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A comment on DOJ seizes $2.3M in cryptocurrency paid to the ransomware extortionists Darkside. Parent comment

Re:DOJ seizes $2.3M in cryptocurrency paid to the ransomware... by t0mbstone on Monday June 07, 2021 @10:19PM (#27429926)
The reason why this story doesn't make sense is because it's most likely a lie.

Think about it for a second.

If they wanted to discourage copycat criminals, the easiest way to do it would be to claim they seized the crypto, right?

But what proof do we have that the feds actually seized anything? Is the bitcoin transaction publicly listed anywhere where we can audit what happened? And even if you see the coins were moved, how do we know it was actually the feds that moved them and not the actual criminals?

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Re:DOJ seizes $2.3M in cryptocurrency paid to the ransomware... by tacostakohashi on Monday June 07, 2021 @10:32PM (#27430019)
> what proof do we have that the feds actually seized anything?

I'm sure the feds will sell the bitcoin in the fullness of time, like this:

https://www.usmarshals.gov/assets/2020/febbitcoinauction/

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Re:DOJ seizes $2.3M in cryptocurrency paid to the ransomware... by kristianp on Monday June 07, 2021 @11:17PM (#27430278)
Won't they hand them back to the pipeline owner who paid the ransom?
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Re:DOJ seizes $2.3M in cryptocurrency paid to the ransomware... by bart_spoon on Tuesday June 08, 2021 @09:43AM (#27435110)
I don’t know, I can thing of reasons not to. They want to discourage companies both from lax security standards and from paying ransoms when they get attacked. Not paying them back would provide economic incentive that even if the DOJ is working to combat hacking, they won’t be saving you from your own incompetence.

Not saying that’s what they will do, just that I think it would make sense to me.

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Re:DOJ seizes $2.3M in cryptocurrency paid to the ransomware... by lordnacho on Tuesday June 08, 2021 @05:45AM (#27432303)
> And even if you see the coins were moved, how do we know it was actually the feds that moved them and not the actual criminals?

If the feds falsely claimed to have done it, the criminals could embarrass them by moving the coins again.

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Re:DOJ seizes $2.3M in cryptocurrency paid to the ransomware... by jonnycomputer on Tuesday June 08, 2021 @08:51AM (#27434459)
Ugh... because the pipeline is going to ask for that money back?
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