COMPUTER VIRUS WREAKS HAVOC IN ITALIAN ADMINISTRATIONS, RANSOM PAID IN BITCOIN

The computer systems of tens of local administrations in Italy have fallen to a ‘ransomware’ computer virus that encrypts stored files and requests payment in Bitcoin for the decryption keys. The ransom is 400 Euros, and it doubles after three days.
Administration officers at Bussoleno, a small town in Northern Italy, could only recover important files by acquiring Bitcoin and paying the ransom. According to a story posted to Reddit, this is the first time a nation state is forced to acquire Bitcoin.
That is not entirely true, since the officers used their own money to buy bitcoins and pay – or perhaps they used bitcoins that they already had – and now they are thinking of how to justify the expense and claim a reimbursement. But the episode was certainly a shocking introduction and a ‘Bitcoin 101′ course for the Italian administration, and perhaps something good will come out. Maria Grazia Mazzolari, Bussoleno’s Secretary, said:

This post was published at Crypto Coins News on October 22, 2014.