaded from GitHub onto users’ devices.

According to a Microsoft analysis , cybercriminals planted malicious ads inside videos on illegal streaming websites. These ads redirected unsuspecting users to GitHub, where malware was secretly downloaded onto their systems.

Once installed, the malware deployed additional harmful programs designed to steal personal information, compromise security, and allow attackers to maintain control over infected devices.

Microsoft’s analysis revealed that the campaign was highly organized, using multiple stages to spread malware. The first step involved luring users to GitHub, Discord, or Dropbox, where the malware was hosted.

Once downloaded, the malware collected data about the infected system, including memory size, operating system details, and user information. The attackers then used this data to deploy even more harmful programs, including information-stealing malware like Lumma Stealer and Doenerium.

In some cases, a remote monitoring tool called NetSupport was also installed, allowing attackers to control infected devices remotely. The campaign, tracked by Microsoft under the name Storm-0408, was designed to be difficult to detect. Attackers used legitimate tools like PowerShell and JavaScript to blend in with normal system operations.

They also implemented persistence techniques, such as modifying registry settings and adding startup shortcuts, to ensure that the malware remained on the infected devices even after a restart.

Microsoft worked with GitHub’s security team to remove the malicious repositories, preventing further infections. However, the company warned that similar attacks could happen in the future. It urged users to be cautious when visiting illegal streaming sites and to keep their software and security protections updated.

The blog post also provided technical details for cybersecurity professionals, including ways to detect signs of infection and prevent similar threats.

Microsoft emphasized the need for organizations to stay vigilant against evolving cyber threats, especially those leveraging trusted platforms like GitHub to spread malware.