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Main page  |  News  |  Russian Hackers demand from Greek Banks …Bitcoins!

Russian Hackers demand from Greek Banks …Bitcoins!

01.12.2015


These incredible news spread all over virtual and real world. They were propagated to the world in large via Greek regular edition Protothema. Let’s figure out what has happened actually and whether there are reasons to raise the alarm.
As it turns out there happen to be reasons. As of now mass media keep informed that on November 26, 2015 a group of cyber-crooks from Russia launched a vast scale attack on servers of several Greek financial institutions (banks). Today a word leaked out that those illegal actions entailed deep violation of rights of banks and their clients have been just a test-attack aimed at revealing “narrow” gaps in banks’ computing systems.

After the test Russian hackers felt more confident and behaved as true racketeers. They demanded from Greek banks-victims rather considerable amount of money in return for non-invasion on institutions’ and individuals’ confidential data kept on Greek banks’ servers.
To this day banks and personal data of their clients received by cyber-crooks are not disclosed. The notable fact is that the key demand of plotters is their claim to pay them a required amount not in real money but in virtual: they insist on 750 bitcoins. At the current exchange rate of cryptocurrency the amount of real money equals to USD 266,000.

The demand of cyber-crooks to receive money in bitcoins looks rather logic, well-thought and daring given that form of cryptocurrency settlement is virtual, anonymous and uncontrolled. Bitcoin transactions aren’t monitored by state authorities, special services or other authorized institutions.
Such forms of settlements have been and will be always attractive not only for ordinary Bitcoin system’s users (innocent sellers and customers) but criminals of all kinds as well. This case of flagrant criminal offence against interests of Greek banking institutions became indicative for general public used to simple and handy operations with bitcoins.

Is Bitcoin system really that useful? Certainly, at first thought it provides a range of evident advantages, such as easy and simple transactions of virtual money worldwide, lack of any commissions, and instantaneity of operations. Nevertheless, discussed in mass media events related to hacking attacks on financial institutions, as well as using Bitcoin for criminal purposes undermine the reputation of the payment system. As practice shows, simplicity, comfort and anonymity of cryptocurrency operations can be considered not only as an advantage but as a high risk of performing transactions and keeping assets in Bitcoins.