The Bitcoin.org website was hit by a distributed denial-of-service(DDoS) attack on Tuesday. According to the site’s pseudonymous owner Cobra, Bitcoin.org was struck by an “overwhelming attack” that was followed by a ransom demand to restore its services to normal.

Bitcoin.org Attackers Demand Bitcoin Ransom

The “massive” DDoS attack was first reported in a tweet by Bitcoin.org’s owner Cobra. The site operator wrote, “It’s a very overwhelming attack, it’s a struggle to deal with, and I don’t know how long we’ll be down for.” At the time of writing, the website had resumed its online services.

https://t.co/OsFgRFRRZb getting hit with an absolutely massive DDoS attack and a ransom demand to send Bitcoin or they’ll continue.

I don’t think I’ve been this offended in a while. Ungrateful scum.

— Cøbra (@CobraBitcoin) July 5, 2021

As per reports, Cobra received a ransom demand after the attack, asking for 0.5 Bitcoin — equivalent to $17,012 at the current exchange price. The website owner is yet to confirm whether the ransom amount was paid to the attackers.

A DDoS attack is executed by overloading a website host’s infrastructure with overwhelming traffic that brings down the entire system. It is a commonly used tactic in the crypto sphere. Last year, Bitcoin wallet manufacturer Trezor as well as crypto exchange Poloniex were hit by similar attacks.

Bitcoin.org Attack Comes Amid Legal Troubles for the Site

The cyberattack is the latest addition to the site’s ongoing troubles. Last month, the site’s operator Cobra lost a UK lawsuit, when he opted to preserve his real identity against copyright infringement charges brought forward by Craig Wright. Cobra was unable to hire a lawyer due to his anonymity and subsequently, the court delivered a default judgment in Wright’s favor. 

As a consequence of the judgment, Bitcoin.org removed the Bitcoin whitepaper from its website for UK IP addresses. Additionally, Cobra barred people in the UK from accessing the Bitcoin Core software.

Founded in 2008, Bitcoin.org is one of the most visited Bitcoin websites in the world that educates people on buying the flagship cryptocurrency and its use cases. The site is no stranger to hacking attempts and has been previously forced offline by an attack in December 2020. Site owner Cobra believes that such incidents become frequent when Bitcoin is trading near its highs.