# Ransomware \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474 "2021-06-02T14:37:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/41 "2021-06-03T19:52:46Z")
Thank you for doing that. It was making me twitch. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/42 "2021-06-03T20:00:31Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Thank you for doing that. It was making me twitch.   It shows how my brain works that I read the thread many times and even posted and didn’t notice. What was the original misspelling? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/43 "2021-06-03T20:00:58Z")
Ransomeware ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/44 "2021-06-03T20:55:28Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/45 "2021-06-03T21:55:33Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > There once was a hack on Nantucket… > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They carried bitcoin in a bucket. > [@bob\_2](#): > > The market went down: Which made people frown… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/46 "2021-06-03T22:21:45Z")
So he soon posted, “Oh fuck it”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/47 "2021-06-03T22:39:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Ransomeware “Ramsome” is the name of a character in Roger Zelazney’s “Nine Prices in Amber”. I claim Poetic Typo. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2021, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/48 "2021-06-04T03:25:36Z")
So you’re starting a period-specific clothing line? ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/49 "2021-06-04T13:22:25Z")
One of the other things a ransomware attack will threaten is “we have your data”. I suppose it depends on what internet connection your enterprise or home has, but downloading gigs of data is not a trivial operation. More likely, the hack has just encrypted it all, they do not have time to download it. Even more so for enterprises which are likely to have hundreds of gigs. Most software is not smart enough to figure - “this is just the website product catalog with photos, no need to download this.” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/50 "2021-06-04T16:33:14Z")
Can you tell me what is an exe whitelist and how to implement it? Whenever I install something, I get a message asking if I want to allow {Whatcompany} to make changes to my computer. And if I get a message that says something generic, such as “You will find this link interesting” from someone I know, I always write to the sender asking if this message is real. If it is from someone I don’t know, I delete it. And if I send someone a link, I always put enough personal comments in it to make it clear that if is from the real me. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/51 "2021-06-04T17:56:50Z")
I don’t know your environment but application whitelisting is typically implemented through Group Policies in Active Directory. If you’re wanting to roll it out for an organization with an AD infrastructure in place Bryan Doe’s guide on Spiceworks is a good place to start: > **[Deploying a whitelist Software Restriction Policy to prevent Cryptolocker and...](https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/57422-deploying-a-whitelist-software-restriction-policy-to-prevent-cryptolocker-and-more)** > > Since the beginning of ransomware, there's been a lot of talk about using a software restriction policy to prevent it from ever running. Unfortunately, most... If you don’t have an Active Directory infrastructure in place the guide can still be useful but you’ll likely need to edit your server’s local group policy settings instead of doing it in AD: > **[Open the Local Group Policy Editor](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-r2-and-2012/dn789185(v=ws.11))** If you’re talking about something like a home computer…it’s probably still possible but it would be a lot of work to setup for just a single computer. I think I’d go a different route. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/52 "2021-06-07T22:11:29Z")
The FBI recovered some $2 million in bitcoin. Have they any way to identify individuals? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/53 "2021-06-07T22:52:41Z")
Evidently the FBI was able to crack the password of the account to which the Bitcoin was sent. > **[U.S. seizes $2.3 million in bitcoin paid to Colonial Pipeline hackers](https://news.yahoo.com/u-recovers-2-3-million-190713297.html)** > > WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Justice Department on Monday recovered some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline Co, cracking down on hackers who launched the most disruptive U.S. cyberattack on record. Deputy Attorney General... > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > The FBI recovered some $2 million in bitcoin. Have they any way to identify individuals? But in answer to your question: > “Right now, prosecution is a pipedream,” Vice President John Hultquist of the Mandiant cybersecurity firm said ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/54 "2021-06-08T00:05:13Z")
Note that the original payment was 75 bitcoins and 63.7 bitcoins were recovered. So the majority of it was recovered. The 2.3 million value is because bitcoin are cheaper than when the ransom was paid. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/55 "2021-06-08T01:51:05Z")
At the recovered rate, a bitcoin is $38,058.8235. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/56 "2021-06-08T12:27:20Z")
I wonder if this morning’s internet outages are related to the recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/57 "2021-06-08T12:30:06Z")
No. According to the New York Times, “The outage was connected to Fastly, a provider of cloud computing services used by scores of companies to improve the speed and reliability of their websites. Fastly later said on its website that the issue had been identified and that a fix was being made.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474/58 "2021-06-08T12:30:32Z")
Thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ransomware-edited-title/943474.md?page=2)