take it easy on this

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days. Following the At first glance, using bitcoin to gather the could make sense: cybercriminals can set up accounts in the virtual currency anonymously. But anyone can see the accounts online and also view a record of transactions. That makes spending the bitcoins or cashing out of them into another currency without getting caught a tricky task, especially when you've already attracted widespread global attention. "I have the feeling we will soon see ... how difficult it is to launder days. Following the At first glance, using bitcoin to gather the could make sense: cybercriminals can set up accounts in the virtual currency anonymously. But anyone can see the accounts online and also view a record of transactions. That makes spending the bitcoins or cashing out of them into another currency without getting caught a tricky task, especially when you've already attracted widespread global attention. "I have the feeling we will soon see ... how difficult it is to launder [bitcoin]," Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos tweeted over the weekend, suggesting law enforcement and intelligence agencies could cooperate in tracking what happens to the . Related: Police warn: If you're hit by cyberattack, don't pay the," Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos tweeted over the weekend, suggesting law enforcement and intelligence agencies could cooperate in tracking what happens to the . Related: Police warn: If you're hit by cyberattack, don't pay the

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ransom They may have their work cut out: the global bitcoin market sees roughly 250,000 transactions a day. And criminals can use murky online markets to try to cover their tracks, said Leonhard Weese, who advises startups on cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. The WannaCry hackers are likely to have plenty of cyber sleuths on their trail, though. U.K. startup Elliptic has made a business out of helping law enforcement agencies trace shady through the bitcoin realm to track down people or groups in the real world. Elliptic is already monitoring the funds in the three bitcoin accounts linked to the WannaCry cyberattack. Puzzling

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decisions Other decisions by the hackers also look puzzling, especially if their goal was to profit from the attack. Asking computer owners who use outdated versions of Microsoft Windows to pay a ransom in an obscure digital currency is an optimistic request at best -- and it's one of the likely reasons why the amount paid is so low compared with the number of victims. "One or two people I know have joked to me that even if they did get hit, they wouldn't know how to get a bitcoin to pay them with," said Michael Gazeley, managing director of Hong Kong-based cybersecurity provider Network Box. Police have told victims not to pay the

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Is infecting more than 300,000 computers around the world with a ransomware virus a good way to make a fortune? It sure doesn't look like it. The WannaCry cyberattack that's making headlines this week has squeezed around 80,000 from its victims so far,

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