Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin.org targetted by hackers in DDoS attack
- Hackers demanded $16000 worth of Bitcoin as ransom
- DDoS attack not uncommon within the crypto industry
Hackers targeted the popular website on July 5. Cobra, the anonymous owner of the Bitcoin.org domain, revealed this on July 5 in a series of tweets. The hackers made a coordinated DDOS attack, with all the website servers blocked with connection requests from different locations.
Cobra further stated that it was proving increasingly difficult to fight against DDoS attacks. He alleged this was due to the complex nature of the attacks, and the website had no option than to stay down until the attack was over.
Cobra further revealed to crypto platform Decrypt that the hackers had raised a ransom demand of about 0.5 bitcoin ($16.000). It is unknown if the anonymous developer paid the ransom, but a few hours after the attack, the website was accessible.
This is not the first time that hackers would target Bitcoin.org. The website was hacked last December, with the platform inaccessible for several hours, but there was no ransom demand at the time.
DDoS attacks are not uncommon on the web, but they typically target platforms with sensitive databases like military bases, hospitals, and exchanges. There have been high-profile DDoS attacks targeted at significant crypto exchanges within the crypto space, including Binance and Bittrex.
Bitcoin.org is the oldest bitcoin news website that is aimed at informing internet users about Bitcoin. It is regularly updated by a global community of contributors, who write on the different aspects of the leading cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin.org also houses valuable resources, including the Bitcoin Core installation file.
Why do you think hackers targetted Bitcoin.org?
