WannaCry hackers empty their wallets

To try to remain anonymous, the hackers behind the WannaCry ransomware used three Bitcoin wallets to collect money from their victims, and law-enforcement have spent the last three months carefully monitoring these wallets for signs of activity. In the last few days, the total balance was removed from each wallet and divided into multiple smaller Bitcoin wallets, where the ransomers will need to try to perform the cryptocurrency version of money laundering to ensure any cash withdrawal is untraceable.

Before the Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash fork, the value of the wallets added up to a surprisingly low US$140,000. The Bitcoin amounts that the ransomers demanded corresponded to values between US$300 and US$600, which indicates that from the massive global impact that WannaCry had, only between 233 and 466 people transferred ransom money. What we don't know is whether this little amount was due to the media messaging encouraging people not to pay the ransom, or if it is more to do with a lack of knowledge on what Bitcoin was among those affected.

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