The Ministry of Justice said it had seized nearly $ 3 million in cryptocurrency from an alleged ransomware operator, according to The Journal Hipaa.
What’s going on?
The Doj allegedly alleged that Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko was a key figure behind ZeppelinA group of ransomware that targeted American hospitals, information technology companies and other organizations.
The group’s playbook was simple: file locking, ask for cryptocurrency ransoms and, in some cases, steal sensitive data. The officials claim that Antropenko tried to transfer money through various accounts to hide his tracks.
However, the investigators were able to trace the funds and recover around $ 2.8 million.
Why is it important?
When cybercriminals target hospitals, it’s not just about losing money.
Doctors and nurses can suddenly find themselves unable to access patients, which can delay treatment or even endanger lives. Attacks like these emphasize how digital threats can spread in the real world, affecting everyday people.
There is also the crypto element. Ransomware groups prefer digital currencies because payments are more difficult to trace, but the crypto itself is delivered with compromises.
Mining currencies like Bitcoin consume large amounts of electricity – sometimes equivalent to the quantity used by small countries – and if this power comes from dirty energy, this means more air pollution in air and increased pressure on the environment.
This does not mean that the whole cryptocurrency industry exceeds redemption.
Some platforms pass towards methods that use much less energy, while others are now fed by renewable energies. In addition, some mining operations explore means to use blockchain to finance clean energy projects.
In other words, crypto can add to the problem or contribute to a better future, depending on how it is built and used.
What is done about it?
This case shows that the police are becoming more and more able to follow financial transactions in the digital world.
Even when alleged criminals are trying to hide behind anonymous portfolios, investigators find ways to follow the funds and cut their profits. Without this financial incentive, ransomware groups like Zeppelin have fewer reasons to continue.
On the environmental side, people can have an impact by supporting the cryptographic platforms which are transparent on their energy consumption or by pleading for the adoption of more renewable energy sources in their own communities.
Even if you do not have crypto, clean local energy helps to compensate for the intensive use of industries power like this.
The overview here is that technology is not neutral. People can use it to harm, or they can shape it in something that supports others and the planet.
This DoJ crisis shows how the choices we make with technology can either put people in danger or push us to a better world.
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