OKX Planet’s "Earnings Report Champion" Season 2 Concludes: Three Players Tie for First Place with 26 Consecutive Wins, Split the $10,000 Prize Equally.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that former FBI agent Patrick Steven Yaroch has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, after he used wallet credentials collected during FBI investigations to steal approximately $2.47 million in cryptocurrency. The 37-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2027. Prosecutors stated Yaroch began his illegal activity no later than December 2024, leveraging wallet credentials tied to 35 FBI investigations to execute around 100 fraudulent transfers. The stolen wallets included those controlled by investigation subjects, state actors, and at least one wallet created by the FBI for an operation. He then converted the cryptocurrency and made multiple transfers to obscure the funds’ origins; some proceeds were used to repay credit cards, auto loans, and other debts. Yaroch also consulted ChatGPT about investments and relocating to the European Union, and after receiving advice on buying a vineyard in Portugal, he hired a local lawyer to secure a tax identification number. He voluntarily reported his conduct to the FBI in July. The factual recitation in the plea agreement notes that his actions compromised multiple investigations into criminal groups and hostile nations, as well as sources and methods for foreign intelligence collection.

According to Reuters, North Korean defectors and analysts say that over more than a decade of incentive and selection systems, North Korea has built a "world-class" hacking force regarded as one of its "secret weapons." The FBI and Binance have blamed the North Korea-linked group TraderTraitor for the theft of approximately $6.3 billion from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, last month; Pyongyang has denied the allegation. The selection process starts as early as middle school, at ages 11 or 12, per the report. Each year, authorities select around 150 to 200 top computer-savvy students. After turning 17, the best candidates are admitted to top universities for further screening, with a small number joining military cyber units. Training includes cryptocurrency protocols, reverse engineering and other fields. Those not selected as hackers are mostly trained to remotely develop software for Western companies. Successful operations allow their units to receive up to 30% of the stolen U.S. funds, and participants may get benefits from Pyongyang such as housing or arranged marriages. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service estimated in 2024 that North Korea has roughly 8,400 personnel related to cyber warfare. Binance stated that attackers infiltrated employees’ computers through fake job interviews and adware, then used internal AI tools to seize system control.

According to a report by AXIOS, Trump has told advisors that he plans to continue raising funds for his political activities to restore his political influence after the Republican Party's dismal midterm election losses. Maintaining a political organization—either the existing MAGA Inc. Super PAC or a newly formed entity—will provide Trump with a platform to influence elections in 2028 and beyond, including the next presidential race. This will also enable Trump to pressure Republican lawmakers who are considering breaking ties with him. During the 2026 Republican primary, Trump’s MAGA Inc. helped oust Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who had publicly criticized Trump, to enforce party discipline. However, with Democrats controlling Congress and major donors shifting their focus to the 2028 presidential election, raising funds for Trump may become more challenging.

According to a post from blocmates, Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) data shows that the number of disclosed vulnerabilities this year has nearly doubled, rising from 5,045 in January to 10,477 in July. The number of exploit attempts has also nearly doubled, with the monthly average climbing from around 10.5 in 2025 to roughly 18 this year. The post adds that OpenAI recently used its autonomous AI pipeline to generate 948 usable Linux kernel root exploits in a single run, consuming approximately $1.2 million in API credits (equating to about $1,279 per exploit), and reproduced 1,724 vulnerabilities in roughly 30 hours. Meanwhile, OpenAI launched Daybreak, a cybersecurity project for developers, while Anthropic has its Glasswing initiative (released this summer alongside Claude Mythos). Both firms currently offer credit subsidies and tool access. blocmates commented that the two companies are building models capable of large-scale vulnerability discovery and exploit development, while also selling defense solutions, dubbing them "arsonists selling smoke alarms".

Binance released a new announcement stating that it plans to reopen withdrawals for HYPE, INJ, APT, PLASMA, NEAR, and LTC by the end of next weekend. At that time, Binance also plans to reopen withdrawals for tokens on all restored networks, including BSC, ETH, MATIC, ARB, POL, OP, and others.

According to on-chain data analyst @ai_9684xtpa, a new address heavily invested in Ethereum (ETH) added $7.77 million to its positions again, having accumulated over $22.53 million worth of ETH in the past week. Three hours ago, the address withdrew 3,500 ETH from Binance, lowering the average entry price of its total holdings of 9,777.4 ETH to $2,305.05, with an unrealized loss of $641,000 as of now.