2023-05-08 23:21:48
Members of the Counter Ransomware Initiative continue to ask the question: whether or not to pay a ransom demand following ransomware?
Last year, the US government and several other countries began a discussion on whether ransomware payments should be banned, with possible waivers in certain situations. White House deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said ransomware payment bans had been a topic of discussion among members of the Counter Ransomware Initiative.
Neuberger explained that despite best efforts, ransomware attacks continue to occur and the decision to prohibit payments is a difficult issue that needs to be addressed with a waiver for certain special situations.
Neuberger quoted the ransomware attack once morest the City of Dallas and its effects on the city’s police department as an example of the type of attacks that frustrate officials in the United States and abroad. She noted that several other countries involved in the Counter Ransomware Initiative have also raised the issue, but no decision has been made.
Several US states have forbidden local government entities to pay ransoms related to attacks, but bans so far have done little to stop gangs from targeting them.
The FBI has repeatedly spoken out once morest the idea of paying, noting that it would only further harm the victims. But let’s not be fooled, even if ransomware payments were banned, many companies would simply find a way around it and keep paying, choosing to face the legal fallout instead of letting their businesses languish for days.
Effort international
Despite differing opinions on the matter, the Counter Ransomware initiative has grown tremendously since its inception in 2021. 36 countries and the European Union were involved in October 2022, and since then Jordan, Costa Rica and Colombia joined the effort, pointing out that ransomware has become a problem in almost every region of the world.
The first Counter Ransomware Initiative summit focused on building a common understanding of the ransomware threat and finding ways to collaborate better. US officials have shared intelligence on ransomware tactics with countries such as Ukraine, which have considerable experience in defending once morest ransomware attacks.
In the USA, the North Carolina and the Florida have banned the idea of paying blackmailers 2.0. California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming have all passed laws referencing ransomware, with specific penalties for those involved. Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, and North Dakota require public entities to report ransomware incidents, while Texas now allows the Texas Department of Transportation to purchase ransomware insurance. ransomware.
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