The Crypto Lesson of the Colonial Pipeline Hack

(Bloomberg Opinion) — Last month’s spectacular security breach at the Colonial Pipeline Co. has focused attention on a major issue with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Their primary use as a medium of exchange, as opposed to their role as a store of value, is for payments related to crime — in this case, more than $4 million in ransom to the hackers who shut down a significant part of America’s fuel supply.