county

Utah County Leads the First Government Adoption of the Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM)

Utah County is the first government entity in the world to adopt the Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) to assess their blockchain-based solution and use it to continually improve the reliability and trustworthiness of their blockchain-based government services. From the mid 1800’s Utah County has drawn pioneers to its territory. That indominable spirit of overcoming challenges and finding new paths forward has not waned. When Covid shut down government offices, Utah County had already begun the transition to online platforms. Clerk/Auditor Amelia Gardner, had led the charge into that territory in

Dynamic Coalition on Blockchain Assurance and Standardization (DC-BAS)

Introduction Blockchains are a promising technology with the potential to transform many industries. However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed before blockchain solutions can reach their full potential. Blockchains are important because they can be used to create secure and transparent systems. For example, blockchains can streamline the delivery of public services to underserved communities and populations, strengthen transparency and integrity for public services, and ultimately build trust amongst all stakeholders. As blockchain technology continues to develop, it is likely to have a major impact on the

United Nations Group Seeks Comments on Blockchain Voting Standards

Hosted by the New York - The United Nations (UN) Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Blockchain Assurance & Standardization Dynamic Coalition has distributed a suite of blockchain standards authored by the Government Blockchain Association (GBA) including standards for the use of blockchain technology in elections. The GBA Voting Working Group that developed the election standard is comprised of election officials, election systems vendors, and blockchain experts from around the world. They are driven by a desire to make elections trustworthy and accessible to all voters. According to Utah County Commissioner, Amelia

The GBA Recognizes Blockchain Trailblazers

Washington, DC, June 4 2023 – The Government Blockchain Association (GBA) honored exceptional individuals and organizations for their groundbreaking use of blockchain technology in solving public sector challenges. The Annual Achievement Awards, presented on May 24, 2023, in Washington, DC, celebrated this year's outstanding winners. Rosemarie McClean, Chief Executive Officer, and Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio, Chief Information Officer received the award on behalf of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF), the Organization Award for a digital identity solution that enabled over 23,000 retirees across 180 countries, to provide their

Chinese province to cut off Bitcoin miners from hydropower stations

Regulators from Yingjiang County in Yunnan, China have issued strict warnings to hydroelectric plants against supplying power to enterprises involved in Bitcoin (BTC) mining. A recent report claimed that the Office of the People’s Government of Yingjiang County issued notice to hydropower plants to strengthen oversight on Bitcoin mining operations. According to the announcement, the power plants have been given until Tuesday, Aug. 24, to delist mining companies from their grid’s “illegal” supply. After the given deadline, the county reportedly plans to “forcibly dismantle” the power supply to Bitcoin mining establishments

Ransomware Attacks Demanding Crypto Are Unfortunately Here to Stay

Year after year, the ransomware landscape changes dramatically. In 2019, a new resurgence of attacks occurred as businesses and government institutions became the main targets of ransomware, given their capacity to yield larger payouts. The most recent attack was against Garmin, a navigation systems company, on July 23. Due to the attack, many of its online services such as customer support, website functions and company communications were affected. Reportedly, the Russian cybergang Evil Corp launched the attack, demanding $10 million in cryptocurrency to restore access to Garmin’s services. Overall, according to a

Sophisticated Mining Botnet Identified After 2 Years

Cybersecurity firm, Guardicore Labs, revealed the identification of a malicious crypto-mining botnet that has been operating for nearly two years on April 1.The threat actor, dubbed ‘Vollgar’ based on its mining of the little-known altcoin, Vollar (VSD), targets Windows machines running MS-SQL servers — of which Guardicore estimates there are just 500,000 in existence worldwide.However, despite their scarcity, MS-SQL servers offer sizable processing power in addition to typically storing valuable information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details.Sophisticated crypto-mining malware network identifiedOnce a server is infected, Vollgar “diligently and