The two most obvious culprits would be: 1) People trying to make the price of bi... | Hacker News

Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

login

pemulis on April 21, 2013 | parent | context | favorite | on: Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox taken down for hours by ‘...

The two most obvious culprits would be:

1) People trying to make the price of bitcoins drop, so that they can buy low and sell high. (This possibility is called out in the article.)

2. Criminals trying to extract a ransom from Mt. Gox, which is losing a lot of revenue and trust every minute their site is down.

rubinelli on April 21, 2013 [–]

I think (2) is more likely at this point. There's only so much a market will take before it tanks and stays down for months. This kind of market (along with porn and gambling) is a great target for botnet controllers trying to make a buck.

Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact