Another Ransom paid using Bitcoin

[nydiacaskey01]

Another news that will tarnish the reputation of Bitcoin, looks like the bad guys found a new option to be untraceable and no need to show up to pick up the bag "ProtonMail Sent $6000 BitCoin Ransom to Hackers to Stop DDoS Attack, DDoS Continues Anyway"

http://apexbeats.com/recent/3253-11/protonmail-sent-6000-bitcoin-ransom-to-hackers-to-stop-ddos-attack-ddos-continues-anyway/

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[Bettwarm]

We can pay ransom to the hackers, but we shall find and punish them as well. Bitcoin is just a tool, it is not evil. The criminals are evil.

[pawel7777]

This case looks weird, attackers got paid and someone continues ddos a day later. If first one was about ransom, then 2nd attack definitely isn't as there's no chance any company would pay twice.

The hackers are likely “not the Armada Collective anymore,” Yen says. “They have publicly denied responsibility for the second attack. Based on the size and sophistication of the second attack, this is a highly organized and well-funded group. Typically you only find these capabilities with state backed groups.”

"ProtonMail was originally founded to create a more secure email server in response to Edward Snowden’s revelations about NSA surveillance in 2013."

[Amph]

We can pay ransom to the hackers, but we shall find and punish them as well. Bitcoin is just a tool, it is not evil. The criminals are evil.

it help them more, to do it in bitcoin, because there is no trace left, the address is not connected with the name of the hacker

it's like cash but more convenient for them, because you can do it with internet

[hilariousandco]

Why the hell did they pay the ransom?  All this does is make them a bigger target because people now know they pay up.

[NorrisK]

I thought DDOS could be blocked quite well after a few days of attacks?

There are enough services that provide protection from them, sure it costs, but appearently it is required nowadays to avoid this kind of bullshit.

[n2004al]

Another news that will tarnish the reputation of Bitcoin, looks like the bad guys found a new option to be untraceable and no need to show up to pick up the bag "ProtonMail Sent $6000 BitCoin Ransom to Hackers to Stop DDoS Attack, DDoS Continues Anyway"

http://apexbeats.com/recent/3253-11/protonmail-sent-6000-bitcoin-ransom-to-hackers-to-stop-ddos-attack-ddos-continues-anyway/

Another bad news from the hackers connected with bitcoin. But I don't understand why must tarnish its reputation. The world is full with impostors and thieves which make every day various thefts and frauds with all the kind of moneys. These money don't have any kind of tarnish because of the above actions. Why bitcoin must have? Have no meaning this thing (if it will be so). Lets hope that the Government of Swiss will not follow the example of Taiwan which has banned bitcoin for a similar case. But I don't think that they will do such thing.

[Blue_Tiger73]

I don't understand how this tarnishes the reputation of Bitcoin. The way that I see it is that Bitcoin is another currency. There are also a lot of cases like this with fiat so I don't really see how this affects Bitcoin's reputation.

[Mickeyb]

I don't understand how this tarnishes the reputation of Bitcoin. The way that I see it is that Bitcoin is another currency. There are also a lot of cases like this with fiat so I don't really see how this affects Bitcoin's reputation.

Exactly! This won't do a damn  thing to Bitcoin. What can we do to prevent this? Nothing! Is Bitcoin protocol doing things like this or bad people out there? Bad people of course.

Yes, this can give some fuel to the FUDsters and trolls out there but screw them. We shouldn't pay attention to these fools anyways.

[ranochigo]

I think a more prominent problem is why are companies paying ransom? By paying ransom, it is essentially giving attackers money and incentive for more attacks and it wouldn't guarantee the DDOS would stop.

[pawel7777]

I think a more prominent problem is why are companies paying ransom? By paying ransom, it is essentially giving attackers money and incentive for more attacks and it wouldn't guarantee the DDOS would stop.

It's easy to say, but if ransom demand is 'reasonable' and is much less than the potential damage caused, then it makes sense to pay it. And if the attackers stick to their promise and stop the attack (it also makes financial sense for them to do so) then you have enough time to come up with solutions preventing future attacks.

[iram66680]

I thought DDOS could be blocked quite well after a few days of attacks?

There are enough services that provide protection from them, sure it costs, but appearently it is required nowadays to avoid this kind of bullshit.

It does stop script kiddles attack but there are more sophisticated attacks.

DDOS protection services gives up privacy for protection. They act as a proxy between the user and the website and have the ability to read the information that the user sends. That's why this forum doesn't use it.

[BillyBobZorton]

I still don't understand how people fall for this. It is as easy as having your OS up to date and not opening anything that is from an strange origin (beware of cracked software...) and that's it.

[cr1776]

I don't understand how this tarnishes the reputation of Bitcoin. The way that I see it is that Bitcoin is another currency. There are also a lot of cases like this with fiat so I don't really see how this affects Bitcoin's reputation.

This.

Makes about as much sense as saying it will tarnish the reputation of tcp/ip or of the Internet.  Or the Lindbergh kidnapping tarnished the reputation of cash.

[countryfree]

Someone should make statistics. How many ransoms were paid in US dollars, how many in Russian rubles, Swiss francs, Euros?
I doubt BTC is the most widely used currency for this activity. When you pay taxes, which is some kind of a ransom for the right to keep on living the way you do, BTC isn't accepted yet.

[maokoto]

Many people will understand that the evil is not in the tool (Bitcoin) if they gave it a second thought.

Problem is most people are lazy to think. They'll see Bitcoin + ransom in the news and asociate it to evil instinctively.

[moneyflow]

I still don't understand how people fall for this. It is as easy as having your OS up to date and not opening anything that is from an strange origin (beware of cracked software...) and that's it.

Yes. The thing why people keep falling for it is they tend to get relaxed when it comes to checking the authenticity of the software. But they keep suffering staggering losses just because they find it tedious to check first before they install any kind of software.

[USB-S]

I don't think that people will think more negatively about bitcoin, because we are on an uptrend with financial magazines promoting blockchain. This is just a small dent in our tank people.

[bill gator]

People need to get the memo, We do not negotiate with bitcoin terrorists.

If they are threatening your business, your data or anything else that you hold dear.. Do not pay them, because you might think they will give you what they promised, but in my mind this is just more reason for them to hold onto what they have and push you farther and farther until you can't pay anymore.

[makcik]

We have seen people kidnapping rich persons and asking for ransom in cash for release, we've seen this in movies, we've seen this in real life sometimes too. The main motive behind this is hunger for money. Hunger for money can be in any form. And, this time it's in bitcoins. Recently, in Taiwan a billionaire was kidnapped and was asked to pay in btc. Now, isn't this crossing the limit? Bitcoins have more value as compared to most fiat currencies. And this is a reason behind these kidnaps. Due to a result of this incidence, bitcoin was even banned in Taiwan, and using it was against law. These incidents tell us that bitcoins must be used in a proper manner and those evil-minded people need to change their thinking as asking ransom may send them to jail for lifetime.