How To Pay A Ransom

You’ve been hit with a ransom attack and decided your best option under the circumstances is to pay up. Then what? Citing sources from a number of security firms, an article from DarkReading has put together a step-by-step guidance on how to handle this woeful scenario. It notes that the decision to pay is far from the last decision you will have to make. Third party experts are available, and it sounds as if for many companies this might be a good time to retain them, if only for their experience in handling bitcoins. This is a strange world where it turns out you are better off dealing with a large successful extortionist than a small-time operator. “What’s crazy is that a lot of ransomware operators, the larger ones, have their own call center,” says one expert. There the people are likely to be nice and friendly, and some will stay on the phone while you test the decryption key. But at this stage, he advises, it’s best not to try to negotiate. It might backfire.