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Those in the back of the current cyberattack affecting companies round Europe have successful acquired a total of just about 4 bitcoins, really worth spherical $9621 at contemporary day rate.

On Tuesday, reports emerged of a ransomware virus affecting companies and governments sooner or later of Eastern Europe. Ukraine and Russia have been specifically affected.

The malware, which has been identified as a modified version of the "Petya" virus, has moreover affected organization in Western Europe, which encompass Maersk, Merck and WPP.

The virus locks clients out of their laptop and demands a ransom of $300 paid in Bitcoin.

According to the bitcoin blockchain, there were forty  confirmed transactions to the bitcoin wallet listed within the malware assault. The address is 1Mz7153HMuxXTuR2R1t78mGSdzaAtNbBWX.

The pockets has to this point received a total of 3.751 bitcoins from patients. Coindesk lists the current-day fee of a bitcoin at $2564.Forty six. Technically, the hackers should have thus far made $12,six hundred, if the forty  transactions every represent one victim paying the $300 ransom.

Steve Malone, director of safety product control at Mimecast, recommended the ones affected now not to pay the ransom.
"An airport simply cannot have its structures down for a prolonged time frame or chaos ensues. If they do now not supply in and pay the ransom, then they risk their public photo being dragged through the dust."

In May, a comparable ransomware assault made only $50,000 no matter infecting round two hundred,000 computer systems. Law enforcement could be carefully watching the bitcoin cope with, as they will be able to music wherein the owners of the wallet send the bitcoins after they actually need to spend it or convert it into a few other foreign cash.

source
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/28/ransomware-cyberattack-petya-bitcoin-payment.html