NewsBTC
No Result
View All Result
  • Cryptocurrency News
    • Bitcoin News (BTC)
    • Ethereum News (ETH)
    • Ripple News (XRP)
    • Shiba Inu News (SHIB)
    • Cardano News (ADA)
    • Dogecoin News (DOGE)
    • Solana News (SOL)
    • Litecoin News (LTC)
    • Avalanche News (AVAX)
    • Polygon News (MATIC)
  • Crypto Prices
    • Binance Coin (BNB) Price
    • Bitcoin (BTC) Price
    • Cardano (ADA) Price
    • Chainlink (LINK) Price
    • Dogecoin (DOGE) Price
    • Ethereum (ETH) Price
    • Litecoin (LTC) Price
    • Polkadot (DOT) Price
  • Crypto Resources & Directory
  • All Crypto
  • Play GamesTry
  • CasinosTry
Breaking News: ‘Crypto Week’ Takes A Hit: US House Fails To Advance Key Acts
  • Cryptocurrency News
    • Bitcoin News (BTC)
    • Ethereum News (ETH)
    • Ripple News (XRP)
    • Shiba Inu News (SHIB)
    • Cardano News (ADA)
    • Dogecoin News (DOGE)
    • Solana News (SOL)
    • Litecoin News (LTC)
    • Avalanche News (AVAX)
    • Polygon News (MATIC)
  • Crypto Prices
    • Binance Coin (BNB) Price
    • Bitcoin (BTC) Price
    • Cardano (ADA) Price
    • Chainlink (LINK) Price
    • Dogecoin (DOGE) Price
    • Ethereum (ETH) Price
    • Litecoin (LTC) Price
    • Polkadot (DOT) Price
  • Crypto Resources & Directory
  • All Crypto
  • Play GamesTry
  • CasinosTry
Bitcoin News
No Result
View All Result
Breaking News: ‘Crypto Week’ Takes A Hit: US House Fails To Advance Key Acts

University of California Falls Prey to $1.15M Crypto Ransom Scam

Cole Petersen
Cole Petersen
5 years ago
2 mins read

Reason to trust

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality
Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed
The highest standards in reporting and publishing
How Our News is Made

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality

Ad discliamer

Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio.

It’s no secret that the crypto industry is rife with scams, hacks, and other nefarious activities, with the decentralized and private nature of many digital assets being conducive to these types of undertakings.

The latest group to fall victim to one of these scams is a school within the University of California system, who paid an online gang $1.14 million to gain access to files that were encrypted due to malware that spread throughout their computer system.

UC San Francisco Pays Cyber Gang $1.15 Million in Crypto 

According to a recent report from BBC – who followed the conversation between the two parties thanks to an anonymous source – the Netwalker criminal gang extorted over $1 million in Bitcoin from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) earlier this month.

Shortly after the malware had infected the university’s computer system, the IT department was directed to a page on the dark web the resembled a standard customer service page.

Crypto

Netwalker's website. Image courtesy of BBC News

They then engaged the criminals in a conversation on the site, who instructed that they pay $3 million in crypto to have access to their files and computers restored. Otherwise, they threatened, the files would all be wiped clean.

The University offered to pay $780,000, but the hackers claimed that this is not enough considering that the university makes “billions per year” and demanded they pay $1.5 million in crypto.

The university eventually offered a total of $1,140,895, which was accepted by the hackers.

The next day, 116.4 Bitcoin was transferred into the gang’s crypto wallets.

These actions run counter to recommendations from most law enforcement agencies across the globe, who argue against making contact or sending payment to any of these digital ransom rings.

Despite this, the university claims that it was imperative to send the crypto due to the locked files being valuable to “serving the public good.”

“The data that was encrypted is important to some of the academic work we pursue as a university serving the public good. We therefore made the difficult decision to pay some portion of the ransom, approximately $1.14 million, to the individuals behind the malware attack…”

Here’s Why Law Enforcement Argues Against Sending Crypto to Ransom Hackers

Ransom schemes are becoming commonplace, and law enforcement officials remain ardent in their stance against victims sending Bitcoin or any other crypto to these criminals.

Jan Op Gen Oorth – a Europol agent – stated that paying the ransom just encourages more of it to take place.

“Victims should not pay the ransom, as this finances criminals and encourages them to continue their illegal activities.”

Because crypto-assets like Bitcoin can easily be sent through a “mixer” that makes it incredibly difficult to track, it is unlikely that victims who pay these organizations will ever be able to recover the stolen funds.

Featured image from Shutterstock.
Tweet123Share210ShareSend
Cole Petersen
Cole Petersen

Cole Petersen

Cole is a cryptocurrency analyst based in Los Angeles. He studied at the University of California Irvine and has been interested in Bitcoin and the crypto markets since 2013.

Disclaimer: The information found on NewsBTC is for educational purposes only. It does not represent the opinions of NewsBTC on whether to buy, sell or hold any investments and naturally investing carries risks. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use information provided on this website entirely at your own risk.

Related News

SharpLink Gaming Buys $73M in Ethereum – Smart Money Loads the Dip

SharpLink Gaming Buys $73M in Ethereum – Smart Money Loads the Dip

Ethereum is undergoing a critical test after breaking above the key $2,850 resistance level and reaching a local high of...

Sebastian Villafuerte 4 hours ago
Crypto

‘Crypto Week’ Takes A Hit: US House Fails To Advance Key Acts

In a major blow for the crypto industry, several bills championed by President Donald Trump failed to pass a crucial...

Ronaldo Marquez 4 hours ago
Cardano

A Breakout To Remember: Cardano Price Mirrors Market Conditions That Led To $3.10 ATH

Crypto analyst Scrambler has drawn attention to a bullish pattern that is forming for the Cardano price, which could lead...

Scott Matherson 6 hours ago
Load More

Reason to trust

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality
Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed
The highest standards in reporting and publishing
How Our News is Made

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality

Ad discliamer

Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio.

Related News

Bitcoin

This Analyst Predicted Bitcoin’s Rally To $120,000 Months Ago, Here’s The Rest Of The Forecast

Scott Matherson 39 minutes ago
Chainlink

Chainlink Bullish Trigger: Why $16 Holds The Key To The Next Rally

Godspower Owie 2 hours ago
Ethereum

Ethereum Forms ‘Pure Cup And Handle’ Pattern After Hitting $3,000, Analysts Set New Targets

Scott Matherson 3 hours ago

Premium Sponsors

Press Releases

  • e 3 coiny poniżej 1 dolara mogą zamienić 200 dolarów w...

    3 hours ago
  • ミームコインの価格急騰が続く中、注目の仮想通貨プレセールが50万ドルを突破し、次の100倍コインになる可能性がある。

    ...

    9 hours ago
  • 仮想通貨おすすめ|ビットコイン強気派の一休み中に買うべき銘柄

    ...

    9 hours ago
  • 2025年注目の新しい仮想通貨|Solana発 次世代ミームコインが投資家の期待を集める

    2025年注目の新しい仮想通貨|Solana発...

    10 hours ago
  • 2025年7月第2週にクジラが購入した注目のアルトコイン

    ...

    10 hours ago

Newsletter

Be the first to get the latest important crypto news & events to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

NewsBTC is a cryptocurrency news service that covers bitcoin news today, technical analysis & forecasts for bitcoin price and other altcoins. Here at NewsBTC, we are dedicated to enlightening everyone about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

We cover BTC news related to bitcoin exchanges, bitcoin mining and price forecasts for various cryptocurrencies.

Disclaimer: The information found on NewsBTC is for educational purposes only. It does not represent the opinions of NewsBTC on whether to buy, sell or hold any investments and naturally investing carries risks. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use information provided on this website entirely at your own risk.

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Center

Social

© 2025 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

  • Cryptocurrency News
    • Bitcoin News (BTC)
    • Ethereum News (ETH)
    • Ripple News (XRP)
    • Shiba Inu News (SHIB)
    • Cardano News (ADA)
    • Dogecoin News (DOGE)
    • Solana News (SOL)
    • Litecoin News (LTC)
    • Avalanche News (AVAX)
    • Polygon News (MATIC)
  • Crypto Prices
    • Binance Coin (BNB) Price
    • Bitcoin (BTC) Price
    • Cardano (ADA) Price
    • Chainlink (LINK) Price
    • Dogecoin (DOGE) Price
    • Ethereum (ETH) Price
    • Litecoin (LTC) Price
    • Polkadot (DOT) Price
  • Crypto Resources & Directory
  • All Crypto
  • Play Games
  • Casinos
Advertise

© 2025 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Center or Cookie Policy.