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DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

krebsonsecurity.com

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Re: DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

#11

Post by smoldesu »

whymauri wrote: post #7

why are ransomware groups transacting in BTC, which can be easily traced?

Because even though the transactions can be traced, the accounts holding them are arbitrary. You can observe a Bitcoin transaction propagate through the blockchain, but you'll never really see any personal identifiers besides the address.

Re: DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

#13

Post by lallysingh »

willvarfar wrote: post #8
whymauri wrote: post #7

why are ransomware groups transacting in BTC, which can be easily traced?

Just curious, what alternatives are there, and how would they work?

Monero for transactions, then change back to BTC for value storage.

Re: DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

#14

Post by justapassenger »

Seems like they should invest more into cybersecurity, if someone was able to “steal” their Bitcoin and take over their infrastructure ;).

But honestly, this only shows that IT systems are nowadays so complex that you cannot get them right and be able to truly protect you, no matter if you’re good or bad guy.

Re: DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

#15

Post by kossTKR »

Can crypto actually be non-traceable? I remember currencies like Monero or ZCash advertising privacy from the last crypto craze.

I mean if you have 100M in some account, can you actually run it trough "private" currencies to remove traces? BTC, ETH etc. all seems super traceable, even more so than in regular banking.

Also how are criminals getting their money out with no one noticing, does Panama/Malta etc. have Kraken/Bittrex equivalents with no questions asked?

Re: DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

#16

Post by ribosometronome »

whymauri wrote: post #7

why are ransomware groups transacting in BTC, which can be easily traced?

Ease of access for the victims, I imagine. Going from owning 0 bitcoin to hundreds of thousands seems easier giving it's popularity than say, monero (or whatever the anonymous centric coin of the day is). And the ransomware guys can still wash it later by passing it through intermediate exchanges/selling it for a different crypto.

Re: DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

#18

Post by throwawaysea »

If this is the US taking action, they should go after distributed denial of secrets next (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_Denial_of_Secret...). This group is doxxing people for their donations, which isn’t “hacktivism” - it’s just a criminal breach of privacy. Crime doesn’t become a non-crime just because it is left-biased. Enough with the unchecked rise of cyber crimes.

Re: DarkSide ransomware gang quits after servers, Bitcoin stash seized

#20

Post by rattray »

sriram_sun wrote: post #10
null_object wrote: post #4

So taking down hospitals and healthcare facilities was fair game. But messing with Big Oil was just a step too far.

Oil shortages and long lines make for good/bad TV. Fear of bad media coverage energized the Govt. to act.

Perhaps part of the difference was that it took longer for the victim to pay this time. Presumably Hospitals cave before the impacts make the headlines.
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