Too Long; Didn't Read
Joseph Popp received the first ransom with the help of an attack on a computer in 1989. He mailed a floppy disk to 20,000 medical institutions worldwide with information about AIDS. Each disk contained a survey that assessed the risk of contracting this disease. During the survey, the “AIDS Trojan” encrypted files on a users’ computer after restarting a certain number of times. Then printers printed out instructions for sending a bank transfer or a check in the amount of $189 to a mailbox in Panama.