Malicious Code Steals Crypto Wallets, Substack Suffers Data Breach, Block Inc. Announces Layoffs, and State Department to Delete X Posts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a flurry of recent news, several significant events have unfolded across the technology and political landscapes. Cryptocurrency users are facing potential theft due to malicious code, Substack confirmed a data breach, Block Inc. announced layoffs, and the State Department will delete pre-2025 posts from its X accounts.
Researchers from security firm Socket revealed that open-source packages on the npm and PyPI repositories were compromised with code designed to steal wallet credentials from dYdX cryptocurrency exchange developers and backend systems, according to Ars Technica. The compromised packages, including npm (dydxprotocolv4-client-js): 3.4.1 and 1.22.1, put all applications using these versions at risk, potentially leading to complete wallet compromise and irreversible cryptocurrency theft.
Meanwhile, newsletter platform Substack confirmed a data breach that affected users' email addresses and phone numbers, as reported by Hacker News. The breach, which occurred in October, involved an unauthorized third party accessing user data. Substack CEO Chris Best stated that the company identified the issue in February and has since fixed the problem and initiated an investigation. "I'm reaching out to let you know about a security incident that resulted in the email address and phone number from your Substack account being shared without your permission," Best said in an email to users.
In the business sector, Jack Dorsey's Block Inc. is undergoing a business overhaul that includes potential layoffs. Fortune reported that the payments firm is notifying hundreds of employees that their jobs may be eliminated during annual performance reviews. Up to 10% of Block's workforce, which numbered fewer than 11,000 employees as of late-November, is at risk of being cut, according to sources familiar with the matter.
On the political front, the State Department will delete all posts on its public X accounts made before President Trump returned to office on January 20, 2025, NPR Politics reported. The posts will be internally archived, and anyone wanting to view them will need to file a Freedom of Information Act request, according to a State Department employee.
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