[2016-12-06] Firstpost: Prosecutor’s office paid about $1,400 in BTC as ransom

Prosecutor’s office paid about $1,400 in Bitcoin as ransom to free its network

http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/prosecutors-office-paid-about-1400-in-bitcoin-as-ransom-to-free-its-network-351442.html

A state prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania was among hundreds of thousands of victims of a now-shuttered international cyber crime operation, paying nearly $1,400 in a bitcoin ransom to free up its infected computer network, authorities disclosed Monday.

Federal prosecutors said in court documents only that an unidentified state government entity had been victimized by the ring known as the Avalanche network. But the Allegheny County district attorney, Stephen Zappala Jr., confirmed to The Associated Press that it was his office.

The disabling of the Avalanche network by the European Union and U.S. authorities was announced last week in Europe. Federal documents unsealed in Pittsburgh on Monday provided additional details.