<story><title>The Ransomware Problem Is a Bitcoin Problem</title><url>https://www.lawfareblog.com/ransomware-problem-bitcoin-problem</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>SavantIdiot</author><text>I&amp;#x27;d like to hear how cryptocurrency advocates address this without deploying a fallacy. Cryptocurrency makes ransomware possible, without the former, the latter cannot thrive. The defenses I usually hear come in the form of &amp;quot;current banking facilitates bad stuff, too,&amp;quot; which is a fact, but doesn&amp;#x27;t absolve cryptocurrencies central role in ransomware. As the article states, there is simply no way to pay a ransom without cryptocurrency. Maybe they could do b2b or cash, but that would be sooooo bold (but not impossible?)&lt;p&gt;EDIT: See link from user &amp;#x27;px43&amp;#x27; below about the history of ransomware. Good read. Predates cryptocurrency, but I think banking technology would make most payment strategies of the past impossible, like the original article argues (e.g., PO Box in Panama is quoted as a 1989 payment plan, but GP article explains that is harder due to extradition of data and logs).</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>saurik</author><text>&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;
While we&amp;#x27;re at it, maybe those same people can defend the Internet, right? Clearly, this experiment in anyone in the world being able to nigh unto anonymously communicate with anyone else was a mistake... at best, every packet should be tracked back to some regulated endpoint that can be tracked in the real world.&lt;p&gt;The Internet, after all, makes the dark web--and its myriad crimes, including ransomware, drug trafficking, and illegal porn--possible: without the former, the latter cannot thrive. The defenses we usually hear come in the form &amp;quot;prior telephone and postal systems facilitated bad stuff, too,&amp;quot; which is a fact, but one that doesn&amp;#x27;t absolute the Internet, either. :&amp;#x2F;
&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;^ What you sound like to me.&lt;p&gt;Like, I honestly just don&amp;#x27;t understand your point: these currencies (minus Bitcoin, due to proof of work being a bit ridiculous) seem like a very useful tool &lt;i&gt;that you couldn&amp;#x27;t really ban anyway&lt;/i&gt; without taking ridiculously draconian measures (a la China and the open Internet, which is only barely working for them anyway) as--and this is kind of the whole point--there isn&amp;#x27;t any central actor running or maintaining it.</text></comment>
<story><title>The Ransomware Problem Is a Bitcoin Problem</title><url>https://www.lawfareblog.com/ransomware-problem-bitcoin-problem</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>SavantIdiot</author><text>I&amp;#x27;d like to hear how cryptocurrency advocates address this without deploying a fallacy. Cryptocurrency makes ransomware possible, without the former, the latter cannot thrive. The defenses I usually hear come in the form of &amp;quot;current banking facilitates bad stuff, too,&amp;quot; which is a fact, but doesn&amp;#x27;t absolve cryptocurrencies central role in ransomware. As the article states, there is simply no way to pay a ransom without cryptocurrency. Maybe they could do b2b or cash, but that would be sooooo bold (but not impossible?)&lt;p&gt;EDIT: See link from user &amp;#x27;px43&amp;#x27; below about the history of ransomware. Good read. Predates cryptocurrency, but I think banking technology would make most payment strategies of the past impossible, like the original article argues (e.g., PO Box in Panama is quoted as a 1989 payment plan, but GP article explains that is harder due to extradition of data and logs).</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>px43</author><text>Heh, what? Ransomware existed long before cryptocurrencies.&lt;p&gt;Money laundering via ACH, SWIFT, stolen credit cards, gift cards, and all sorts of online payment systems like PayPal are still huge, no cryptocurrencies required.&lt;p&gt;Cryptocurrencies are used today because they&amp;#x27;re the most efficient way to make online payments, which is a net positive for everyone. It&amp;#x27;s just as easy to hunt down criminals using cryptocurrencies as it was to hunt online criminals before cryptocurrencies got popular.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.knowbe4.com&amp;#x2F;ransomware&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.knowbe4.com&amp;#x2F;ransomware&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>