Get the latest tech news

Should we ban ransom payments?


Making it illegal to pay off hackers makes sense to some, but others say it’s an oversimplistic solution to a complex problem.

As cybercriminals continue to reap the financial rewards of their attacks, talk of a federal ban on ransom payments is getting louder. It would also require governments that grant safe harbor to cybercriminals — Russia gets an obvious namecheck — to crack down within their own borders, which they’re not incentivized to do. A blanket ban on ransom payments would also likely necessitate exceptions in dire circumstances, such as ransomware attacks involving the risk of loss of life in medical facilities or threats to national critical infrastructure.

Get the Android app

Or read this on TechCrunch

Read more on:

Photo of ransom payments

ransom payments

Related news:

News photo

BTC-e server admin indicted for laundering ransom payments, stolen crypto