The Latest in IT Security

By Julie Gordon and Leah Schnurr VANCOUVER/TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian police have launched an investigation after online bitcoin bank Flexcoin, which closed its virtual doors this week, said that it had lost about $600,000 worth of the digital currency in a hacker attack. The Edmonton, Alberta-based company reported the theft of 896 bitcoins on its website on Monday and said it does not have the resources (or) assets … to come back from this loss. It blamed the attack on hackers who had targeted its online wallet. Bitcoins stored in Flexcoins cold storage facility, which is basically an offline bank, were not affected by the hack and will be returned to customers, the company said. The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said on Wednesday they were investigating the issue.