Title: Hospital pays $17K (40BTC) ransom to get back access to #encrypted files
In the article written by Jeremy Kirk titled, “Hospital pays $17K (40BTC) ransom to get back access to encrypted files,” we are given yet another example of traditional businesses falling victim to cyberattacks. I found this article interesting mainly due to my personal involvement in the #crypto space over the past two years. It strikes me odd when nefarious wallets want to receive #BTC as collateral. I say this because Bitcoin is an easily traceable asset. I can see the time, date, and paths of most capital that we purchase on https://etherscan.io (Links to an external site.) by searching the address, Txn Hash, block, or Ens. In 2018 the #Lazarus Group stole a whopping $250 Million worth of #cryptocurrency from an #exchange, when they began the conversions into #Bitcoin is when the authorities were able to follow the address and sanction the #hackers. Much like stock market #traders that have been mimicking what top United States politicians are buying/selling. #Crypto #investors often follow what “whales” are doing on chain and can analyze #markets based on their movement. It’s important to note that at the time of this writing, Bitcoin is trading at $38,600. This means that the 40 BTC that the cyber attackers asked for is now worth north of $1,540,000. That is a substantial jump from that original $17k bounty. BTC has recently crashed from it's all-time high of 65k+ in 2021.
#Proton Mail, which fell subject to attacks, was also mentioned in the article, having regrettably paid a ransom in BTC. Proton Mail has since effectively launched a crowdfunding campaign to prevent future attacks. I’ve trusted Proton Mail’s zero-access encryption as well as their secure calendar. Knowing that email contents are secure from third party and even the host's eyes has proven to be the best way of keeping critical #decentralized #financial information safe. Through encrypted email and the use of paper / electronic ledgers users will sleep well at night knowing their investments are safe. I would encourage friends and family to review this article and consider both adding crypto to a percentage of their portfolio and to take advantage of #encrypted services while exploring #decentralization.
Citation:
https://decrypt.co/45715/why-cybercriminals-terrorists-keep-using-bitcoin