Ransomware, the best thing that has happened to Bitcoin

[Kprawn]

I think there was something like this 4 months back but it was an antivirus on your computer.
It was called Hyperantivirus. They claimed to pay you money and btc if you installed and ran their antivirus program. I think it had a timebomb and would hold your computer's data for ransom. It did, infact , have access to your all your files as it was designed as an antivirus. Interesting isn't it. A program designed to protect your computer from what it is actually doing, hijacking your data for ransom.  

Exactly and the only people who would want to install that type of software, would be someone who cannot afford the retail commercial anti-virus software. So this kind of

Trojan would effectively target poor people.  The people who cannot even pay for the commercial software, has to fork out money for ransom payments.. to get their

precious family pictures... Now OP wants us to promote such nonsense. If someone is talented enough to write software like that, they could channel that same talent to

write the next killer application for Bitcoin. 

[ANdr0id]

I think there was something like this 4 months back but it was an antivirus on your computer.
It was called Hyperantivirus. They claimed to pay you money and btc if you installed and ran their antivirus program. I think it had a timebomb and would hold your computer's data for ransom. It did, infact , have access to your all your files as it was designed as an antivirus. Interesting isn't it. A program designed to protect your computer from what it is actually doing, hijacking your data for ransom.  

Exactly and the only people who would want to install that type of software, would be someone who cannot afford the retail commercial anti-virus software. So this kind of

Trojan would effectively target poor people.   The people who cannot even pay for the commercial software, has to fork out money for ransom payments.. to get their

precious family pictures... Now OP wants us to promote such nonsense. If someone is talented enough to write software like that, they could channel that same talent to

write the next killer application for Bitcoin.  

That would make more sense. Become the next Steve Jobs of innovated bitcoin app.
But alas, people will always be tempted by the darker side of the human condition because it is easier and faster to get what they are after and in this case fast cash.

[SebastianJu]

Here we go, Bitcoin to stratospheric prices and general public adoption due to the need to get their data back.

What we need now is an app that lets people automatically pay their ransomware taxes.

Not a good idea. First, the amount used for ransomware is miniscule. It should have no effect on bitcoin price.

And second, the more bitcoins gets pushed into the dark corner, the higher the chance that politicians feel the need to attack bitcoin. Then bitcoin price will crash and that's it.

[SebastianJu]

Ransomware will make people passionately hate bitcoin and forever associate it with crime. OP needs to explain themselves.

This! Bitcoin has a really bad fame already. It surely is a bad thing when the first contact people have with bitcoin is a negative one of that extend.

[SebastianJu]

Ransomware will make people passionately hate bitcoin and forever associate it with crime. OP needs to explain themselves.

Some years ago, I frequently saw spam promoting pyramid schemes, which were heavily involving PayPal, and it was usually advertised with titles such as Make Money On PayPal!.

Before Bitcoin, and probably even now, PayPal and other payment services such as WebMoney, UKash or PaySafeCard, were often associated with cybercrime, for example in the context of selling stolen credit cards.

I also remember that there were somewhat similar scams like CryptoLocker, though less sophisticated, and in the style of "you are infected! you must pay now", which heavily used PayPal and friends.

However, I've never seen any outcries to ban PayPal, UKash or PaySafeCards as consequence of these scams.

While this might be considered as anecdotal evidence, my point is basically:

You're probably exaggerating, because you're "scared" of the possibility someone may think bad about Bitcoin, but I wouldn't be surprised, if a "regular person" (i.e. a non-Bitcoiner) doesn't even create the link "bitcoin == bad, because scam".

The thing is that paypal transaction were overwhelmingly more legit transactions than scammy ones. I think that is not so clear with bitcoin. Bitcoin is simply way too small still. And dark uses are strong.

[RealBitcoin]

This is disgusting.

Scammers are scammers, they can be avoided.

But just brutal hackers like this virusing PC's is just horrible.

We need a better operating system, windows is just a pure crap that can be exploited in so many ways.

[1990BEARS]

So what is ransomware?

(I shouldn't have to google it since you brought it up and want to discuss it.)

It is real simple.  You start with a virus, that virus locked and encrypts the entire computer giving access to nothing but a windows stating to send X BTC to an address to get back into the computer.

Ok, thanks!

The OP's comments are a tad confusing still. He/she implies that the rise of bitcoin price and adoption is due to ransomware existing...which obviously wouldn't be true.

BUT, there is an app that allows you to pay your ransomware taxes! It's called PayPal...I think you can even set up automatic recurring payments!

it is a troll... he is stating that this is going to be a problem with bitcoin as it grows.

[maku]

Malicious actions and harming of other people in any possible way is never the answer. Ransomware is just a kind of computer virus which benefits from new technology.
It is not ok, good or beneficial to bitcoin. Quite opposite. If something like that ever happened to me I would hate bitcoin with passion for the rest of my life.

[teddy5145]

This is disgusting.

Scammers are scammers, they can be avoided.

But just brutal hackers like this virusing PC's is just horrible.

We need a better operating system, windows is just a pure crap that can be exploited in so many ways.

Well, I heard that linux is pretty safe but in my country not many people are using it because people find it strange to use it
Well personally, i never use linux in my whole life before so i don't know how it works

[ranochigo]

This is disgusting.

Scammers are scammers, they can be avoided.

But just brutal hackers like this virusing PC's is just horrible.

We need a better operating system, windows is just a pure crap that can be exploited in so many ways.

Well, I heard that linux is pretty safe but in my country not many people are using it because people find it strange to use it
Well personally, i never use linux in my whole life before so i don't know how it works

Linux can be safe but it isn't 100%. If the adoption rate grows, criminal would be targeting linux systems too. The reason that hackers target windows is because of its widespread adoption. I personally use Windows and it is much more familiar to me than Ubuntu.

[n2004al]

This is disgusting.

Scammers are scammers, they can be avoided.

But just brutal hackers like this virusing PC's is just horrible.

We need a better operating system, windows is just a pure crap that can be exploited in so many ways.

Well, I heard that linux is pretty safe but in my country not many people are using it because people find it strange to use it
Well personally, i never use linux in my whole life before so i don't know how it works

Linux can be safe but it isn't 100%. If the adoption rate grows, criminal would be targeting linux systems too. The reason that hackers target windows is because of its widespread adoption. I personally use Windows and it is much more familiar to me than Ubuntu.

Correct. Agree completely. Windows is a very good system. Has about 30 years of life and development. Cannot be wrong something with this life and with an army of developers, programmers and various staff (making hundred of kind developments connected with it) who work continuously to improve it. There are update every month and new versions every about 5-6 years. I think that cannot be another os better than it. The only reason of its problems is that is very spread in all the world and is target of everyone who want to see the value of itself.

[Corealz]

This is disgusting.

Scammers are scammers, they can be avoided.

But just brutal hackers like this virusing PC's is just horrible.

We need a better operating system, windows is just a pure crap that can be exploited in so many ways.

Well, I heard that linux is pretty safe but in my country not many people are using it because people find it strange to use it
Well personally, i never use linux in my whole life before so i don't know how it works

There have been quite a few botnets made for linux clients as well. It is not 100% safe but it really depends on the competency of the user.

[ranochigo]

This is disgusting.

Scammers are scammers, they can be avoided.

But just brutal hackers like this virusing PC's is just horrible.

We need a better operating system, windows is just a pure crap that can be exploited in so many ways.

Well, I heard that linux is pretty safe but in my country not many people are using it because people find it strange to use it
Well personally, i never use linux in my whole life before so i don't know how it works

Linux can be safe but it isn't 100%. If the adoption rate grows, criminal would be targeting linux systems too. The reason that hackers target windows is because of its widespread adoption. I personally use Windows and it is much more familiar to me than Ubuntu.

Correct. Agree completely. Windows is a very good system. Has about 30 years of life and development. Cannot be wrong something with this life and with an army of developers, programmers and various staff (making hundred of kind developments connected with it) who work continuously to improve it. There are update every month and new versions every about 5-6 years. I think that cannot be another os better than it. The only reason of its problems is that is very spread in all the world and is target of everyone who want to see the value of itself.

A more prominent issue is that most do not care about updating it at all. Windows does have a license key and some companies don't have enough funds to upgrade their computer and hence are exposed to exploits if Windows does not support it anymore. Linux however, are more opensourced and are free.

[n2004al]

This is disgusting.

Scammers are scammers, they can be avoided.

But just brutal hackers like this virusing PC's is just horrible.

We need a better operating system, windows is just a pure crap that can be exploited in so many ways.

Well, I heard that linux is pretty safe but in my country not many people are using it because people find it strange to use it
Well personally, i never use linux in my whole life before so i don't know how it works

Linux can be safe but it isn't 100%. If the adoption rate grows, criminal would be targeting linux systems too. The reason that hackers target windows is because of its widespread adoption. I personally use Windows and it is much more familiar to me than Ubuntu.

Correct. Agree completely. Windows is a very good system. Has about 30 years of life and development. Cannot be wrong something with this life and with an army of developers, programmers and various staff (making hundred of kind developments connected with it) who work continuously to improve it. There are update every month and new versions every about 5-6 years. I think that cannot be another os better than it. The only reason of its problems is that is very spread in all the world and is target of everyone who want to see the value of itself.

A more prominent issue is that most do not care about updating it at all. Windows does have a license key and some companies don't have enough funds to upgrade their computer and hence are exposed to exploits if Windows does not support it anymore. Linux however, are more opensourced and are free.

Seems without meaning to be a company and to not have money to upgrade your computers. First of all, if don't have the needed funds that mean that they can use the windows which have. Microsoft offer update (protection) for the previous versions even after to many years after the launch in the market of the new versions. Second, Seems to strange for me that a company have not founds to make upgrade for its computers. The amounts needed are not to much according to me if we are talking for a company. If a person is able to make the upgrade of its computer the company must be ten times more able. Because is in the market to make profit. The person not.

[Pierre 2]

It may help grow usage of bitcoin but I don't it is good publicity.
Imagine you are the one that their pc gets locked. And you paid those btcs.
You wouldn't ever want to hear bitcoin word in future.