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Scientists at a top-secret Russian nuclear research facility have been taken into custody after allegedly attempting to mine Bitcoin using a high-powered supercomputer.
In Soviet Russian Nuclear Facility, Bitcoin Mines You
Several scientists working in a top-secret nuclear warhead facility in the closed town of Sarov have been arrested by Russian authorities for allegedly attempting to mine Bitcoin with the facilityâs supercomputer.
âThere has been an unsanctioned attempt to use computer facilities for private purposes including so-called mining,â The Federal Nuclear Centre in Sarov stated.
According to BBC News, the supercomputer allegedly used for mining was flagged as soon as it connected to the internet, as attempting to do so immediately alerts the centerâs security department in an effort to prevent intrusions.
The alleged miners were delivered to the Federal Security Service (FSB), with a criminal case against them likely pending.
Not the Brightest Idea
Mining Bitcoin is an incredibly taxing process, requiring tremendous amounts of computational power and energy consumption to turn a profit. Thus, trying to take advantage of a supercomputer is a somewhat understandable decision. Trying to take advantage of a top-secret Russian nuclear warhead facilityâs supercomputer, however, is not.
The Federal Nuclear Centreâs supercomputer is one powerful beast, carrying a capacity of 1 petaflopâwhich equals 1,000 trillion calculations per second. Itâs also not supposed to be connected to the internet, which is a crucial step when it comes to mining Bitcoin.
As the countryâs center for nuclear research, Sarov isnât listed on Russian maps and produced the USSRâs first nuclear bomb. Itâs also tightly guarded, surrounded by barbed wire fencing, and allegedly where the radioactive polonium-210 used to kill ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko came from.
Weâd rather just mine Bitcoin from home.
On a scale from 1 to stupid, just how stupid was the alleged criminals attempt at mining Bitcoin from a top-secret Russian nuclear facility? If you had the chance, would you give it a go? Let us know in the comments below!
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The post Russian Scientists in Top-Secret Warhead Facility Arrested for Mining Bitcoin appeared first on Bitcoinist.com.
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