[2017-05-16] NDTV: Few Ransomware Victims Are Paying Hackers, Using BTC is hard

[polynesia]

Few Ransomware Victims Are Paying Hackers Because Using Bitcoin Is Hard

http://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/features/few-ransomware-victims-are-paying-hackers-because-using-bitcoin-is-hard-1694340

An unprecedented cyber-attack swept across the globe over the weekend, but so far the majority of victims haven't paid hackers a ransom.

After the ransomware began infecting users on Friday, they were given 72 hours to pay $300 (roughly Rs. 20,000) in Bitcoin - chosen by the hackers because the cryptocurrency is harder to track than conventional payments - or pay twice as much. If they refused to pay after seven days, their computer would be permanently locked - a serious problem for those who haven't backed up their data.