Bitcoin Blokes Use Breaking Bad Theme to Extort Innocent Aussie Victims

[MicroGuy]

Just when you thought the darknet couldn’t get any weirder, a bitcoin hacker group has created a Breaking Bad themed virus that encrypts files and demands a ransom from its innocent PC victims across Australia.

These rogue bitcoiners style themselves as real-life Walter Whites, the high school chemistry teacher in Breaking Bad who becomes a methamphetamine dealer. They even cooked up their ransom demand message using the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant image found in the popular TV show.



Once a machine is infected, the Trojan greets the user with a pop up screen informing them that their private files have all been encrypted.

After requesting payment of $1000 AU (US$791), the virus provides another screen with instructions of how to pay the ransom by using digital currency, and not just any digital currency, these cyber criminals make that very clear.

"We have tried to simplify this process as much as possible,” the message reads. “By creating your own Bitcoin wallet for you, all you need to do is contact a friendly Bitcoin exchange and quote your Bitcoin wallet address. They will walk you through the rest."

Bitcoin is an online currency that’s nearly impossible to trace. It’s quickly becoming the preferred way hackers collect ransoms, according to FBI Special Agent Thomas Grasso, who is part of the government’s efforts to fight malicious software including ransomware.

There is no word yet as to exactly who is responsible or why they have chosen to use the Breaking Bad theme to carry out their latest sinister plan.

The popular digital currency bitcoin gets its reputation honestly. Its founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, mined over 1,000,000 bitcoins before the growing number of competing miners raised the difficulty to levels exceeding his own profitability.

Once the “easy coins” dried up, the infamous crypto creator vanished with his bulging pot of digital gold. His last post on Bitcointalk.org warns of countless vulnerabilities within the bitcoin network and makes no mention of his plans to disappear and leave the community holding the bag.

You can find tips and techniques for avoiding these types of ransomware attacks on Symantec’s website.

Full Story: http://altcoinpress.com/2015/05/bitcoin-blokes-use-breaking-bad-theme-to-extort-innocent-aussie-victims/

[nutildah]

Holy crap!

Well that's one way to increase bitcoin adoption!  

Nice piece.

How can Walt not care about that chicken the woman is trying to hand him? It looks good to me.

[solstoce]

seen a friend was infected by this about 3 weeks ago.  thought it was a joke

[nutildah]

I can't wait for self-promulgating, adaptive viruses that collect bitcoin and answer to no human.



I am the one who KNOCKS!!! (not really, I just wanted to say that)

And by the way, is this supposed to be a computer-aided rendering of Satoshi's ghost or something?

[deluxeCITY]

This is kind of old to me personally. When I got into bitcoin over a year ago, this was already happening then but it wasn't to normal users computers it was business and funnily enough the police. The hackers would get in encrypt important files and send a ransom for them to unencrypted and 99% of the time it would be done and they would be paid because it would take 100+years to do it themselves. No it is not something they scream from the roof tops but if you like reading dark-net hacking forums the truth shall reveal itself. I find it interesting and thought it was a good business model   Not that I would do it, nor do I condone it.

[louise123]

Once the “easy coins” dried up, the infamous crypto creator vanished with his bulging pot of digital gold.

I thought that Satoshi disappeared after Gavin had a chat with the feds....
They sure know the facts don't they?

[Buttknuckle]

Thank you op for informing us of the threat.  However, assuming 1 mils coins were premined (I am a noob and know little of such things), why would satoshi leave us "holding the bag"?  Would he not want the coin to go up in value seeing as he holds so much of it?  Why would he try to turn himself into a millionaire from a billionaire?  It just does not make any sense.

Please, if you are going to slander someone provide credible evidence.  Even if that someone is semi-fictional.

[louise123]

Thank you op for informing us of the threat.  However, assuming 1 mils coins were premined (I am a noob and know little of such things), why would satoshi leave us "holding the bag"?  Would he not want the coin to go up in value seeing as he holds so much of it?  Why would he try to turn himself into a millionaire from a billionaire?  It just does not make any sense.

Please, if you are going to slander someone provide credible evidence.  Even if that someone is semi-fictional.

It doesn't really matter how many coins Satoshi has.
Once one of them coins moves, a) Satoshi's identity will be revealed, and b) the price of Bitcoin will hit rock bottom.
So you can consider those coins destroyed.

[nutildah]

Thank you op for informing us of the threat.  However, assuming 1 mils coins were premined (I am a noob and know little of such things), why would satoshi leave us "holding the bag"?  

Yeah.. Watch out how you use the word "premine"; others won't be so nice in explaining the difference between a premine and regular mining. S.N.'s coins were regular mined, its just that only he and one other dude were mining them for an extensive period. Is that his fault for not doing better marketing or our fault for not hopping on the train sooner?

"The bag" basically infers that the value of whatever is inside the bag has dropped significantly, however the writer is misusing the term (you're right, kind of libelous-ly) by applying it to Satoshi, whose "bag" was worth significantly less than it is now when he vanished from the forum.

Summary - satoshi
Last Active:   December 13, 2010, 06:45:41 AM

Price of BTC on this date: $0.23
Price of BTC today: $234

It doesn't really matter how many coins Satoshi has.
Once one of them coins moves, a) Satoshi's identity will be revealed, and b) the price of Bitcoin will hit rock bottom.
So you can consider those coins destroyed.

If BTC ever did actually gain mainstream traction, he could slowly sell them off to a steady influx of buyers without crushing the price. That's still a big "if" though.

[Amph]

this isn't something new anymore, there were multiple cases already on the net, some of them targetted police department, for a mere 300 usd, i'm still wondering why they ask such slow amount everytime they succeed with their virus

and anyway who, has not yet done a backup of his informatic material(which should be done in any case not just for this virus) can only blame himself

[nutildah]

this isn't something new anymore, there were multiple cases already on the net,

Yeah but this one has Walter White in it.

[Kakmakr]

" Bitcoin is an online currency that’s nearly impossible to trace. " FUD #1
" Its founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, mined over 1,000,000 bitcoins before the growing number of competing miners raised the difficulty to levels exceeding his own profitability. " FUD #2
" Once the “easy coins” dried up, the infamous crypto creator vanished with his bulging pot of digital gold." FUD #3

## The funny part is, the OP thinks we are going to buy Goldcoins, when he post enough FUD about Bitcoin ##

[louise123]

Thank you op for informing us of the threat.  However, assuming 1 mils coins were premined (I am a noob and know little of such things), why would satoshi leave us "holding the bag"?  

Yeah.. Watch out how you use the word "premine"; others won't be so nice in explaining the difference between a premine and regular mining. S.N.'s coins were regular mined, its just that only he and one other dude were mining them for an extensive period. Is that his fault for not doing better marketing or our fault for not hopping on the train sooner?

"The bag" basically infers that the value of whatever is inside the bag has dropped significantly, however the writer is misusing the term (you're right, kind of libelous-ly) by applying it to Satoshi, whose "bag" was worth significantly less than it is now when he vanished from the forum.

Summary - satoshi
Last Active:   December 13, 2010, 06:45:41 AM

Price of BTC on this date: $0.23
Price of BTC today: $234

It doesn't really matter how many coins Satoshi has.
Once one of them coins moves, a) Satoshi's identity will be revealed, and b) the price of Bitcoin will hit rock bottom.
So you can consider those coins destroyed.

If BTC ever did actually gain mainstream traction, he could slowly sell them off to a steady influx of buyers without crushing the price. That's still a big "if" though.

I really don't think that he would be able to sell any of it.
Like I said, even if one satoshi from those coins moves, BTC will probably tank within minutes.

[nutildah]

I really don't think that he would be able to sell any of it.
Like I said, even if one satoshi from those coins moves, BTC will probably tank within minutes.

Why though? I really am curious. Trigger a wave of panic selling? Corporate executives sell personal shares of their companies all the time, sometimes with bigger market reactions than others, but it rarely tanks a stock price.

[sherbyspark]

I have heard these ransom are really spreading all over the world, and happening every day. Happens more to small businesses who are likely to pay the 100-1000$ ranson.

I really don't think that he would be able to sell any of it.
Like I said, even if one satoshi from those coins moves, BTC will probably tank within minutes.

Why though? I really am curious. Trigger a wave of panic selling? Corporate executives sell personal shares of their companies all the time, sometimes with bigger market reactions than others, but it rarely tanks a stock price.

People would probably fear that he might sell his other coins. Unlike a corporate executive, we know nothing about satoshi.

[Kyraishi]

I have heard these ransom are really spreading all over the world, and happening every day. Happens more to small businesses who are likely to pay the 100-1000$ ranson.

I really don't think that he would be able to sell any of it.
Like I said, even if one satoshi from those coins moves, BTC will probably tank within minutes.

Why though? I really am curious. Trigger a wave of panic selling? Corporate executives sell personal shares of their companies all the time, sometimes with bigger market reactions than others, but it rarely tanks a stock price.

People would probably fear that he might sell his other coins. Unlike a corporate executive, we know nothing about satoshi.

True.
Apart from that, holding 1M+ Bitcoins can give someone a lot of power considering that there will only be 21 Million coins minted.
That means that there is only 20 Million left for the rest of the population.
How many people can actually accumulate that amount of coins?

[nutildah]

People would probably fear that he might sell his other coins. Unlike a corporate executive, we know nothing about satoshi.

I know corporate executives are largely sociopaths, sadists and pathological liars -- probably worse people than your average human being. But you're right, we don't know that Satoshi wasn't any of these things or a collection of people with these traits.

[RitzBitzz]

If satoshi is still alive I am surprised he hasn't been driven mad because he has the coins but he cant use them.