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WSJ: Travelex paid ransomware ring $2.3 million
Travelex reportedly coughed up $2.3 million to the ransomware ring that attacked its systems on New Year's Eve.
After Math: All the stuff that happened while we were at CES
Oh man, what a week it's been. Over the course of seven days (and nearly 80,000 steps by this reporter alone), the Engadget staff descended upon CES 2020 to bring you the biggest, best, weirdest and wildest trends in consumer electronics. But the rest of the world doesn't revolve around CES and plenty of news happened while we were scouring the show floor. Here are some of the top stories of the week from everywhere that isn't Las Vegas.
US Samsung Pay users can't send money internationally after Travelex hack (update)
Travelex's ransomware attack continues to affect people and businesses around the globe -- including those that might not consider themselves affiliated with the company in any way. Engadget can reveal that Samsung Pay's international money transfer service -- which relies on the Travelex platform -- has been suspended as a result of the issues faced by its partner.
International money transfer service Travelex held ransom by hackers
Foreign exchange company Travelex has been targeted by hackers demanding $6 million (£4.6 million), in an attack many believe could have been averted months ago. The ransomware gang known as Sodinokibi -- also as REvil -- says it has downloaded more than 5GB of sensitive customer data, including dates of birth, credit card information and national insurance numbers, which it will publish if payment is not made within a week. The hackers originally demanded $3 million, but doubled the sum after two days of non-payment.
Travelex's Supercard lets Brits spend money abroad without fees
Back in April 2015, foreign exchange company Travelex attempted to change the way Britons spend money abroad with the launch of the Supercard. Operating as a pre-paid Visa card that didn't need topping up, the prototype allowed a limited number users to connect up to five debit or credit cards and pay for items without incurring a exchange fee from their bank. Users travelled the world during the pilot, spending over £1 million in distant lands before it closed on June 7th. After a brief period of downtime, Travelex has returned with a new version of its payment card, which is now available to everyone in the UK from today.
Travelex's Supercard eliminates bank charges when spending abroad
Sure, it's easy to use your bank cards when buying things abroad, but it's not pleasant to come home to all the additional fees and charges bolted on by your bank. One solution is to take cash, which carries its own risks, or sign up to a third-party issuer that tries to limit the damage to your account. Travelex, however, is aiming to cut those UK charges completely with the launch of its new "Supercard." While it's basically a pre-paid Visa debit card, it comes with one distinct advantage: you don't have to top it up. You can connect up to five of your own accounts, travel to a far-away destination and it'll automatically deduct your purchases using Visa's own exchange rate.
