Global ‘Wana’ Ransomware Outbreak Earned Perpetrators $26,000 So Far
Summary: The Wana ransomware outbreak spread globally after criminals distributed the malware using a Windows vulnerability Microsoft patched in March 2017, encrypting victims' files and demanding roughly $300 in Bitcoin per infected machine. A review of the three Bitcoin addresses hard-coded into the malware found 100 payments totaling slightly more than 15 Bitcoins, or approximately $26,148 at the time of writing.
Why it matters: At least 16 hospitals in the United Kingdom were diverting patients and rescheduling procedures because of the outbreak, while the perpetrators had collected only about $26,000 - a disparity between damage and criminal revenue that runs through cybercrime generally.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Fraud & Scams
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