Fox News’ Carlson Claims Ransomware’s Bitcoin Bump

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Far-right commentator Tucker Carlson believes ransomware payments are behind Bitcoin’s recent surge, providing bogus evidence to back up his claims.

Earlier this month, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) computer system error triggered a nationwide ground shutdown on January 11 that disrupted more than 11,000 flights across the United States. According to a preliminary review, contract staff “unintentionally deleted files” that caused this disruption. The FAA said it “has so far found no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent.”

Carlson claims malicious intent

However, Carlson instead believes the disruption was actually a cyberattack with malicious intent, specifically a ransomware attack. He further argued that Bitcoin ransom payments are responsible for the recent cryptocurrency surge.

According to the Fox News expert, Bitcoin has been on an upward trend since the nationwide ground shutdown on January 11. Since he believes it was caused by a ransomware attack, Carlson claims he made the US government buy huge amounts of Bitcoin to pay the ransom. . Therefore, these supposed purchases of Bitcoins on behalf of the US government have driven the price of Bitcoins ever since.

The reality of ransomware

Yet Carlson provided no other evidence to support his false correlation, such as a legitimate report of such an attack. In addition to running counter to an official FAA statement, Carlson’s claim also lacked substantial on-chain evidence. Any such transaction would leave a significant digital footprint that authorities are increasingly adept at tracking.

Advances in law enforcement are just one reason why ransomware payments actually plummeted in the past year. According to a recent report, crypto ransomware payments fell to $457 million last year, a drop of 40.3%.

As authorities adapt to criminal practices, companies adapt too, improving cybersecurity measures, such as strengthening their data backup processes. Victims also find themselves unable to pay due to the risk of violating international sanctions.

Disclaimer

BeInCrypto has reached out to a company or individual involved in the story for an official statement on recent developments, but has yet to receive a response.

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