[twox2]

I think ransomware was around before crypto, but crypto really blew it up. However, I think if crypto vanished, ransomware would still be as big of a problem if not worse. Without crypto, the risk of collecting ransoms increases and I imagine they would go up quite a bit and be harder to navigate in some ways.

That's not to say I don't agree with your take.

I think the second killer app for cryptocurrency these days are DeFi and NFTs, which are perceived by most to be high risk and vaporware.

Personally I love NFTs, but that's an aside. I can acknowledge that it's a territory that's full of scams.