Not too long ago, a mysterious hacker collective put a set of hacking tools and exploits online. According to The Shadow Brokers, these tools belong to an NSA-Linked group. However, they did not reveal everything, as they had plans to sell everything for one million Bitcoin. So far, that plan is a bust, as the highest bid stands at just over 1,600 Bitcoin right now.
Selling spying and hacking tools belonging to the NSA should bring in a lot of money. That is what The Shadow Brokers thought, at least when they shared their information was posted on the Internet. Many people do not believe this information to be genuine, which would explain the lack of interest.
NSA Tool Auction Sees Very Little Interest
At the same time, one can never be entirely sure if this is the real deal or not. Slapping on such a high price tag certainly seems to indicate this could be genuine. Then again, it could turn out to be a US$570m bust as well. So far, a total of 15 offers has been received, although none of them comes even close to the asking price.
To be more precise, the highest bid is US$850 right now, which is quite a ways from the asking price. Not only is Bitcoin a very niche currency, but the hacker collective wants to hold over 6% of the current BTC supply in circulation. It is very doubtful someone even has that funds, to begin with, and they may have no interest in spending it on what could be nothing more but vaporware.
Then again, a total of 15 bids is a lot higher than most people anticipated. Some people are saying this is an elaborate way to pump the Bitcoin price, as someone would – most likely- have to buy 1 million coins from exchanges to pay the price. If that were to happen, the value per BTC could skyrocket to new all-time highs.
One possible outcome will see The Shadow Brokers release the obtained NSA material in batches. If there is not enough genuine interest in the auction, they may release more details to prove they are serious about their offering. Then again, the highest bidder for this auction should not his or her hopes up, to avoid disappointment.
Source: Vice
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