Nuclear-arms computers used to mine bitcoin
Scientists working at a nuclear-weapons facility in Russia were arrested last week on suspicion that they used one of the country’s most powerful supercomputers to mine bitcoin, the BBC reported.
The alleged infraction took place at the Federal Nuclear Center in Sarov, a top-secret area where the Soviet Union produced its first nuclear bomb during the Cold War.
“There has been an unsanctioned attempt to use computer facilities for private purposes, including so-called mining,” the center’s press service said, according to the BBC and the Interfax news agency.
Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat-reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, said in a phone interview: “One of the long-standing concerns that experts have had about the Russian nuclear complex is the potential for insider threats — the potential that Russian nuclear scientists or employees could, in search of a payday, siphon off material that could be used in a nuclear radiological device or help a terrorist group.”
The supercomputer was not supposed to be connected to the internet for security reasons. Cryptocurrencies require a great deal of computer energy to mine. consumption to about 100 megawatts this year. That is more than households use on the island nation of 340,000, according to Iceland’s National Energy Authority.
“Four months ago, I could not have predicted this trend — but then bitcoin skyrocketed, and we got a lot more emails,” he said at the Svartsengi geothermal energy plant, which powers the southwestern peninsula where the mining takes place.
“Just today, I came from a meeting with a mining company seeking to buy 18 megawatts,” he said.
At the largest of three bitcoin “farms” operating in Keflavik, high metal fences surround 164-foot-long warehouse buildings stacked with computer rigs. The data centers are specially designed to use the constant wind on the bare peninsula: Walls on each side are only partial, allowing a draft of cold air to cool the equipment.
“What we are doing here is like gold mining,” said Helmut Rauth, who manages operations for Genesis Mining, a major bitcoin mining company. “We are mining on a large scale and getting the gold out to the people.” Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Fifty Shades Freed,” million. 2. “Peter Rabbit,” $25 million. 3. “The 15:17 to Paris,” $12.6 million. 4. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” $9.8 million. 5. “The Greatest Showman,” $6.4 million. 6. “Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” $6 million. 7. “Winchester,” $5.1 million. 8. “The Post,” $3.5 million. 9. “The Shape of Water,” $3 million. 10. “Den of Thieves,” $2.9 million.
$38.8