Tag: ransomware

Most people think of cryptocurrency-related heists as incidents where crafty hackers compromise computers, steal victims’ Bitcoin wallet keys and transfer the funds away. This misconception is well-founded and is indeed exactly how many tech-savvy crooks have masterminded the most notorious theft campaigns in this domain. However, some malefactors go the old school route and coerce owners into parting with their…

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The United States Department of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Treasury, has slapped charges against one Iranian entity and ten of its nationals as a part of a broader crackdown on hackers. The press release dated March 23, 2018, reveals that the individuals had engaged in the theft of valuable intellectual property from organizations across America and elsewhere,…

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According to a report published by Fortune, this Thursday, March 22, Hackers have attacked and blocked the access to critical computer systems of the Atlanta city government. The hackers are now demanding a ransom of $51,000 to be paid in bitcoin to provide the cryptographic key that unlocks the issue. The report said that several central governmental systems in Atlanta…

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MalwareHunterTeam, a group malware researchers, discovered a ransomware dubbed Thanatos that demands ransom in bitcoin cash (BCH). Ransomware has surfaced the web for quite some time now and is usually linked with cryptocurrencies such as monero and zcash. However, Thanatos is the first that demands payment from victims in BCH. MalwareHunterTeam announced about their discoveries via a tweet. Monero and…

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There’s a new ransomware on the loose, targeting unsuspecting victims’ computers by way of malicious downloadable PDF files. Before delving any deeper, BTCManager reminds all readers to exercise the utmost precaution while downloading PDF files from unknown senders. What is GandCrab? The looming threat came into the limelight after LMNTRIX, an Australian cybersecurity firm, published a report earlier in February…

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The US government has recently stated that North Korea was the country responsible for the WannaCry ransomware attacks earlier this year, plaguing over 230,000 computers in over 150 countries. The allegation was made by Thomas Bossert, who serves under President Donald Trump as Homeland Security Advisor. Homeland Security didn’t make the allegation lightly, alluding to NSA work that helped them…

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As bitcoin and other digital currencies emerge as a new and valuable asset class, North Korean cyber criminals are also realizing a new means of state funding. Unhinging a Global Financial System Kim Jong-Un has been featured in the news as exclusively an intemperate world leader with nuclear capabilities. His confrontations with President Trump have sparked global concerns as to…

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On June 27, global ransomware Petya encrypted the computers of victims concentrated in Europe, including the Ukrainian government, banks, a Russian oil company, British advertising company WPP and other organizations internationally. Sources revealed that the developers and distributors behind the Petya ransomware demanded individual victims to pay $300 in bitcoin in return for a personal decryption key that is necessary…

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Due to bitcoin’s pseudo-anonymous nature, which makes it difficult to link transactions to the individuals conducting them, bitcoin has become the new go-to ransom payment method in ransomware attacks. This development has led cybersecurity firms to buy and store bitcoin in case their clients decide to pay the ransom. However, regulations are making it increasingly difficult for cybersecurity specialists to…

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The Disney film studio’s announcement of hackers threatening to release one of their movies unless a bitcoin ransom is paid has once again unleashed a flurry of media attention targeting cryptocurrency as a tool for nefarious acts. Disney CEO Bob Iger in a statement on May 15 asserted that the film company has no intent of complying with the ransom…

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