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Topic: Is there a solution to hackers using Bitcoins for ransoms? - page 2. (Read 1557 times)

legendary
Activity: 1190
Merit: 1024
I'm sure many of you have seen the news about the WannaCry ransomware?

Do you think cases like this will affect Bitcoin negatively in the long run?

Even though Bitcoin is not the issue in cases like this, I feel like Bitcoin gets shown in a negative light. Since these hackers are only requesting payment in BTC this is what ignorant people get attached to.

I've heard plenty of people say things like: "Oh bitcoins...aren't those only used by hackers?"

Obviously these people are in the minority and do not know what they are talking about but it seems to be what lingers with some. I also know a lot of people that invest in Bitcoins, mine them, etc.

My big fear is that the government(s) are going to start trying to become involved to help curb situations like this. Does anyone else worry about this for the long term future of Bitcoin?

The big question is...is there anything that can even been done to prevent situations like WannaCry?

The beauty of Bitcoin is that it's decentralized, but will that maybe be it's downfall too?

The solution for criminals is easy. Switch to dollars and paypal. 

This is why bitcoin is better money, nobody can seize it from you without a rubber hose.

Run better operating system. Keep backups of data you care about. Don't click on or plug in I trusted links or hardware.

Microsoft has already introduced the patch to control over this foreseen problem about 4 , 5 months  ago but many people still not deployed that patch. Even the multinationals were found ignorant in this respect and found the victim of this virus. The only solution to this is not to quit bitcoins but to make your anti-virus and system upgraded with latest security patches.
hero member
Activity: 658
Merit: 500
CryptoTalk.Org - Get Paid for every Post!
I'm sure many of you have seen the news about the WannaCry ransomware?

Do you think cases like this will affect Bitcoin negatively in the long run?

Even though Bitcoin is not the issue in cases like this, I feel like Bitcoin gets shown in a negative light. Since these hackers are only requesting payment in BTC this is what ignorant people get attached to.

I've heard plenty of people say things like: "Oh bitcoins...aren't those only used by hackers?"

Obviously these people are in the minority and do not know what they are talking about but it seems to be what lingers with some. I also know a lot of people that invest in Bitcoins, mine them, etc.

My big fear is that the government(s) are going to start trying to become involved to help curb situations like this. Does anyone else worry about this for the long term future of Bitcoin?

The big question is...is there anything that can even been done to prevent situations like WannaCry?

The beauty of Bitcoin is that it's decentralized, but will that maybe be it's downfall too?
It is already affecting bitcoin in a negative way, just think about how much people have never heard about bitcoin before and it was their first time getting some knowledge about it, most of such people will think that bitcoin is bad just because the media wrote some shitty articles about a hacker who decided to use bitcoins... Disgusting. The problem is that media usually neevr shows bitcoin in a good way, the real way, they don't say that bitcoin is beneficial for people to use as it's decentralized and that people don't need to be dependent on banks. The knowledge about bitcoin that people get from the news and stuff like that is that it is used only for drugs, paying ransoms and paying for hitman services...
legendary
Activity: 1204
Merit: 1028
The only way out is to improve the security of the systems people are running. If you keep your software up to date, it's really hard to be infected by such malware. What are the odds that a 0 day infects the entire earth? its kind of ridiculous.

EVEN with a closed source software like windows, if you keep it up to date, you keep your firewalls and so on ready, it's pretty hard to get hacked unless you are some ridiculous target, on that case then it's your fault by running freaking windows in 2017 and a sysadmin you should be fired.
hero member
Activity: 1764
Merit: 584
The responsibly falls on the tech people who should be securing the system anyway. Hackers are criminals, they just choose to use bitcoin. Had they been another kind of criminal, they could have asked to get paid in fiat.

Bitcoin has just being caught in the crossfire with the hackers, you might argue that this is bad press for bitcoin but hitting 150 countries and seeing bitcoin for the first time is on your pc or trending news might give it good advertisement.

Quote
The big question is...is there anything that can even been done to prevent situations like WannaCry?
From Microsoft standpoint they have advised customers on using secure systems and regular updates of our pcs

It's publicity but I don't think it's a good advertisement. Imagine you never heard of it and the first time you did, you are being asked to use it to pay someone who locked your files. Sure, not the hackee have a bitcoin address, what happens next after payment was made? I believe it would leave a bitter after taste.

Im going to invent a do it yourself "get out of ransom" kit.  Sell it for $9.95 and make a killing.

Well that sounds like a plan. You go you!  Grin
hero member
Activity: 686
Merit: 521
Bitcoin has just being caught in the crossfire with the hackers, you might argue that this is bad press for bitcoin but hitting 150 countries and seeing bitcoin for the first time is on your pc or trending news might give it good advertisement.

Quote
The big question is...is there anything that can even been done to prevent situations like WannaCry?
From Microsoft standpoint they have advised customers on using secure systems and regular updates of our pcs
hero member
Activity: 924
Merit: 506
Possibly the ability to blacklist addresses so that they can never be used as an input again. Infect a million machines, and you need a million addresses otherwise they will end up getting rejected by the network. Would make ransom attacks on large scale more difficult, and once found to be a scam, address is forever locked so the funds can never be spent. If the scammers are likely to loose everything they get, there's less incentive to bother.
Who should blacklist those addresses? do you see any one blacklisting miners mining their own spam transactions or rejecting their blocks?
There is no central authority to turn to and provide them the addresses to have a wide spread blacklisting in the entire network.
Mixers are blind when it comes to these things unless they already are informed about the situation but I don't see all of them ever willing to do this.
Don't forget about the ability to spend those bitcoins as a miner fee and no one able to track them any more.
sr. member
Activity: 630
Merit: 250
★Bitvest.io★ Play Plinko or Invest!
I'm sure many of you have seen the news about the WannaCry ransomware?

Do you think cases like this will affect Bitcoin negatively in the long run?

Even though Bitcoin is not the issue in cases like this, I feel like Bitcoin gets shown in a negative light. Since these hackers are only requesting payment in BTC this is what ignorant people get attached to.

I've heard plenty of people say things like: "Oh bitcoins...aren't those only used by hackers?"

Obviously these people are in the minority and do not know what they are talking about but it seems to be what lingers with some. I also know a lot of people that invest in Bitcoins, mine them, etc.

My big fear is that the government(s) are going to start trying to become involved to help curb situations like this. Does anyone else worry about this for the long term future of Bitcoin?

The big question is...is there anything that can even been done to prevent situations like WannaCry?

The beauty of Bitcoin is that it's decentralized, but will that maybe be it's downfall too?

The intervention of the government will be inevitable if we can't control the flow of bitcoin transaction and its anonimity thus making hackers and especially taking advantage of it bypassing the screening ot scanning of money involved
legendary
Activity: 3234
Merit: 1375
Slava Ukraini!
Offcourse it may affect Bitcoin negatively. Bitcoin are already shown in negative light for last few years. Many people think that bitcoin is mainly used by hackers, drug dealers and terrorists. These assholes are using bitcoin only because it's more complicated to track than fiat. But if we compare volume how much bitcoin and how much fiat is used for bad activities, I thing it's clear which type of currency is more dangerous. It's like to compare how many people dies in car accidents and how many in plane crashes.
I'm worried that some governments after recent atracks may start to look more strictly into bitcoin and try to control it. There are risk that some countries may try to ban bitcoin in their country.
jr. member
Activity: 81
Merit: 4
Possibly the ability to blacklist addresses so that they can never be used as an input again. Infect a million machines, and you need a million addresses otherwise they will end up getting rejected by the network. Would make ransom attacks on large scale more difficult, and once found to be a scam, address is forever locked so the funds can never be spent. If the scammers are likely to loose everything they get, there's less incentive to bother.
full member
Activity: 179
Merit: 250
Im going to invent a do it yourself "get out of ransom" kit.  Sell it for $9.95 and make a killing.
full member
Activity: 129
Merit: 101
I'm sure many of you have seen the news about the WannaCry ransomware?

Do you think cases like this will affect Bitcoin negatively in the long run?

Even though Bitcoin is not the issue in cases like this, I feel like Bitcoin gets shown in a negative light. Since these hackers are only requesting payment in BTC this is what ignorant people get attached to.

I've heard plenty of people say things like: "Oh bitcoins...aren't those only used by hackers?"

Obviously these people are in the minority and do not know what they are talking about but it seems to be what lingers with some. I also know a lot of people that invest in Bitcoins, mine them, etc.

My big fear is that the government(s) are going to start trying to become involved to help curb situations like this. Does anyone else worry about this for the long term future of Bitcoin?

The big question is...is there anything that can even been done to prevent situations like WannaCry?

The beauty of Bitcoin is that it's decentralized, but will that maybe be it's downfall too?

The solution for criminals is easy. Switch to dollars and paypal. 

This is why bitcoin is better money, nobody can seize it from you without a rubber hose.

Run better operating system. Keep backups of data you care about. Don't click on or plug in I trusted links or hardware.
sr. member
Activity: 426
Merit: 250
I'm sure many of you have seen the news about the WannaCry ransomware?

Do you think cases like this will affect Bitcoin negatively in the long run?

Even though Bitcoin is not the issue in cases like this, I feel like Bitcoin gets shown in a negative light. Since these hackers are only requesting payment in BTC this is what ignorant people get attached to.

I've heard plenty of people say things like: "Oh bitcoins...aren't those only used by hackers?"

Obviously these people are in the minority and do not know what they are talking about but it seems to be what lingers with some. I also know a lot of people that invest in Bitcoins, mine them, etc.

My big fear is that the government(s) are going to start trying to become involved to help curb situations like this. Does anyone else worry about this for the long term future of Bitcoin?

The big question is...is there anything that can even been done to prevent situations like WannaCry?

The beauty of Bitcoin is that it's decentralized, but will that maybe be it's downfall too?
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