{"id":212779,"date":"2021-03-27T21:14:50","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T18:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/former-us-director-of-the-cybersecurity-crypto-ransomware-running-wild\/"},"modified":"2021-03-27T21:14:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-27T18:14:50","slug":"former-us-director-of-the-cybersecurity-crypto-ransomware-running-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/former-us-director-of-the-cybersecurity-crypto-ransomware-running-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"# Former US Director of the Cybersecurity: Crypto ransomware \u2018running wild\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

“# Former US Director of the Cybersecurity: Crypto ransomware \u2018running wild\u2019 <\/strong>”
\n<\/p>\n

Former Department of Homeland Security official Christopher Krebs called for greater governmental oversight of cryptocurrency in an interview yesterday, saying that anonymous payments are a threat \u201cthe average American is concerned about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an interview on Late Night with Bill Maher<\/em>, Maher asked<\/a> the former U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency director about his thoughts on Bitcoin. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s gonna happ<\/a>en with Bitcoin? Where do you see that going? That\u2019s in sort of your area, I see it bringing down civilization, but maybe I\u2019m being anti-intellectual,\u201d said Maher. <\/p>\n

\u201cCryptocurrency is, as I see it, is one of the single enabling factors that has allowed cyber-criminals to deploy a massive amount of ransomware across our state and local agencies,\u201d said Krebs. \u201cIt\u2019s the anonymous payments, the ability to pay anonymously. And I think that is the cyber-threat that the average American is concerned about.\u201d <\/p>\n

Maher noted that 1600 schools have been hit with ransomware (citing a report from IBM<\/a>), and Krebs added that there have also been attacks on \u201chospitals, and government agencies, I mean we had, Baltimore\u2019s been hit twice, Atlanta, Mecklenburg county North Carolina, 23 counties in Texas, Louisiana\u2019s been hit a couple times.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they just want money. This isn’t anything sophisticated, this isn\u2019t ideological,\u201d Maher responded, comparing \u2014 puzzlingly \u2014 the ransomware attacks to the plot of the movie Die Hard<\/em>. (Shortly after, Krebs incorrectly referred to the fictitious Nakatomi Plaza as \u201cNakasomi Tower\u201d).<\/p>\n

Krebs went on to warn of \u201cbad guys\u201d running wild if there are \u201cno consequences.\u201d He recommended \u201clooking at\u201d cryptocurrencies in exchange wallets, pressuring countries that cyber-criminals call home to crack down on illegal activites aimed at the U.S., and helping state and local governments improve their defenses. <\/p>\n

Ransomware has been on the rise the last few years, likely contributing to an image problem in the cryptocurrency space. One recent poll<\/a> indicates that only 43% of respondents believe cryptocurrency is a valid form of payment, and another from 2020 shows<\/a> that 90% of respondents are \u201cworried\u201d about cryptocurrencies being used to launder money.<\/p>\n

Krebs, who rose to prominence after being fired by former president Donald Trump because of Krebs’ vocal dismissal of election fraud conspiracy theories, may be aligning his publicly stated views with popular opinion in preparation for a run for office. The former bureaucrat has also floated policy proposals such as investing in state and local cyber defense and education programs. <\/p>\n