Today in crypto, Gemini shares soared on Nasdaq in their first day of trading, a newly discovered malware called ModStealer is targeting crypto users across multiple operating systems, and metaverse-linked NFT sales rose 27% last month.
Today in crypto, Gemini shares soared on Nasdaq in their first day of trading, a newly discovered malware called ModStealer is targeting crypto users across multiple operating systems, and metaverse-linked NFT sales rose 27% last month.
Gemini (GEMI) stock soars in Nasdaq debut amid crypto IPO boom
Shares of Gemini Space Station (GEMI), the digital asset exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, surged in their market debut on Friday, signaling strong institutional appetite for crypto-related equities.
Gemini shares briefly topped $40 on Friday, according to Yahoo Finance data, before retreating later in the session. By the afternoon, Gemini was trading near $35 a share, up 24% on the day, for a market cap of around $1.3 billion.
The company priced its initial public offering at $28 per share late Thursday — well above its initial target range of $17 to $19, and even higher than the upwardly revised $24 to $26 range.
According to CNBC, Gemini capped its offering at 15.2 million shares, raising $425 million and signaling heightened investor demand.
The exchange moved swiftly from filing its Form S-1 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to debuting on the Nasdaq. As Cointelegraph reported, Gemini submitted its IPO registration on Sept. 2 and began trading 10 days later.
New ModStealer malware targets crypto wallets across operating systems
A newly-discovered malware called ModStealer is targeting crypto users across macOS, Windows and Linux systems, posing risks to wallets and access credentials.
Apple-focused security firm Mosyle uncovered the malware, saying it remained completely undetected by major antivirus engines for almost a month after being uploaded to VirusTotal, an online platform that analyzes files to detect malicious content, 9to5mac reported.
Mosyle said ModStealer is designed to extract data, with pre-loaded code that steals private keys, certificates, credential files and browser-based wallet extensions. The security researchers found targeting logic for different wallets, including extensions on Safari and Chromium-based browsers.
The security firm said the malware persists on macOS by abusing the system to register as a background agent. The team said the server is hosted in Finland but believes the infrastructure is routed through Germany to mask the operators’ origin.
The malware is reportedly being distributed through fake job recruitment ads, a tactic that has been increasingly used to target Web3 developers and builders.
Metaverse “still has a heartbeat” as NFT sales up 27%
The metaverse has shown it “still has a heartbeat” as non-fungible token (NFT) sales jumped 27% in August, suggesting users are “slowly sneaking back into virtual worlds,” DappRadar said on Thursday.
Metaverse trading volume hit $6.5 million in August, down from July’s $6.7 million. Still, sales rose to 13,927 last month compared to July’s 10,900 in what DappRadar called the second month of “steady activity” in metaverses including the Sandbox, Mocaverse, Otherside and Decentraland.
DappRadar analyst Sara Gherghelas said the August figures show the “metaverse isn’t dead yet,” but the virtual worlds have shaved volume and users compared to their peak hype in 2021 and 2022, which was driven by speculation, excitement and huge amounts of capital being poured into the tech.
DappRadar said the top platforms are focused on building for the long term, with a focus on infrastructure, with The Sandbox, Otherside and Decentraland all recently announcing major upgrades and updates.
