The "killer app" for cryptocurrency is ransomware and malware. Ransomware creators used to ask for payments with gift card codes or sketchy Western Union-style

The "killer app" for cryptocurrency is ransomware and malware. Ransomware creators used to ask for payments with gift card codes or sketchy Western Union-style transfers. Cryptocurrency makes it MUCH easier for ransomware gangs to get paid. This has led to a boom in ransomware attacks and the commoditization of ransomware into an entire industry [1][2]. There are entities that specialize in getting a foothold via exploits, contacting the victims to force payment, taking payments and laundering them, and providing paying victims with decryption tools. Cryptocurrency has made ransomware a big business for criminal gangs and financially-strapped nefarious state actors (North Korea for example) [3]. [1]: https://techmonitor.ai/technology/cybersecurity/ransomware-and-cryptocurrencies https://techmonitor.ai/technology/cybersecurity/ransomware-a... [2]: https://www.titanhq.com/blog/the-correlation-between-cryptocurrencies-and-cyberattacks/ https://www.titanhq.com/blog/the-correlation-between-cryptoc... [3]: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/North-Korea-ramps-up-ransomware-attacks-in-hunt-for-cash https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Nor...