personal finance : Your Money Personal Finance : Your Money: February 2025

Friday, February 28, 2025

Bybit’s $1.5 Billion Hack: How a Cold Wallet Breach Shocked the Crypto World

 Bybit, a major cryptocurrency exchange, lost approximately $1.5 billion due to a significant security breach that occurred on February 21, 2025. This incident is widely regarded as the largest hack in cryptocurrency history. Here’s why it happened:

The loss stemmed from a sophisticated cyberattack targeting one of Bybit’s offline Ethereum (ETH) cold wallets, which are designed to securely store assets away from internet access. According to Bybit’s CEO, Ben Zhou, the attacker gained control of the wallet during a routine transfer to a "warm wallet" (used for active trading). The hackers exploited a vulnerability by manipulating the transaction process—specifically, they deceived the wallet signers through a masked user interface (UI). The UI appeared to show a legitimate transfer address, but the underlying smart contract logic was altered, allowing the attacker to redirect approximately 401,000 ETH, valued at around $1.5 billion, to an unidentified address.

Top 10 Best-Selling Physical Products of 2025: From Smart Gadgets to Sustainable Fashion

 As of February 28, 2025, predicting the exact top-selling physical products for the entire year is challenging due to limited concrete data this early in the year. However, based on current trends, market insights, and projections from various sources available up to this point, I can provide an informed list of physical product categories and specific items that are likely to dominate sales in 2025. These are drawn from emerging consumer behaviors, e-commerce trends, and early indicators for the year. Here’s a breakdown of some of the top physical products expected to perform strongly in 2025:

Top Physical Product Categories and Examples for 2025

Electronics and Gadgets

Smart Home Devices: Products like advanced AI-powered personal assistants (e.g., next-gen Amazon Echo or Google Nest) and smart home energy solutions (e.g., solar panels, smart thermostats like Nest or Tesla Powerwall) are gaining traction due to rising energy costs and sustainability concerns.

Wearable Health Tech: Devices such as advanced fitness trackers and smartwatches (e.g., Apple Watch, Fitbit) with enhanced health diagnostics (blood glucose, hydration monitoring) are expected to see strong demand as health consciousness grows.

Gaming Consoles: Early 2025 data from posts on X shows strong sales for the PS5 Slim, PS5 Digital, and PS5 Pro, suggesting gaming hardware will remain a top seller, especially with new game releases driving demand.

Top High-Paying Remote Jobs of 2025: From Software Development to Sales

 

Software Development: High-paying remote task; involves coding apps using Python, Java, etc.; pays $100K–$200K+ annually due to demand for tech solutions.

Data Science & Analytics: Analyzing data with SQL, Python, and visualization tools; earns $120K–$180K for its role in business decisions.

Cybersecurity: Securing systems remotely with penetration testing and encryption skills; pays $130K–$170K due to rising threats.

Project Management: Managing remote teams using Agile and tools like Jira; earns $110K–$150K for coordination skills.

UX/UI Design: Designing interfaces with Figma and user research; pays $90K–$130K for enhancing user experience.

Cloud Engineering: Managing cloud systems with AWS or DevOps tools; earns $120K–$160K as cloud use grows.

Sales/Business Development: Driving revenue via sales and CRM; pays $100K–$150K+ with commissions for deal-closing skills.

General Notes: Pay varies by experience, location, and expertise; senior or niche roles pay more; based on 2025 job trends.

Top remote task with highest pays in 2025

These websites are recognized for connecting freelancers, professionals, and remote workers with lucrative opportunities across various fields. Below is a comprehensive list, including general freelance platforms, niche sites, and remote job boards, with an emphasis on those offering competitive pay.

General Freelance Platforms

These platforms connect skilled professionals with clients and often feature high-paying opportunities for those with expertise.

Upwork

A leading freelance marketplace where experienced professionals in fields like software development, graphic design, and digital marketing can secure high-paying gigs. The "Expert-Vetted" program highlights top talent for premium projects.