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Bitcoin Core, the reference implementation that underpins the majority of the BTC network, has undergone what Brink describes as the first-ever public, third-party security audit of its codebase. The assessment was carried out by security firm Quarkslab, coordinated by the Open Source Technology Improvement Fund (OSTIF) and funded by Brink with support from its donors.

Bitcoin Core Undergoes Historic Security Audit

Announcing the results, Mike Schmidt, co-founder and executive director of Brink, said the audit largely confirms the community’s long-held view of the project’s engineering standards. In his words, “The results confirm what long-time contributors and users already know: Bitcoin Core is a mature, conservatively engineered, and exceptionally well-tested codebase. Independent review only strengthens that confidence. This security assessment is a checkpoint in the mission to further secure Bitcoin, not a destination.”

Brink emphasized that this is the first public, external security review of Bitcoin Core. The organization stated that “as part of Brink’s mission to ensure the safety and robustness of the open-source Bitcoin Core software, we recently sponsored an independent security audit of the Core codebase. This represents the first public, third-party audit of Bitcoin Core.”

The motivation, according to Brink, is that “the project has a strong security track record, but it has never undergone an external security assessment. We wanted to provide an additional layer of assurance for developers, node operators, holders, and businesses who rely on Bitcoin Core every day.”

The scope of the audit focused explicitly on the most security-sensitive parts of the system. Brink explained that “the focus was on the most security-critical components of the software, including the peer-to-peer networking layer, mempool, chain management, and consensus logic.” To interrogate these areas, Quarkslab used “manual code review, static and dynamic analysis, [and] advanced fuzz testing.”

On findings, the result is unusually clear. Brink reported that “the auditors at Quarkslab reported no critical, high, or medium-severity issues. They identified two low-severity findings and thirteen informational recommendations, none of which were classified as security vulnerabilities under Core’s criteria.” That framing is deliberate: the issues are treated as hardening and quality improvements rather than vulnerabilities that could directly endanger funds or consensus.

Schmidt was careful not to present the report as a declaration that the software is bug-free. He wrote that “that isn’t to say there aren’t still bugs lurking in the software. More improvements still need to be made. But this audit is a nice step along the way to help ensure Bitcoin doesn’t break and continues to serve the world as a secure, reliable monetary network.”

Brink also highlighted the collaborative structure of the effort. The organization noted that “the assessment was conducted by Quarkslab (@quarkslab) and was coordinated with the help of the Open Source Technology Improvement Fund (OSTIF @OSTIFofficial). Funding was provided by Brink with the support of our donors, with technical collaboration from Niklas Gögge and Antoine Poinsot.” It publicly thanked “Quarkslab, the OSTIF, Niklas, and Antoine for their work on this project,” and made the full report freely available.

In its summary of the initiative, Brink tied the audit back to Bitcoin’s broader reliability guarantees. “Funding independent reviews like this is just one way we help ensure Bitcoin doesn’t break and continues to serve the world as a secure, reliable monetary network,” the organization said, repeating that “independent review only strengthens that confidence.”

At press time, BTC traded at $91,764.

Bitcoin is attempting to regain its footing near $95,000 after a turbulent week that sent the world’s largest crypto sliding below the $90,000 threshold. The sharp retreat, part of a broader risk-off wave triggered by shifting macro expectations, has rattled investors who just weeks ago watched BTC hit an ATH of $126,000.

Yet amid the volatility, institutional activity is quietly shaping a more nuanced picture. BlackRock’s recent $62.23 million Bitcoin purchase has reignited debate on whether large-scale buyers can provide a stabilizing force as markets attempt to reset.

Institutional Moves Offer a Pinch of Confidence

BlackRock’s acquisition, made through its subsidiaries, signals a deliberate and long-term approach to digital assets rather than a short-term speculative bet.

While $62 million is small compared to the firm’s massive global portfolio, the symbolism is powerful. Institutional interest, especially from a firm of BlackRock’s stature, often boosts confidence across the market and can attract additional inflows from other large players.

Analysts argue that such participation improves market depth, enhances legitimacy, and can soften the blow during periods of extreme volatility. Long-term holders, particularly on exchanges, continue to accumulate even as prices whipsaw, suggesting that conviction in Bitcoin’s long-term value proposition remains intact.

A Market Under Pressure: Macro, Liquidity, and ETF Outflows

But institutional buying alone hasn’t been enough to fully counteract the recent cascading sell-off.

Bitcoin plunged to the $88,000 range after a combination of collapsing expectations for a December Federal Reserve rate cut, deteriorating liquidity, and persistent outflows from Bitcoin ETFs. More than $559 million in leveraged crypto positions were liquidated within 24 hours, amplifying the downward move.

Fed uncertainty has also weighed on risk appetite. Minutes from the central bank’s latest meeting showed deep division on rate policy, while delays in crucial U.S. labor-market data have clouded macro visibility. This has left Bitcoin vulnerable at a time when broader markets are leaning defensive.

Can Bitcoin Rebound, or Is More Pain Ahead?

Technically, Bitcoin’s RSI has dipped toward oversold territory, hinting that selling pressure may be slowing, but indicators still point to weak momentum. Analysts from QCP Capital warn that unless Bitcoin reclaims the $94,000–$96,000 zone, the trend remains decisively bearish.

For now, Bitcoin’s stability above $92,000 is fragile. Fresh economic data and clarity from the Fed are likely to dictate the next major move.

And while BlackRock’s purchase underscores enduring institutional confidence, the question remains: is it enough to halt the decline, or merely a bright spot in a market still searching for footing?

Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview

A new crypto bill was introduced in Washington on Thursday, focusing on the potential for utilizing Bitcoin (BTC) in federal tax transactions. Republican Representative Warren Davidson has aligned with the vision of making America the “crypto capital of the world,” as previously articulated by President Donald Trump. 

Davidson’s proposed Bitcoin for America Act aims to enable American citizens to pay their federal taxes using Bitcoin, channeling these payments into a newly established Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Understanding The Bitcoin For America Act

Rep. Davidson believes that this measure could significantly enhance the nation’s long-term financial resilience and secure a leadership position for the US in the digital assets sector. He stated:

The Bitcoin for America Act marks an important step toward modernizing our financial systems and embracing the innovation that millions of Americans already use every day.

By allowing taxes to be paid in Bitcoin and directing the revenues into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the legislation plans to create a tangible asset that appreciates over time, contrasting sharply with the declining purchasing power of the US dollar under inflationary pressures.

The proposed bill aims to provide taxpayers with more flexibility in how they settle their tax obligations, while simultaneously strengthening the financial foundation of the US government. 

Davidson emphasized that BTC, unaffected by traditional monetary policies such as quantitative easing (QE), presents a more stable alternative for wealth preservation. 

The lawmaker also asserted that the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve could serve to mitigate the risks associated with fiat currency devaluation, thereby maintaining economic strength in a progressively digital global economy.

Additionally, the Bitcoin for America Act posits that BTC’s inherent scarcity and growing adoption will likely increase its value, meaning that revenues deposited into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve are expected to appreciate. This would facilitate a self-sustaining fiscal mechanism, reducing dependency on debt financing and improving the nation’s balance sheet.

What Are The Long-Term Plans? 

The Act also stipulates that no taxable gain or loss is to be recognized by a taxpayer upon transferring Bitcoin to the US government in satisfaction of their tax obligations. 

Any BTC received under this arrangement would be deposited into the Strategic Reserve, as managed by the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary is granted the authority to accept, hold, and manage BTC received via federal law or acquired through lawful means.

The legislation outlines that the Secretary will establish appropriate custody and security measures for the reserve, which could include cold storage methods and geographically distributed facilities to ensure the safety of the assets. 

Furthermore, BTC held in the reserve is expected to be retained for the long term, with restrictions on the amount that can be disposed of each year, ensuring that its value remains preserved for the nation’s benefit.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Bitcoin is struggling to reclaim higher levels as the market faces its strongest wave of selling pressure in months. After losing key support zones, price action has remained weak, fueling a growing divide among analysts. A large portion of the market now believes Bitcoin has entered the early stages of a bear market, citing weakening momentum, macro uncertainty, and aggressive sell-side flows from major players.

Yet, on the other side of the debate, optimistic investors view this downturn as a rare buying opportunity — the kind that often appears during deep corrections within broader bullish cycles.

Adding to the uncertainty, fresh on-chain data from Lookonchain reveals that the Bitcoin mining firm MARA recently deposited a significant amount of BTC onto exchanges, a move typically interpreted as preparation for selling.

Such activity tends to increase short-term supply pressure and can accelerate downward momentum, especially when market sentiment is already fragile. These miner flows have caught the attention of traders who fear additional sell-offs could push Bitcoin into a more extended correction.

MARA’s Latest BTC Deposits Raise Questions

According to new data shared by Lookonchain, Bitcoin mining firm MARA has deposited another 644 BTC, worth roughly $58.7 million, to FalconX and Coinbase Prime. This move signals yet another instance of miners sending coins to exchanges — an action typically associated with potential selling pressure. In a market already dominated by fear, every new batch of miner deposits tends to draw immediate attention from traders who worry that fresh supply could deepen the current correction.

However, several analysts argue that this particular transfer may not be as alarming as it appears. They point out that MARA has executed far larger sell-side movements in the past — often moving thousands of BTC at once — and the current 644 BTC represents a relatively small portion of the miner’s reserves. From this perspective, the latest deposit might simply reflect routine treasury management rather than an aggressive selling strategy.

Some market observers even note that during major corrections, miner flows tend to look more dramatic than they truly are because sentiment is already fragile. In this case, the MARA deposit may contribute to short-term volatility but is unlikely to be the driving force behind Bitcoin’s broader price weakness.

Testing Critical Weekly Support as Selling Pressure Persists

Bitcoin’s weekly chart shows the market locked in a critical battle around the $91,000–$92,000 zone, a level that has become the line separating a controlled correction from a deeper trend shift. After losing momentum near the $120,000 range earlier in the year, BTC has now retraced toward the 50-week moving average, which is acting as the main support structure. Historically, this moving average has served as a mid-cycle support during bull markets, and Bitcoin is once again testing its resilience there.

The recent candles reflect sustained selling pressure, with long-bodied red candles revealing strong downside momentum in recent weeks. Volume has also increased on down-moves, an indication that the correction is driven by forced selling — from short-term holders, miners, and market participants exiting positions in fear.

However, despite the weakness, Bitcoin has not yet broken below the green 100-week moving average, which remains well below current price and continues to slope upward — a structural sign that the long-term trend hasn’t flipped bearish. If BTC manages to hold above $90K and stabilize, this area could mark a local bottom similar to mid-cycle pullbacks seen in previous bull markets.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

Persistent, programmatic selling across major crypto assets has sparked fresh speculation that the market is still digesting cascading liquidations from October 10 — and that at least one large player is being unwound in the background.

On November 19, Multicoin Capital co-founder Tushar Jain wrote on X that “it feels like a big forced seller is in the market,” adding that “we are seeing systematic selling during specific hours.” He linked the pattern directly to the October 10 liquidation shock, calling it “probably a consequence of 10/10 liquidations” and concluding: “Hard to imagine this scale of forced selling continues for much longer.”

Jain has framed the current tape through the lens of his experience in 2022. On October 11, one day after the 10/10 flush, he warned that “it takes some time for all the bankruptcies to reveal themselves after a big liquidation flush like this.” According to him, in such episodes “big trading shops are running around trying to figure out what their exposure to insolvent counterparties is and that takes time.” When asked how long this process can last, he answered that “sometimes it takes weeks. Sometimes it takes months. It depends on what people do to try and patch the holes.”

That delayed discovery of losses is central to the emerging “forced seller” narrative. Rather than a single cathartic event, the 10/10 wipeout is being treated by professionals as the starting point of a longer adjustment, where risk is reduced gradually as lenders, counterparties and risk desks work through opaque exposures.

Systematic Sell Pressure Points To Forced Crypto Seller

Other market participants are publicly describing a similar pattern. LondonCryptoClub wrote that it “increasingly feels like someone out there being forced to liquidate a portfolio,” highlighting the “constant mechanical nature of the selling (in US hours).” Drawing on their foreign-exchange background, they compared this to periods in FX where unexplained flows later turned out to be related to large corporate or M&A-driven mandates, summarizing the current environment as a “flow driven market” and concluding: “A dead body will probably float to the surface soon.”

ETF analyst James Seyffart responded to Jain’s post by asking whether anyone had “any theories or guesses on who it could be if this were true,” underscoring that there is, so far, no credible public attribution.

Rumors about structural damage surfaced almost immediately after the October event. On October 12, The Rollup Co founder Andy Klages wrote that the “rumor mill [is] currently saying two large trading firms were liquidated to zero,” describing a setup where they allegedly “owned a book of top 100 mcap tokens which were collateralized against each other in size ($1B+) & became forced market sellers of their entire book.”

Related Reading: Hyperliquid At Risk In Democrats’ Crypto Crackdown? ZachXBT Warns Of Potential Risks

No firm fitting that description has publicly confirmed such a loss, but the structure Klages outlines matches what many professionals see as a key fragility: cross-collateralized altcoin books used as funding and margin.

Fundstrat’s and Bitmine’s Tom Lee independently argued on November 15 that the price action “has all the signs of a market maker (or two) with a major ‘hole’ in their balance sheet,” describing “sharks circling to trigger a liquidation / dumping of prices BTC.” He characterized the resulting pain as short-term and explicitly stated that it “does not” change his view on “the ETH supercycle of Wall Street building on blockchain.”

To me, the weakness in crypto has the all the signs

– of a market maker (or two) with a major “hole” in their balance sheet

Sharks circling to trigger a liquidation / dumping of prices $BTC

Is this pain short-term? Yes

Does this change the $ETH supercycle of Wall Street… pic.twitter.com/0jfkXYnfv9

— Thomas (Tom) Lee (not drummer) FSInsight.com (@fundstrat) November 15, 2025

For now, there is no “dead body” on the surface: no major market maker or trading shop has publicly disclosed insolvency linked to October 10, and the identity of any alleged forced seller remains unknown.

But the consistency of the reports — systematic US-hours sell programs, rumors of cross-collateralized books blown out, and references to hidden balance-sheet holes — suggests that, weeks after the 10/10 shock, crypto markets may still be trading under the weight of positions that are being unwound because they have to be, not because anyone wants them to be.

At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $3.1 trillion.

The XRP community may have reason to be excited, as a Ripple Engineer announces that the ecosystem could soon undergo a transformative development. J. Ayo Akinyele, Head of Engineering at RippleX, has shared insights into the next evolution of XRP, suggesting that the crypto network might explore native staking. While the details of the new development are still under discussion, the announcement points to significant innovation aimed at enhancing XRP’s role in institutional finance and asset settlement.

Ripple Eyes Native Staking As Next Step For XRP

In a recent thread on X, Akinyele described how XRP has grown and changed over time. First, it started as a fast and efficient payment network, but it has evolved into a platform capable of handling tokenized assets and providing real-time liquidity. 

According to the RippleX Engineer, the launch of Canary’s first XRP Spot ETF represents a key milestone in institutional adoption, highlighting the growing acceptance of XRP within traditional financial markets. He also stated that the XRP ecosystem is clearly entering a new phase of growth, particularly as institutions embrace digital products such as tokenized treasuries and Money Market Funds (MMFs). 

Akinyele noted that all of these significant developments have led him and Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), David Schwartz, to mentally explore and discuss the potential support of native staking on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) in the future and what it could look like in practice. The Ripple Engineer noted that, unlike many blockchain networks that rely on staking to incentivize validators, XRP operates differently.

He explained that, on the XRP network, transaction fees are burned rather than redistributed, and validators retain equal voting power regardless of the amount of XRP they hold. This unique approach prioritizes network stability and trust over rewards. He also highlighted that XRP is designed to settle any asset quickly, efficiently, and at a low cost. Building on this foundation, Akinyele explores how native staking could be introduced to complement this existing model. 

Challenges And Considerations In Introducing Native Staking

While the concept of native staking for XRP is intriguing, Akinyele emphasized that its implementation would require careful planning and consideration. He noted that any staking mechanism would need a clear source of rewards and a method to distribute them fairly across the XRP network. According to him, these changes could fundamentally alter how value flows within the XRP Ledger.

Notably, Akinyele has emphasized that the idea of a native staking is still being explored and discussed. Currently, the primary focus is to assess how this feature can shape the future of XRP, evaluating which aspects of the ecosystem can evolve and which should remain constant. The Ripple Engineer has invited the community to share their thoughts as they consider how native staking might affect XRP’s design and value flow. 

Ripple’s latest massive on-chain movement has once again stirred the broader crypto market, raising questions about the digital asset company’s intentions as a major XRP holder. A recent blockchain record shows millions of XRP leaving a wallet linked to Ripple, prompting speculation about whether this could signal a broader sell-off. With the price currently in a downtrend, showing no signs of a recovery in weeks, the transfer only adds to the growing unease in the community. 

Ripple Transfers 200 Million XRP To Unknown Destination

New reports from a popular blockchain monitoring system, Whale Alert has revealed that 200 million XRP, valued at approximately $445 million was recently moved from a wallet associated with Ripple. The large-scale transaction immediately caught the attention of the market, given both its size and origin, as Ripple Labs remains the largest single holder of XRP, controlling roughly 42% of its total supply. 

Notably, the transaction occurred on November 18, 2025, at 16:22:00 UTC and was sent from a Ripple-linked wallet address to an unknown destination. The transfer itself was inexpensive, incurring a minimal fee of just 0.00004 XRP. The movement also took place while XRP was still trading at approximately $2.22 per token. 

Considering Ripple’s influence on the altcoin, any significant outbound transfer tends to spark immediate reactions from its community about intent. Some market participants interpreted the transaction as a potential precursor of a sell-off, suggesting that it may be time to exit positions. 

However, other observers note that large wallets often redistribute holdings ahead of expected volatility, emphasizing that such internal rotations do not necessarily correlate with selling pressure. They argue that broader accumulation trends provide a more accurate picture than reactions to an isolated transfer. In addition, another commentator emphasized that Ripple has a long history of making large-scale movements for more treasury management, liquidity operations, or over-the-counter transactions—none of which translate directly into immediate market dumps. 

Whales Quietly Accumulate Billions

While Ripple’s 200 million XRP transfer has ignited speculation, new data from Santiment has highlighted  a significant uptick in whale activity. According to on-chain data, large holders have acquired more than $2.36 billion worth of XRP within a single week, pushing their combined balance to 9.74 billion XRP. This marks one of the strongest accumulations recorded recently, suggesting that whales may be positioning for the long-term rather than selling off. 

The increase in whale holdings comes at a time where the market is experiencing a notable downtrend. If these movements were distribution rather than accumulation, they could put additional pressure on the already weak price action. However, as more whales continue to buy XRP at lower price levels, it could provide underlying support for the cryptocurrency, potentially stabilizing the market. 

Cardano’s price action has been trending downwards alongside the rest of the crypto market, but the on-chain side of things shows the blockchain activity is failing to keep pace with expectations for a top-tier blockchain. 

Recent weeks have shown sluggish participation across key network indicators, and the stagnation has increased the long-standing ghost chain narrative. An example of this criticism came from a crypto observer on X, who added a more blunt assessment of why the network appears to be underperforming, calling it a “ghost chain.”

Harsh Critiques Point To Liquidity And Usage Weakness

A closer look at Cardano’s liquidity profile revealed gaps that are difficult to ignore. Its stablecoin supply of just over $30 million is exceptionally small for a blockchain with a market value in the tens of billions, making Cardano’s DeFi economy shallow compared to both its peers and even smaller networks. 

A crypto observer known as hantengri on X summarized the situation in a pointed breakdown, stating that Cardano raised $62 million, generates zero revenue, processes only about one transaction per second, and hosts an ecosystem that is described as basically one DEX and one lending protocol that maybe seven people use per day. 

The account went further, arguing that the chain operates like a ghost network guarded by a fanatical community despite sitting at a fully diluted valuation of $21 billion.

He also highlighted concerns about supply mechanics, noting that although ADA is labeled as having a fixed supply, roughly 18% is still not in circulation, and staking rewards along with treasury emissions continue to enter the market without any burn mechanism. To him, these factors reinforce the idea that no one is using the chain in a meaningful way.

A More Practical Way To View The Ghost Chain Debate

The idea of Cardano being a ghost chain is not as straightforward as a simple yes or no. The label comes from doubts about whether the network’s growth matches the scale of its ambitions and the size of its market capitalization. 

When the conversation is framed purely around visible activity, such as the total value locked in its DeFi protocols, active applications, or stablecoin liquidity, Cardano does fall behind faster-moving competitors like Solana and Avalanche. Those surface-level metrics make the ecosystem appear quieter than what one would expect from a top-tier chain.

Interestingly, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson had addressed this disparity, noting this is due to a lack of DeFi engagement from the 1.3 million users who are actively participating in Cardano staking.

According to data from DeFiLlama, the Cardano network currently has the 25th largest TVL, with only about $215.51 million in 61 protocols. 

At the time of writing, Cardano (ADA) is trading at $0.1581, down by 0.5% in the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency is down by 10% and 18% in the larger seven-day and 30-day timeframes. Charles Hoskinson recently appealed to the community to avoid reacting emotionally and to refrain from panic selling.

After days of trading above the $90,000 price mark, Bitcoin has officially lost this key support level as the market turns increasingly volatile on Wednesday. While the price of BTC continues its downward trend, the ongoing selling pressure from long-term holders does not seem to be slowing down.

Long-Term Bitcoin Holders Extend Their Selling Trend

A persistent negative action from key investors is meeting Bitcoin’s current price pullback. Long-term Bitcoin holders, who are usually the most steadfast and resilient players in the cryptocurrency market, are increasingly showing signs of strain and uncertainty.

Related Reading: Veteran Whales Blamed For Bitcoin’s Sharp Slide, Crypto Boss Says

After examining the Net Position Change in BTC, Swissblock, an investment pioneer and on-chain data analytics platform, detected a continued selling pressure among long-term BTC holders. The cohort has continued to sell off sizable chunks of their holdings even as the flagship crypto asset battles to find stability.

This steady selling pressure from seasoned investors outlines a rising sense of caution and fear, pointing to weakening confidence in the current market structure. With these key investors persistently selling off their holdings, BTC’s price outlook becomes increasingly complicated, triggering crucial questions about where true market conviction currently resides.

During BTC corrections, the platform highlighted that long-term holders typically halt their distribution and slowly go into accumulation mode. However, the current trend is shifting away from this dynamic as selling pressure from the cohort is not fading. 

According to the investment pioneer, these shifting market dynamics are pointing to additional downside in price before long-term holders return to accumulation mode. When this happens, the price of Bitcoin is likely to undergo a rebound and possibly restore the bull market.

BTC Supply In Loss Is Steadily Increasing

With Bitcoin’s price dropping, it is starting to leave a deeper imprint beneath the surface. Darkfost, an author at the CryptoQuant platform, reports that the portion of BTC supply held at a loss has increased following the recent market pullback.

Related Reading: Bitcoin Current Downward Trend Fails To Shake Long-Term Holder Profitability – Here’s What To Know

The development indicates increasing pressure on the network as a whole, especially among investors who entered close to recent highs. A steady increase in BTC supply in loss puts the market in a more precarious state, which might influence the asset’s next major move.

In the report shared on X, the market expert revealed that more than 6.96 million BTC accumulated by investors are currently positioned at a loss as of Wednesday. Data from the BTC Supply in Profit/Loss metric shows that this is the largest level of unrealized loss since January 2024. 

What makes this so interesting is that the ongoing correction is still below the deepest drawdown of this market cycle. This implies that a significant amount of Bitcoin was recently amassed when it was trading close to its prior ATH, which helps to explain some of the panic selling, particularly from short-term BTC holders.

However, Darkfost noted that this kind of increase in unrealized loss levels during a bullish trend has historically created strong buying opportunities. According to the expert, this is the moment when the famous change of hands narrative, which is highly discussed in the sector, often takes place.

A new WhatsApp worm is sweeping through Brazil, stealing bank logins and crypto keys from ordinary users, security firms warn.

Victims get a message that looks familiar — a delivery note, a government alert, or an invite to a group — and one click can let the threat spread through their contacts while a hidden trojan strips data from their machines.

How The Worm Spreads

According to security reports, attackers send ZIP files over WhatsApp that contain a malicious .LNK shortcut. When opened, that shortcut runs deceptive commands which load more code into memory so little is written to the hard drive.

This “fileless” step helps the malware avoid some antivirus tools. Based on reports, the infection also hijacks WhatsApp Web sessions to send the same bait to the victim’s friends, making the attack behave like a worm.

One analyst group said more than 400 “customer environments” and over 1,000 endpoints showed signs of compromise, while another firm blocked roughly 62,000 infection attempts in the first 10 days of October.

Targets And Techniques

Reports have disclosed two main strains that are active in Brazil. One is a banking trojan called Eternidade Stealer that uses a Gmail account as a hidden command channel.

The other, known as Maverick, relies on automation tools such as WPPConnect to operate WhatsApp Web and to push malicious messages from infected accounts.

The threats look for local settings before fully activating, checking timezone and language so the code runs mainly on machines set to Brazil.

Security researchers say the malware can snapshot screens, log keystrokes, and overlay fake login pages on banking or exchange websites.

The list of targets is wide: it includes 26 Brazilian banks, six crypto exchanges, and one payment platform.

Smart Filtering Makes It Worse

The attackers appear to avoid business or group contacts. That choice seems designed to keep messages within small personal circles and to reduce early detection.

Once a contact family or friend opens the link, the same cycle can repeat. Because the worm spreads by using trusted accounts, people are more likely to fall for the bait.

The use of widely available services like Gmail for control instructions makes it harder for defenders to block a single command server.

What To Do If You’re Exposed

According to security experts, if funds are at risk, act fast. Freeze or lock accounts when possible, alert your exchange or bank, and report the incident to local authorities.

Enable strong multi-factor authentication on every financial account and use withdrawal whitelists where offered. According to experts, do not open ZIP or .LNK files from WhatsApp, even from known contacts, without verifying by a separate message or a phone call.

Brazil At No. 5

Chainalysis figures show Brazil sits at the top of Latin America in crypto use, and the country holds the fifth spot in the platform’s 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index Top 20.

Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView