FILE PHOTO - A chain of block erupters used for Bitcoin mining is pictured at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California October 28, 2013. To match Special Report BITCOIN-WRIGHT/PATENTS REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo
An unprecedented cyberattack swept across the globe over the weekend, but so far the majority of victims haven’t paid hackers a ransom.
After the ransomware began infecting users on May 12, they were given 72 hours to pay US$300 (RM1,295) in Bitcoin – chosen by the hackers because the crypto currency is harder to track than conventional payments – or pay twice as much. If they refused to pay after seven days, their computer would be permanently locked – a serious problem for those who haven’t backed up their data.
