Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

The price of Bitcoin has shown signs of indecision and exhaustion over the past few days, with mostly sideways movement and a couple of unsustained breaks above $105,000. This lack of momentum comes as the crypto market continues to grapple with the impact of the ongoing unrest in the Middle East.

While the current choppiness of the Bitcoin price action suggests that the cryptocurrency’s bullish momentum is, at the time, insufficient for a break, recent on-chain data not only corroborates this inference but also offers insights into the potential next stop for the flagship cryptocurrency.

Advanced Sentiment Index Slips Beneath 50%

In a June 14 post on the X platform, on-chain analyst Axel Adler Jr. reported that Bitcoin’s bullish sentiment amongst investors may be starting to lose intensity. This on-chain observation is based on the Bitcoin Advanced Sentiment Index metric, which measures the balance between bullish and bearish positioning in the market to gauge overall trader sentiment.

As its name suggests, this on-chain indicator offers insight into the general sentiment in a particular cryptocurrency market. For instance, a reading above 60-70% typically signals strong bullish sentiment in the market and is usually seen before or during price rallies.

Meanwhile, when the metric’s value is around 50%, it usually indicates neutral market sentiment, meaning there is a level of indecision or balance between bears and bulls. This is usually recorded in a consolidation phase, which precedes definitive directional movement in the market.

On the other end of the spectrum, when the Bitcoin Advanced Sentiment Index reads below 40-50%, it implies growing fear or caution in the market, which could precede further loss in BTC’s value. However, it could also potentially indicate a bottom if the sentiment were to be overly pessimistic.

Source: @AxelAdlerJr on X

In the post on X, Adler Jr. reported a drop in the Sentiment Index below the neutral 50% threshold to about 46%, which falls within the bearish territory. According to the analyst, Bitcoin’s Sentiment Index peaked above 80% early in the month of June but slowly started to decline after hitting the high.

As BTC recently rallied to $105,000 from $103,000, other important metrics such as the open interest also indicated very little investor support, further demonstrating weak bullish presence.

What’s Next For Bitcoin Price?

Adler Jr. opined that the indecisiveness currently being observed in the market might continue until something important — like the Sentiment Index — changes. For the uptrend to resume, the analyst explained that the Index has to rebound above 60-65%, which would only occur if there are simultaneous increases in net taker volume and open interest.

If this does not happen, the Bitcoin price risks testing the next support level, around $102,000 — $103,000. For this reason, caution when dealing in the market is essential, as the next support’s strength is still highly probabilistic.

As of this writing, Bitcoin is valued at $105,419, reflecting no significant price movement in the past 24 hours.

The price of Bitcoin on the daily timeframe | Source: BTCUSDT chart on TradingView

Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

A new campaign employing ClickFix attacks has been spotted targeting both Windows and Linux systems using instructions that make infections on either operating system possible.

ClickFix is a social engineering tactic where fake verification systems or application errors are used to trick website visitors into running console commands that install malware.

These attacks have traditionally targeted Windows systems, prompting targets to execute PowerShell scripts from the Windows Run command, resulting in info-stealer malware infections and even ransomware.

However, a 2024 campaign using bogus Google Meet errors also targeted macOS users.

ClickFix targeting Linux users

A more recent campaign spotted by Hunt.io researchers last week is among the first to adapt this social engineering technique for Linux systems.

The attack, which is attributed to the Pakistan-linked threat group APT36 (aka “Transparent Tribe”), utilizes a website that impersonates India’s Ministry of Defence with a link to an allegedly official press release.

When visitors click on this website link, they are profiled by the platform to determine their operating system, and then redirected to the correct attack flow.

On Windows, victims are served a full-screen page warning them of limited content usage rights. Clicking on ‘Continue’ triggers JavaScript that copies a malicious MSHTA command to the victim’s clipboard, who is instructed to paste and execute it on the Windows terminal.

This launches a .NET-based loader which connects to the attacker’s address, while the user sees a decoy PDF file to make everything appear legitimate and as expected.

On Linux, victims are redirected to a CAPTCHA page that copies a shell command to their clipboard when clicking the “I’m not a robot button.”

The victim is then guided to press ALT+F2 to open a Linux run dialog, paste the command into it, and then press Enter to execute it.

The command drops the ‘mapeal.sh’ payload on the target’s system, which, according to Hunt.io, does not perform any malicious actions in its current version, limited to fetching a JPEG image from the attacker’s server.

“The script downloads a JPEG image from the same trade4wealth[.]in directory and opens it in the background,” explains Hunt.io.

“No additional activity, such as persistence mechanisms, lateral movement, or outbound communication, was observed during execution.”

However, it is possible that APT36 is currently experimenting to determine the effectiveness of the Linux infection chain, as they would just need to swap out the image for a shell script to install malware or perform other malicious activity.

The adaptation of ClickFix to carry out attacks on Linux is another testament to its effectiveness, as the attack type has now been used against all three major desktop OS platforms.

As a general policy, users should not copy and paste any commands into Run dialogs without knowing exactly what the command does. Doing so only increases the risk of a malware infection and theft of sensitive data.

CoinPayments Integration Guide Steps

Overview of Step 4: Testing Your CoinPayments Integration

Now that you’ve integrated CoinPayments into your business and enabled additional features, it’s time for the final step: testing your setup. 

To make this process seamless, CoinPayments provides a dedicated cryptocurrency for testing, called Litecoin Testnet (LTCT). LTCT is a free-to-use test coin with no real monetary value, specifically designed to help you simulate transactions and ensure your integration works flawlessly. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:  

1. Enabling Litecoin Testnet payments and obtaining free LTCT. 
2. Testing your integration using LTCT. 
3. Disable Litecoin Testnet payments. 
4. Submitting a support request if you encounter any issues. 

Enable Litecoin Testnet Payments & Get Free LTCT 

To test your CoinPayments integration, you’ll need to enable Litecoin Testnet payments and obtain free LTCT. Here’s how to set it up: 

1. Access the Balances Tab:  
   • Go to the Balances tab on your CoinPayments dashboard. 

2. Locate the LTCT Wallet: 
   • The Litecoin Testnet (LTCT) wallet will be listed at the top. 

3. Get Free LTCT: 
   • Click the Get Free LTCT button to enable LTCT payments. 
   • Refresh the Balances page after a few seconds to see your updated balance.

• You should receive 10 LTCT in your wallet for testing purposes.  

Important Notes About LTCT: 

• LTCT operates on an alternate blockchain solely for testing and experimental purposes. These coins have no monetary value and may be reset by developers in future versions. 
• Within the CoinPayments system, LTCT has an artificial exchange rate of 1 LTCT = 1 LTC. 
• Regular Litecoin and LTCT addresses are different, and transactions between the two blockchains are not possible. 
• If your CoinPayments LTCT wallet remains inactive for 7 days, any remaining LTCT coins are returned to the pool. 

Test Your Integration 

After enabling LTCT and receiving your test balance, it’s time to ensure your integration works as intended by simulating a transaction. Here’s how to perform the test: 

Create a Test Transaction 

1. Generate a Payment Option:  
   • Create an invoice using the Invoicing Tool, a payment button via the Payment Buttons Builder, or any other integration method you’ve set up.  

2. Access the Payment Interface: 
   • Open the invoice or payment button in a new browser tab and proceed to the CoinPayments Checkout step. 

• Enter an email address for potential refunds, then click Continue.  

3. Select LTCT as the Payment Method: 
   • On the Coin Selection screen, choose Litecoin Testnet (LTCT) as the payment currency and click Next. 

Note: if you have not completed account verification yet, LTCT will be your only option for payment and this step will be skipped automatically. 

4. Review the Checkout Details:
   • On the final Checkout page, you will see:  
     • The LTCT payment address. 
     • A QR code for the payment. 
     • A payment timer. 

5. Initiate the Payment: 
   • Copy the LTCT payment address and note the payment amount. 
   • Go to your Balances tab, select the Litecoin Testnet Wallet, and click Send. 

• Enter the amount of LTCT to send and paste the payment address. 
• Confirm the transaction by entering your 2FA code, then click Submit. 

•  Confirm the transaction by entering your 2FA code, then click Submit. 

• You will receive an email notification of the payment initiated. 

6. Alternative Payment Option: 
   • Use the CoinPayments mobile app to scan the QR code and send the LTCT payment directly. 

Verify the Test Transaction 

Once the payment is completed and has received the required blockchain confirmations, verify the following: 

• Does your eCommerce store update the payment status correctly (e.g., indicate readiness for the next step such as shipping or download)? 
• Is the incoming payment logged as Complete in your CoinPayments Transactions tab? 

If all these elements work as expected, your integration is functioning correctly, and you’re ready to start accepting real crypto payments in your business. 

Disable Litecoin Testnet Payments 

1. Log into your CoinPayments account and click the Payment Settings tab in the main dashboard menu. 
2. Search for Litecoin Testnet (LTCT) in the list of payment currencies. 

3. Click on the Settlement mode field. Select Disabled from the dropdown list. 

4. Click Save Changes. Now you have disabled payments with LTCT. 

Support Requests 

If you encounter any issues during the testing process or experience problems with your CoinPayments integration, our support team is here to assist you. Follow these steps to submit a support ticket: 

1. Access the Support Option: 
   • Go to the Account Menu on your dashboard and select Support. 

2.  Provide Details: 
   • Describe the issue you’re encountering in detail. Include: 
   • The integration method used (e.g., invoicing tool, payment buttons). 
   • Steps taken during testing. 
   • Any error messages or unexpected results. 

3. Submit Your Ticket: 
   • Once your support ticket is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email.

4. Track Your Ticket: 
   • You’ll also receive an email with your ticket number and a link to track the status of your request. 

5. Resolution Timeline:  
   • Our support team typically responds to tickets within 24 hours. 
   • A customer support representative will contact you via email to assist with resolving your issue. 

Ready to Move on to the Next Step?

Click here to go to Step 5: Integration Use-Cases

Smart contracts are integral to blockchain technology, enabling automated transactions and agreements without intermediaries. However, the security of these contracts is paramount, making smart contract testing a critical aspect of blockchain development. A Smart Contract Audit company plays a vital role in ensuring that smart contracts are secure, functional, and free from vulnerabilities that could lead to significant financial losses or breaches of trust.

Smart contracts are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code. They operate on blockchain networks, primarily Ethereum, and execute automatically when predefined conditions are met. This automation enhances efficiency but also introduces risks if the code is not thoroughly tested.

Testing smart contracts is essential for several reasons:

• Security Assurance: Smart contracts manage substantial digital assets, making them attractive targets for hackers. Security breaches can result in significant financial losses, as seen in high-profile incidents like the DAO hack in 2016.
• Functionality Verification: Flaws in smart contract logic can lead to operational failures or financial losses. Testing ensures that contracts perform as intended under various conditions.
• Cost Optimization: Executing smart contracts incurs gas fees. Inefficient code can lead to higher transaction costs. Testing helps identify and optimize these inefficiencies.
• Building Trust: Thoroughly tested smart contracts enhance credibility with users and investors, fostering trust and compliance with regulatory standards.

Understanding common vulnerabilities is crucial for effective testing:

• Reentrancy Attacks: These occur when a contract calls an external contract before updating its state, allowing attackers to exploit this by re-entering the function.
• Integer Overflow/Underflow: Mathematical errors can lead to incorrect calculations and unintended behaviors.
• Access Control Issues: Poorly implemented access controls can allow unauthorized users to execute restricted functions.
• Logic Errors: Flaws in business logic can cause contracts to behave unexpectedly.

To ensure robust smart contract security, developers should follow best practices:

1. Use Secure Coding Standards

Developers should adhere to established coding standards and utilize well-audited libraries like OpenZeppelin to minimize vulnerabilities.

2. Employ Multiple Testing Tools

Combining automated testing frameworks with manual audits provides a comprehensive security assessment. Tools such as Truffle, Hardhat, and MythX are essential for thorough testing.

3. Simulate Real-World Conditions

Testing should replicate real-world scenarios, including high transaction volumes and potential attacks, to ensure reliability under stress.

4. Regular Updates and Retesting

The blockchain environment is dynamic; thus, regular updates and retesting are necessary to address new vulnerabilities as they arise.

5. Engage Expert Developers

Hiring skilled smart contract developers ensures that security considerations are integrated from the outset of development.

A thorough audit process is essential for identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring the integrity of smart contracts. The typical audit process includes:

Initial Consultation

Understanding client requirements and reviewing project documentation is crucial before starting the audit process.

Code Analysis

Both static and dynamic analyses are performed using automated tools to identify potential errors, malicious code, and compilation issues.

Conditional Testing

Deploying smart contracts in a controlled environment allows for testing under various conditions while monitoring gas consumption.

Manual Verification

A detailed line-by-line inspection helps uncover threats such as timestamp dependence and denial of service vulnerabilities.

Business Logic Verification

Auditors assess whether the smart contract’s architecture aligns with the intended business logic, identifying risks associated with centralization or flawed logic.

Reporting

An initial audit report outlines identified risks and suggested fixes, followed by a final report detailing all findings after remediation efforts have been completed.

Smart contract testing is foundational to ensuring blockchain security. By identifying vulnerabilities before deployment, businesses can protect their assets and maintain user trust. Engaging a reputable Smart Contract Audit company, such as Codezeros, can significantly enhance the security posture of your blockchain applications.

For businesses looking to secure their smart contracts effectively, consider reaching out to Codezeros for professional smart contract audit development services. Their expertise can help you navigate the complexities of blockchain security while ensuring your applications remain reliable and secure.

Since the beginning of this year, Ethereum has underperformed compared to major digital assets in the market. ETH’s underperformance has sparked concerns within the community, with traders finding it difficult to determine whether the altcoin is gearing up for a major rally or further downside pressure. However, current price action shows that ETH might be set for a price rebound in the short term.

Chart Pattern Hints At A Recovery For Ethereum

In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Ali Martinez, a seasoned technical expert and trader, highlighted a bullish development in the Ethereum chart. The expert has pointed out the formation of a key chart pattern, which could reignite upside momentum and push ETH toward key resistance levels.

Delving into Ethereum‘s recent price action, a Parallel Channel pattern has emerged in the 1-day time frame. Specifically, a parallel channel is a technical chart pattern created by connecting highs and lows with two parallel trendlines. This chart formation helps investors and traders determine the potential entry and exit points in a cryptocurrency’s price.

Presently, Ali Martinez noted that the altcoin is testing the lower boundary of the key pattern, where it may secure enough strength to transition to the upside. In the event that the pattern triggers a bounce for ETH to reclaim the $2,350 level, it will fuel a strong recovery toward $3,000 and $4,000.

As the asset tests the pattern’s lower boundary, it shows that ETH is at a pivotal junction as it gears up for its next move. With ETH hovering near key resistance levels, bullish momentum continues to build, raising the possibility of a rebound for a crucial breakout.

Investors Cut Back Their Exposure To ETH

Amid the bearish movements, on-chain data is showing a decrease in ETH exposure among investors. A recent report from on-chain data and financial platform Glassnode reveals that Ethereum investors actively managed their exposure during this turbulent period.

Ethereum retraced to the $2,050 area following a surge to about $2,500, levels last seen in November 2023, probably contributing to the current shift in investors’ behavior. Looking at Glassnode’s chart in the 3-month view, there is robust engagement from investors with an initial cost basis at the $3,500 mark. 

Data shows that these holders diligently reduced their exposure throughout February as they stepped in at the local top at $2,500 and the bottom at $2,050. Furthermore, these holders have reduced their initial cost basis by about 10% and currently hold over 1.75 million ETH at $3,200.

Even as Ethereum’s price declines, this trend has continued. On March 1, Glassnode noted that 500,000 ETH were purchased at $2,200 but were promptly redistributed at the $2,500 local top.

Meanwhile, the $2,800 mark is the first major resistance barrier, where 800,000 ETH has been accumulated. Glassnode expresses much importance to this level as a price recovery is likely to occur in this area.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from Tradingview.com

Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade faced an unexpected challenge on Feb. 24 that impacted its testing on the Holesky testnet.

On Feb. 27, Tim Beiko, Ethereum Foundation Protocol Support Lead, explained that the failure resulted from execution clients—Geth, Nethermind, and Besu—using incorrect deposit contract addresses.

This misconfiguration triggered an execution layer (EL) bug, leading to chain splits. As a result, a minority chain remained valid, degrading the network’s overall health.

The issue has sparked discussions about the resilience of Ethereum’s upgrade process, mainly since Pectra will introduce significant changes to the blockchain network. The upgrade has been described as Ethereum’s most ambitious hard fork and was split into two phases focusing on enhancing developer and user experiences.

Christine Kim of Galaxy Digital pointed out that losing Holesky as a reliable test environment complicates Ethereum’s upgrade process.

She wrote:

“It’s clear the community has lost some major testing capabilities with the loss of holesky. there isn’t a testnet comparable to holesky now that dapp develops can test pectra on.”

What next?

Ethereum core developers have already begun efforts to patch the issue, and they will initiate a mass validator slashing event on Feb. 28 at 15:00 UTC.

Beiko outlined key steps for validators, which included:

• Updating and syncing their nodes.
• Disabling slashing protection shortly before slot 3,737,760.

He stated that the goal was simultaneously bringing enough Holesky validators online to finalize a block on the correct chain. Any validator that previously attested to the invalid chain would be slashed. This would enable consensus layer (CL) clients to locate peers and sync with the valid network.

However, despite these efforts, Holesky will experience another period of non-finality for up to three weeks. During this time, slashed validators will exit, reducing their stake below the required 33%. Once this threshold is reached, the remaining validators can finalize the chain properly.

Beiko acknowledged that while this recovery method works for a testnet, it wouldn’t be viable on Ethereum’s mainnet. Developers are already exploring ways to ensure that nodes can be redirected to a minority chain more efficiently in future scenarios.

Will this affect Pectra’s timeline?

Beiko’s update did not answer whether the Holesky setback would impact the Pectra upgrade timeline.

According to him:

“We’ll need to discuss what other testing we were hoping to get out of Holesky and the best way to do that before moving forward with scheduling a mainnet fork date. We’ll discuss this on next week’s ACDC, but it’s unlikely we’ll be setting a mainnet fork date right then.”

Despite this uncertainty, Beiko noted that the developers remain committed to launching Pectra’s next testnet upgrade on Sepolia on March 5.

Unlike Holesky or mainnet, Sepolia operates with a permissioned validator set controlled by client and testing teams. This structure allows for faster coordination and reduces the risk of similar disruptions.

He added:

“Forking Sepolia sooner will give us a longer testing window for Pectra.”

Mentioned in this article

Testing Your CoinPayments Integration

Now that you have finished Integrating CoinPayments into your business, and have reviewed and enabled the appropriate Additional CoinPayments Features, there’s just one thing left to do – test it!

Luckily, CoinPayments already has a free cryptocurrency dedicated to testing transactions for your integration – it’s called Litecoin Testnet (LTCT). 

The best way to test your specific integration is to go through the process of checking out in your store using CoinPayments, selecting to pay with the LTCT coin, and then checking to make sure everything went smoothly and as expected. It’s important to remember that LTCT has no real value, so you should only enable it for testing purposes, and remember to disable it for production use.

1) Enable Litecoin Testnet Payments & Get Free LTCT

1. Log into your CoinPayments account and click the Coin Settings tab on the dashboard.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and make sure the box beside Litecoin Testnet (LTCT) is checked. Screenshot: Enable LTCT Payments
3. Click the Update Coin Preferences button. Now you have enabled payments with LTCT.
4. Click the Your Wallet tab on the dashboard.
5. Scroll down to the bottom and click the Get LTCT button. Screenshot: Get LTCT
6. In a few seconds you can refresh the Wallets page and scroll to the bottom to see that you have received 10 LTCT

2) Test Integration

1. Log out of your CoinPayments account.
2. Navigate through your store, send an invoice, click a payment button or get to whatever point in your integration where you are ready to Checkout with CoinPayments.
3. At the Coin Selection screen, make sure to choose to pay with Litecoin Testnet (LTCT). Enter any other required information (usually First/Last Name, Email). Screenshot: Pay With LTCT
4. Click the Complete Checkout button.
5. Copy the LTCT payment address and the make a note of the amount of LTCT to complete the payment.
6. Login to your CoinPayments account and click the Your Wallet tab on the dashboard
7. Scroll down to the Litecoin Testnet wallet and click the LTCT Options button and then click Send/Withdraw
8. Enter the amount of LTCT to send and the LTCT address to which to send the payment, then enter your 2FA device code and click the Request Withdrawl/Send button. Screenshot: Send LTCT Test Payment
9. Login to your email account and click the verification link in the withdraw request email from CoinPayments.
10. Alternatively, you can use the CoinPayments App to scan the QR code and send the LTCT payment.
11. Once the payment completes (after the appropriate number of confirmations), you should review the transaction to make sure everything worked out properly. Did your ecommerce store update the payment status? Does it indicate that you can move onto the next step (ie. shipping a product, sending a download link, etc…)? Did your CoinPayments account log the incoming payment as complete (See the Home tab on the dashboard)?
12. If your integration is working properly, then you are all set to start accepting crypto payments in your business. Please remember to disable LTCT payments in your store.

3) Disable Litecoin Testnet Payments

1. Log into your CoinPayments account and click the Coin Settings tab on the dashboard.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and make sure the box beside Litecoin Testnet (LTCT) is unchecked.(Screenshot)
3. Click the Update Coin Preferences button. Now you have disabled payments with LTCT.

Important Things to Know About Litecoin Testnet (LTCT):

• Litecoin Testnet (LTCT) uses an alternate blockchain that is set aside for testing and experimental purposes. The coins have no monetary value and the developers may reset the chain in future versions of the client.
• For testing purposes, LTCT is set to an artificial exchange rate of 1 LTCT = 1 BTC in our system.
• Regular Litecoin and LTCT addresses are different, so you cannot create transactions between the two blockchains.
• After 7 days of inactivity with the CoinPayments LTCT wallet, the LTCT coins are removed from the CoinPayments LTCT wallet and sent back to the pool.

4) Support Requests

If you run into any integration problems that haven’t been covered here or if you have any other issues, the best way to get help is to submit a support ticket.

For all Support Related Inquiries, please ensure you go through both steps of the support ticket process while logged in to your CoinPayments account:

Step 1 – Go through the support wizard here: https://www.coinpayments.net/supwiz

• At the end of the wizard you will be provided with a support code that is valid for 1hr and a link to create a support ticket on FreshDesk

Step 2 – Open a
support ticket on Fresh Desk using the support code provided in Step 1.

• We usually answer tickets within 24hrs.

That completes the series on integrating CoinPayments into
your business to start accepting cryptocurrency payments!

What’s Next?

You’re all set! Here’s what you can do now:

• Announce to the world that you accept crypto! Share the news on your social media channels to let potential customers know. 

Welcome to the world of crypto!

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/integrating-coinpayments-step-4-testing-integration/feed/ 0 18812 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereums-pectra-upgrade-to-begin-testing-in-february/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereums-pectra-upgrade-to-begin-testing-in-february/#respond Thu, 06 Feb 2025 19:03:13 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/ethereums-pectra-upgrade-to-begin-testing-in-february/