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Opinion by: Igor Zemtsov, chief technology officer at TBCCCrypto security is a ticking time bomb. Updatable firmware might just be the match that lights the fuse.Hardware wallets have become the holy grail of self-custody, the ultimate safeguard against hackers, scammers and even government overreach. There’s an inconvenient truth, however, that most people ignore: Firmware updates aren’t just security patches. They’re potential backdoors, waiting for someone — whether a hacker, a rogue developer or a shady third party — to kick them wide open.Every time a hardware wallet manufacturer pushes an update, users are forced to make a choice. Hit that update button and hope for the best, or refuse to update and risk using outdated software with unknown vulnerabilities. Either way, it’s a gamble. In crypto, a bad gamble can mean waking up to an empty wallet.Firmware updates aren’t always your friendUpdating firmware sounds like common sense. More security! Fewer bugs! Better user experience!Here’s the thing: Every update is also an opportunity not just for the wallet provider but for anyone with the power, or motivation, to tamper with the process.Hackers dream of firmware vulnerabilities. A rushed or poorly audited update can introduce tiny, almost imperceptible flaws — ones that sit in the background, waiting for the right moment to drain funds. And the best part? Users will never know what hit them.Then there’s the more unsettling possibility: deliberate backdoors.Recent: Hardware wallet Ledger helps competitor Trezor resolve security vulnerabilityTech companies have been forced to include government-mandated surveillance tools before. What makes anyone think hardware wallet makers are exempt? If a regulatory agency — or worse, a criminal organization — wants access to private keys, firmware updates are the perfect attack vector. One hidden function. One disguised line of code. That’s all it takes. Still think firmware updates are harmless? Firmware vulnerabilities are already being exploitedThis isn’t some far-fetched, doomsday scenario. It has already happened.Ledger, one of the biggest names in crypto security, had a major security crisis in 2018 when security researcher Saleem Rashid exposed a vulnerability that allowed attackers to replace Ledger Nano S firmware and hijack private keys. Nearly 1 million devices were at risk before a fix was rolled out. The scary part? There was no way for users to know if their devices had already been compromised.In 2023, OneKey suffered a similar nightmare. White hat hackers demonstrated that its firmware could be cracked in mere seconds. No crypto was lost — this time. But what if real attackers had found the flaw first?Then came the “Dark Skippy” exploit, taking firmware-based attacks to an entirely new level. With just two signed transactions, hackers could extract a user’s entire seed phrase — without setting off a single alarm. If firmware updates can be manipulated this easily, how can anyone be sure their assets are safe?The hidden price of updatable firmwareTo be fair, not all firmware updates are security disasters. Ledger uses a proprietary operating system and secure element chips for added protection now. Trezor takes an open-source approach, allowing the community to scrutinize its firmware. Coldcard and BitBox02 give users manual control over updates, reducing — but not eliminating — risk.Here’s the real question: Can users ever be 100% sure that an update won’t introduce a fatal flaw?Some wallets have decided to eliminate the risk altogether. Tangem ships with fixed, non-updatable firmware, meaning that its code can never be altered once the device leaves the factory. No updates. No patches. Of course, this approach has its trade-offs. If a vulnerability is discovered, there’s no way to fix it. But in security, predictability matters. Real crypto security means taking back controlThe crypto market was worth $2.79 trillion as of March 2025. With that much money on the table, cybercriminals, rogue insiders and overreaching governments are always looking for weak points. Hardware wallet makers should be laser-focused on security.Choosing a hardware wallet shouldn’t feel like gambling with private keys. It shouldn’t involve blind trust in a corporation’s ability to push updates responsibly. Users deserve more than vague reassurances. They deserve security models that put control where it belongs — with them.Security isn’t about convenience. It’s about control. Any system that requires trusting unknown developers, opaque update processes or firmware that can be changed at will? That’s not control. That’s a liability.The only real way to keep a hardware wallet safe? Remove the guesswork. Strip away the blind trust. Always research the developers’ backgrounds, check their track record for security incidents, and see how they’ve handled past vulnerabilities. Stick to verifiable facts — security should never be based on assumptions.Opinion by: Igor Zemtsov, chief technology officer at TBCC.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Bitcoin’s price trajectory may be suppressed ahead of its upcoming “omega candle” rally, according to Prince Filip Karađorđević, the hereditary prince of Serbia and Yugoslavia.In an April 24 interview with Simply Bitcoin, Filip said some market participants may be limiting Bitcoin (BTC) price action.“People are able to control the market to some extent,” he said. “Maybe that’s what acted on the 2021 market that suppressed its price from jumping high up. We could get that again in 2025, but there will be one point where [Bitcoin price] will run away.”Filip added that Bitcoin remains a fundamentally deflationary asset and said its value is “always going to rise over time.”Source: Simply BitcoinHe referenced the concept of the “omega candle,” made popular by Bitcoin advocate and Jan3 CEO Samson Mow. The theory predicts Bitcoin’s growth trajectory will explode after it hits the $100,000 mark.Related: Bitcoin acting ‘less Nasdaq,’ more like gold, despite 60% recession odds“You’ll start to go up by 10,000 a day or drop by 10,000 a day. And this is the God candle. After that, we’ll start to see omega candles, which are 100,000 increments daily,” said Mow in an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph in November 2024.Factors contributing to Bitcoin’s growth include the growing distrust in the traditional financial system, according to Mow.Related: Bitcoin ETFs log $912M inflows in ‘dramatic’ investor sentiment boostETF inflows, macro relief drive momentumBitcoin price saw an over 9% recovery over the past week as the US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) accumulated over $2.2 billion worth of Bitcoin in the three days leading up to April 23, Farside Investors’ data shows.Source: Farside InvestorsThe price action is in line “with our Bitcoin relative strength expectations with respect to equities and the dollar,” analysts from Bitfinex exchange told Cointelegraph, adding:“Bitcoin is rallying due to a combination of macro relief, strong ETF inflows, and growing expectations that the Fed will maintain policy flexibility amid softening economic data.”Bitcoin may continue to see more upside if “equities continue higher during earnings week,” but the “still-elevated macro uncertainty could limit broad-based upside,” the analysts added.Stock and cryptocurrency investors are also concerned about a potential recession in the US. JPMorgan estimates a 60% probability for a recession in 2025, citing US President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs on China as a “material threat to growth” that increases the odds of an economic downturn.Magazine: Bitcoin’s odds of June highs, SOL’s $485M outflows, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 2 – 8

A bill that would allow New Hampshire to invest a portion of its state funds in digital assets and precious metals has advanced to a full Senate vote after passing a second committee.On April 23, House Bill 302 (HB 302) was reviewed in the second Senate committee and passed in a 4-1 vote.The legislation, introduced in January, cleared the New Hampshire House earlier this month in a 192–179 vote. It now faces a vote by the full Senate and, if approved, will require the governor’s signature to become law.Once enacted, it would allow the New Hampshire treasury to use 10% of the state’s general funds to invest in crypto with a market cap of over $500 billion — a threshold currently met only by Bitcoin (BTC).Source: Bitcoin LawsDemocratic representative opposes New Hampshire’s crypto reserve bill  During a debate before the full House vote, Democratic Representative Terry Spahr argued that the bill is unnecessary. The lawmaker said it could undermine the future security of the state’s digital asset stockpile. Spahr argued that the state treasurer already has the authority to manage investments without the bill.Others said that it could earn the state good returns for its investment. Republican Representative Jordan Ulery said the investments could net the state a “large amount of money.”Related: US federal agencies to report crypto holdings to Treasury by April 7Bitcoin Laws, which tracks the progress of digital asset legislation, shows that New Hampshire also has two more blockchain-related bills going through its legislature. HB 639 addresses blockchain dispute resolution and regulatory frameworks, while HB 310 focuses on real-world asset tokenization and stablecoin usage.New Hampshire’s progress comes as Arizona pursues a more aggressive approach by exploring the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve, aiming to become the first US state to implement the policy.Magazine: Ethereum maxis should become ‘assholes’ to win TradFi tokenization race